Chapter Eleven Flashcards
Social Psychology
Social psychology
The scientific study of how we think about, influence, and relate to one another
Fundamental Attribution Error
The tendency, when analyzing others’ behavior, to overestimate the influence of personal traits and underestimate the influence of the situation
Attitude
Feelings, often based on our beliefs, that predispose us to respond in a particular way to objects, people, and events
Foot-in-the-door phenomenon
The tendency for people who have first agreed to a small request to comply later with a larger request
Role
A set of expectations (norms) about a social position, defining how those in the position ought to behave
Cognitive Dissonance Theory
The theory that we act to reduce the discomfort (dissonance) we feel when two of our thoughts (cognitions) clash
Peripheral Route Persuasion
Occurs when people are influenced by attention-getting cues, such as a speaker’s attractiveness
Central Route Persuasion
Occurs when interested people’s thinking is influenced by considering evidence and arguments
Culture
The enduring behaviors, ideas, attitudes, values, and traditions shared by a group of people and transmitted from one generation to the next
Tight Culture
Places with clearly defined and reliably imposed norms
Loose Culture
Places with flexible and informal norms
Conformity
Adjusting our behavior or thinking to coincide with a group standard
Normative Social Influence
Influence resulting from a person’s desire to gain approval or avoid disapproval
Informational Social Influence
Influence resulting from a person’s willingness to accept others’ opinions about reality
Social Facilitation
In the presence of others, improved performance on simple or well-learned tasks, and worsened performance on difficult tasks
Social Loafing
The tendency for people in a group to exert less effort when pooling their efforts toward attaining a common goal than when individually accountable
Deindividuation
The loss of self-awareness and self-restraint occurring in group situations that foster arousal and anonymity
Group Polarization
Strengthening of a group’s preexisting attitudes through discussions within the group
Groupthink
The mode of thinking that occurs when the desire for harmony in a decision-making group overrides a realistic appraisal of alternatives
Prejudice
An unfair and usually negative attitude toward a group and its members
Stereotype
A generalized (sometimes accurate but often overgeneralized) belief about a group of people
Discrimination
Unfair negative behavior toward a group or its members
Implicit Bias
Unconscious favoritism toward or prejudice against people of a particular race, gender, or other social group
Just-World Phenomenon
The tendency to believe that the world is just and people therefore get what they deserve and deserve what they get
Ingroup
“Us” — people with whom we share a common identity
Outgroup
“Them” — those perceived as different or apart from our ingroup
Ingroup Bias
The tendency to favor our own group
Scapegoat Theory
The theory that prejudice offers an outlet for anger by providing someone to blame
Other-Race Effect
The tendency to recall faces of one’s own race more accurately than faces of other races
Aggression
Any act intended to harm someone physically or emotionally
Frustration-Aggression Principle
The principle that frustration — the blocking of an attempt to achieve some goal — creates anger, which can generate aggression
Social Script
A culturally modeled guide for how to act in various situations
Mere Exposure Effect
The tendency for repeated exposure to novel stimuli to increase our liking of them
Passionate Love
An aroused state of intense positive absorption in another, usually present at the beginning of romantic love
Companionate Love
The deep affectionate attachment we feel for those with whom our lives are intertwined
Equity
A condition in which people receive from a relationship in proportion to what they give to it
Self-Disclosure
Revealing intimate aspects of ourselves to others
Altruism
Unselfish concern for the welfare of others
Bystander Effect
The tendency for any given bystander to be less likely to give aid if other bystanders are present
Reciprocity Norm
An expectation that people will help, not hurt, those who have helped them
Social- Responsibility Norm
An expectation that people will help those needing their help
Conflict
A perceived incompatibility of actions, goals, or ideas
Mirror-Image Perceptions
Mutual views often held by conflicting parties, as when each side sees itself as ethical and peaceful and views the other side as evil and aggressive
Self-Fulfilling Prophecy
A belief that leads to its own fulfillment
Superordinate Goals
Shared goals that override differences among people and require their cooperation
Foot-in-the-Door Phenomenon
Tendency for people who have first agreed to a small request to comply later with a larger request
