Social Behavior Flashcards
social psychology
the study of how living among others influences thought, feeling, and behavior.
social facilitation
phenomenon in which the presence of others improves one’s performance.
social loafing
phenomenon in which the presence of others causes one to relax one’s standards and slack off.
social norms
rules about acceptable behavior imposed by the cultural context in which one lives.
conformity
tendency of people to adjust their behavior to what others are doing or to adhere to the norms of their culture
informational social influence
conformity to the behavior of others because one views them as a source of knowledge about what one is supposed to do.
normative social influence
conformity to the behavior of others in order to be accepted by them.
groupthink
situation in which the thinking of the group takes over, so much so that group members forgo logic or critical analysis in the service of reaching a decision.
obedience
a type of conformity in which a person yields to the will of another person.
attributions
inferences made about the causes of other people’s behavior.
self-serving bias
the tendency to make situational attributions for our failures but dispositional attributions for our successes.
fundamental attribution error
the tendency to explain others’ behavior in dispositional rather than situational terms.
stereotypes
schemas of how people are likely to behave based simply on groups to which they belong.
in-group/out-group bias
tendency to show positive feelings toward people who belong to the same group as we do, and negative feelings toward those in other groups.
out-group homogeneity
the tendency to see all members of an out-group as the same.
prejudice
a biased attitude toward a group of people or an individual member of a group based on unfair generalizations about what members of that group are like.
discrimination
preferential treatment of certain people, usually driven by prejudicial attitudes.
attitudes
an individual’s favorable or unfavorable beliefs, feelings, or actions toward an object, idea, or person.
cognitive dissonance
the feeling of discomfort caused by information that is different from a person’s conception of himself or herself as a reasonable and sensible person.
persuasion
the act of attempting to change the opinions, beliefs, or choices of others by explanation or argument.
aggression
violent behavior that is intended to cause psychological or physical harm, or both, to another being.
prosocial behavior
action that is beneficial to others.
bystander effect
phenomenon in which the greater the number of bystanders who witness an emergency, the less likely any one of them is to help.
altruism
selfless attitudes and behavior toward others.
kin selection
the evolutionary favoring of genes that prompt individuals to help their relatives or kin.
reciprocal altruism
the act of helping others in the hope that they will help us in the future.
social exchange theory
the idea that we help others when we understand that the benefits to ourselves are likely to outweigh the costs.
empathy
the ability to share the feelings of others and understand their situations.
empathy–altruism hypothesis
the idea that people help others selflessly only when they feel empathy for them.
sexual strategies theory
the idea that men and women face different problems when they seek out mates, and so they often approach relationships in very different ways.
triangular theory of love
Sternberg’s idea that three components (intimacy, passion, and commitment), in various combinations, can explain all the forms of human love.
cult
an extremist group led by a charismatic, totalitarian leader in which coercive methods are used to prevent members from leaving the group.
situational causes
causes of behavior are associated with external, environmental factors.
Mere Exposure
The idea that direct exposure with an, object, person, or idea increases our overall preferences for it.
Solomon asch
study conformity
Confederates
People in on the experiment.
