social psych Flashcards
Bystander effect
The tendency for any given person to be less likely to give aid to someone who needs help if other individuals are present
Altruism
Unselfish regard for the wellbeing of others
Superordinate goals
Shared goals that override differences among people and require their cooperation
Mere exposure effect
The tendency to like or prefer something that is familiar
Victim blaming
Placing the responsibility or blame for a bad outcome on the individual who experiences the bad outcome due to their behavior
Scapegoat theory
The theory that prejudice offers an outlet for anger by providing someone to blame
Cognitive dissonance
An unpleasant state that arises when a person recognizes the inconsistency of his or her actions, attitudes, or beliefs
Group polarization
The tendency for people to hold even more extreme views on topics after a group discussion with like-minded people
Consummate love
Love involving intimacy and commitment
Companionate love
Type of love occurring when intimacy, passion, and commitment are all present
Passionate love
Intense absorption with one another, usually at the beginning of a romantic relationship
Deindividuation
The loss of identity or self-awareness as a result of participation in a larger group; lessons the sense of personal responsibility and can lead to destructive or aggressive behavior (losing yourself in the crowd)
Social facilitation
Improved performance on simple or well-learned tasks in the presence of others
Central route
Persuasion based on evidence and logic
Social inhibition
The tendency to perform complex or difficult tasks more poorly in the presence of others
Peripheral route
Persuasion based on factors such as emotion, popularity, or fame, instead of the facts or argument itself
Just world phenomenon
The tendency for people to believe the world is just and that people therefore get what they deserve and deserve what they get
Social loafing
The tendency for people to put less effort into a task when working with others than they would when working alone
Social exchange theory
The theory that human interactions are transactions that aim to maximize one’s rewards and minimize one’s costs
Groupthink
Occurs when the group makes a poor or flawed decision because topics or options that might upset group dynamics are not considered as a solution
Self-serving bias
The tendency to attribute our successes to personal traits and our failures to external circumstances
Hostile aggression
Aggression that springs from anger; its goal is to injure
Instrumental aggression
Aggression as a means to some goal other than causing pain
Foot-in-the-door phenomenon
The tendency for people who have first agreed to a small request to comply later with a larger request