Social Psych Vocab Flashcards
social psychology
the scientific study of how people’s thoughts, feelings and behaviors are influenced by actual, imagined or implied presence of others
attribution theory
we can credit or blame (attribute) the behavior to the person’s internal stable, enduring traits (a dispositional attribution) or we can attribute it to the external situation (a situational attribution)
fundamental attribution error
the tendency for observers, when analyzing others’ behavior, to underestimate the impact of the situation and to overestimate the impact of personal disposition
attitude
feelings, often influenced by our beliefs, that predispose us to respond in a particular way to objects, people and events
peripheral route persuasion
occurs when people are influenced by incidental cues, such as a speaker’s attractiveness
central route persuasion
occurs when people are influenced by arguments and respond with favorable thoughts
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
Leon Festinger’s theory that we act to reduce the discomfort (dissonance) we feel when two of our thoughts or behaviors are inconsistent
norms
understood rules for accepted and expected behaviors
conformity
adjusting our thinking or behavior to coincide with a group standard because of real or imagined pressure to fit in
information social influence
influence resulting from one’s willingness to accept other’s opinions about realitty
normative social influence
influence resulting from a person’s desire to gain approval or avoid disapproval
prejudice
an unjustifiable (and usually negative) attitude towards a group and its members
social facilitation
improved performance on simple or well-learned tasks in the presence of others
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
the enhancement of a group’s prevailing inclinations through discussions with the group
culture
the enduring behaviors, ideas, attitudes values and traditions share by a group of people and transmitted from one generation to the next
groupthink
the mode of thinking that occurs when the desire for harmony in a decision-making group overrides a realistic appraisal of alternatives
stereotype
generalized beliefs about a group of people
discrimination
acting in negative and unjustifiable ways towards members of the group
just-world phenomenon
the tendency for people to believe the world is just, fair, and people therefore get what they deserve
ingroup
people with whom we share a common identity
outgroup
those perceived as different or apart from our in-group
ingroup bias
a favoring of our own group
other-race effect
the tendency to recall faces of one’s own race more accurately than faces of other races
aggression
any physical or verbal behavior intended to harm someone whether done out of hostility or as a means of calculation to an end
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 phenomenon that repeated exposure to novel stimuli increases liking of them
passionate love
an aroused state of intense positive absorption in another, usually present of a romantic relationship
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
the act of revealing intimate aspects of ourselves to others
altruism
bystander effect
social exchange theory
reciprocity norm
social trap
