Social Psychology Flashcards
the subfield of psychology that explores the effects of the social world on the behavior and mental processes of individuals and groups
social psychology
mental processes associated with people’s perceptions of and reactions to other people
social cognition
the way one thinks of oneself
self-concept
the evaluations people make of their worth as human beings
self-esteem
using other people as a basis of comparison for evaluating oneself
social comparison
categories of people with whom individuals compare themselves
reference groups
the beliefs we hold about the groups to which we belong
social identity
the processes through which people interpret information about others, draw inferences about them, and develop mental representations of them
social perception
generalizations about categories of objects, places, events, and people
schemas
a process in which an initial impression causes us to bring out behavior in another that confirms the impression
self-fulfilling prophesy
the process of explaining the causes of people’s behavior, including our own
attribution
a bias toward attributing the behavior of others to internal factors
fundamental attribution error
the tendency to attribute other people’s behavior to internal causes while attributing one’s own behavior to external causes
actor-observer effect
the tendency to attribute one’s successes to internal characteristics while blaming one’s failures on external causes
self-serving bias
a tendency toward a particular cognitive, emotional, or behavioral reaction to objects in one’s environment
attitude
a model of attitude change suggesting that people can change their attitudes through a central route (by considering an argument’s content) or through a peripheral route (by relying on irrelevant persuasion cues)
elaboration likelihood model
a theory that attitude change is driven by efforts to reduce tension caused by inconsistencies between attitudes and behaviors
cognitive dissonance theory
false assumptions that all members of some group share the same characteristics
stereotypes
a positive or negative attitude toward people in certain groups
prejudice
differential treatment of people in certain groups: the behavioral component of prejudice
social discrimination
the idea that stereotypes and prejudice toward a group will diminish as contact with the group increases
contact hypothesis
the notion that people are most likely to form committed relationships with those who are similar to themselves in physical attractiveness
matching hypothesis
learned, socially-based rules that prescribe what people should or should not do in various situations
social norms
a psychological state occurring in group members that results in loss of individuality and a tendency to do things not normally done when alone
deindividuation
changing one’s behavior or beliefs to match those of others, generally as a result of real or imagined (though unspoken) group pressure
conformity
adjusting one’s behavior because of a direct request
compliance
changing behavior in response to a demand from an authority figure
obedience
an act that is intended to hurt another person
aggressive behavior (aggression)
a proposition that frustration always leads to some form of aggressive behavior
frustration-aggression hypothesis
the study of the effects of the physical environment on people’s behavior and mental processes
environmental psychology
any act that is intended to benefit another person
prosocial behavior (helping behavior)
an unselfish concern for another’s welfare
altruism
a theory attributing people’s prosocial behavior to their efforts to reduce unpleasant arousal in the face of someone’s need or suffering, while also considering the costs involved
arousal cost-reward theory
a phenomenon in which the chances that someone will help in an emergency decreases as the number of people present increases
bystander effect
a theory suggesting that people help others because they feel empathy toward them
empathy-altruism helping theory
any type of behavior in which people work together to attain a goal
cooperation
any type of behavior in which individuals try to attain a goal while denying others access to that goal
competition
what occurs when a person or group believes that another person or group interferes with the attainment of a goal
conflict
situations in which actions that produce rewards for one individual will produce negative consequences for all if they are adopted by everyone
social dilemmas
a phenomenon in which the presence of others improves a person’s performance
social facilitation
a reduction in performance due to the presence of other people
social interference
exerting less effort when performing a group task than when performing the same task alone
social loafing
leaders who provide close supervision, lead by giving directions, and generally discourage group discussion
task-motivated leaders
leaders who provide loose supervision, ask for group members’ ideas, and are generally concerned with subordinates’ feelings
relationship-motivated leaders
a pattern of thinking that renders group members unable to evaluate realistically the wisdom of various options and decisions
groupthink
