social psychology Vocabulary Flashcards
(29 cards)
Presocial behaviors
actions that benefit others, such as doing favors or helping
Altrusim
providing help when it’s needed without any apparent reward for doing so.
Inclusive fitness
an explanation that focuses on the adaptive benefit of transmitting genes such as through kin selection, rather than focusing on individual survival
nonverbal behavior
the facial expression, gesture, mannerism, and movements by which one communicates with others
attributions
people’s explanations for why events occur
personal attribution
explanation of behavior that refers to their internal characteristics such as abilities, traits, mood,s and efforts
Situational attribution
Explanations of people’s behavior that refer to external events such as the weather, luck, accidents, or other people’s actions.
Fundamental attributional error
In explaining other people’s behavior, there is a tendency to overemphasize personality traits and underestimate situational factors.
Actor/ observer discrepancy
The tendency to focus on situations to explain one’s own behavior, but to focus on dispositions to explain other people’s behavior.
Outgroup homogeneity
The tendency to view outgroup members as less varied than ingroup members e.g they all look like
Social Identity Theory
The idea that ingroups consist of individuals who perceive themselves to be members of the same social category and experience pride through their group membership
Ingroup favoritism
THE TENDENCY FOR PEOPLE TO EVALUATE FAVORABLY AND PRIVILEGE MEMBERS OF THE INGROUP MORE THAN THE OUTGROUP.
GROUP POLARIZATION
The process by which initial attitudes of groups become more extreme over time
Groupthink
The tendency of a group to make a bad decision as a result of preserving the group maintaining its cohesiveness, especially under threat pressure,e is biased in a particular direction
social facilitation
The idea that the presence of others generally enhances performance
social loafing
The tendency for people to work less hard in a group than when working alone.
deindividuation
a state of reduced individuality, we tend to do things we don’t do alone when we are in group settings, because we lose our self-awareness
Conformity
The altering of one’s behavior and opinions to match those of other people or to match other people’s expectations
Normative influence
The tendency for people to conform to fit in with the group
Informational influence
The tendency for people to conform when they assume that the behavior of others represents the correct way to respond
Prejudice
Negative feelings, opinions and beliefs associated with a stereotype
Discrimination
The differential treatment of people as a result of prejudice against their group.
modern racism
Subtle forms of prejudice coexist with the rejection of racist beliefs.
Stereotype threat
fear or concern about confirming negative stereotypes related to one’s own group, which in turn impairs performance on a task.
