Unit 14 Flashcards
social psychology
the scientific study of how we think about, influence, and relate to one another.
attribution theory
suggests how we explain someone’s behavior—by crediting either the situation or the person’s disposition.
fundamental attribution error
the tendency for observers, when analyzing another’s behavior, to underestimate the impact of the situation and to overestimate the impact of personal disposition.
attitude
feelings often based on our beliefs, which predispose us to respond in a particular way to objects, people, and events.
foot-in-the-door phenomenon
the tendency for people who have first agreed to a small request to comply later with a larger request.
cognitive dissonance theory
the theory that we act to reduce the discomfort (dissonance) we feel when two of our thoughts (cognitions) are inconsistent. For example, when our awareness of our attitudes and of our actions clash, we can reduce the resulting dissonance by changing our attitudes.
conformity
adjusting one’s behavior or thinking to coincide with a group standard.
informational social influence
influence resulting from one’s willingness to accept others’ opinions about reality.
normative social influence
influence resulting from a person’s desire to gain approval or avoid disapproval.
social facilitation
stronger responses 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 discussion within the group.
groupthink
the mode of thinking that occurs when the desire for harmony in a decision-making group overrides a realistic appraisal of alternatives.
discrimination
unjustifiable negative behavior toward a group or its members.
prejudice
an unjustifiable (and usually negative) attitude toward a group and its members. Prejudice generally involves stereotyped beliefs, negative feelings, and a predisposition to discriminatory action.
stereotype
a generalized (sometimes accurate but often overgeneralized) belief about a group of people.
ingroup
“us”—people with whom one shares a common identity.
ingroup bias
the tendency to favor one’s own group.
outgroup
“them”—those perceived as different or apart from one’s ingroup.
scapegoat theory
the theory that prejudice offers an outlet for anger by providing someone to blame.
just-world phenomenon
the tendency of people to believe the world is just and that people therefore get what they deserve and deserve what they get.
aggression
any physical or verbal behavior intended to hurt or destroy.
frustration-aggression principle
the principle that frustration—the blocking of an attempt to achieve some goal—creates anger, which can generate aggression.
conflict
a perceived incompatibility of actions, goals, or ideas.
social trap
a situation in which the conflicting parties, by each rationally pursuing their self-interest, become caught in mutually destructive behavior.
mere exposure effect
the phenomenon that repeated exposure to novel stimuli increases liking of them.
companionate love
the deep affectionate attachment we feel for those with whom our lives are intertwined.
passionate love
an aroused state of intense positive absorption in another, usually present at the beginning of a love relationship.
equity
a condition in which people receive from a relationship in proportion to what they give to it.
self-disclosure
revealing intimate aspects of oneself to others.
altruism
unselfish regard for the welfare of others.
bystander effect
the tendency for any given bystander to be less likely to give aid if other bystanders are present.
reciprocity norm
an expectation that people will help, not hurt, those who have helped them.
social exchange theory
the theory that our social behavior is an exchange process, the aim of which is to maximize benefits and minimize costs.
social-responsibility norm
an expectation that people will help those dependent upon them.
superordinate goals
shared goals that override differences among people and require their cooperation.
GRIT
Graduated and Reciprocated Initiatives in Tension-Reduction, strategy designed to decrease international tensions.
Philip Zimbardo
social psychologist, conducted the Stanford Prison Experiment, criticized for unethical study
Solomon Asch
social psychologist (also cognitive), conducted conformity study
John Darley
social psychologist, studied diffusion of responsibility and bystander effect
Leon Festinger
social psychologist, responsible for Theory of Cognitive Dissonance
Bibb Latane
social psychologist, worked with John Darley, focused on social loafing and diffusion of responsibility
Stanley Milgram
social psychologist, conducted the Milgram Experiment on Obedience, criticized for unethical study
central route persuasion
Occurs when interested people focus on arguments and respond with favorable thoughts.
peripheral route persuasion
Occurs when people are influenced by incidental cues, such as a speaker’s attractiveness.
role
A set of explanations (norms) about a social position, defining how those in the position ought to behave.
social phobia
marked fear of social or performance situations.
Culture
the quality in a person or society that arises from a concern for what is regarded as excellent in arts, letters, manners, scholarly pursuits, etc.
Norm
a standard, model, or pattern.
Personal Space
the variable and subjective distance at which one person feels comfortable talking to another.
Discrimination
in social psychology, unjustifiable negative behavior toward a group and its members
Other-race-effect
the greater difficulty people have in distinguishing between members of a different race compared to one’s own race
Diffusion of Responsibility
a social phenomenon which tends to occur in groups of people above a certain critical size when responsibility is not explicitly assigned.
Mirror-image Perceptions
refer to the reciprocal views of one another often held by parties in conflict; for example, each may view itself as moral and peace-loving and the other as evil and aggressive.
Self-fulfilling Prophecy
prediction that directly or indirectly causes itself to become true, by the very terms of the prophecy itself, due to positive feedback between belief and behavior.
Facial Feedback Hypothesis
dstates that facial movement can influence emotional experience.
social script
culturally modeled guide for how to act in various situations
