Unit 14: Social Psychology Flashcards
the scientific study of how we think about, influence, and relate to one another.
social psychology
More likely to attribute good events to dispositions and bad events to situations.
optimists
More likely to suffer from depression, will make dispositional attributions for bad events and situational attributions for good events.
pessimists
the theory that we explain someone’s behavior buy crediting either the situation of the person’s disposition.
attribution theory
the tendency for observers, when analyzing others’ behavior, to underestimate the impact of the situation and to overestimate the impact of personal disposition
fundamental attribution error
the process wherein individuals base their sense of self on how they believe others view them.
looking glass effect
feelings, often influenced by our beliefs, that predispose us to respond in a particular way to objects, people, and events
attitude
occurs when people are influenced by incidental cues, such as a speaker’s attractiveness.
peripheral route persuasion
occurs when interested people focus on the arguments and respond with favorable thoughts
central route persuasion
a set of expectations (norms) about a social position, defining how those in the position ought to behave
role
the theory that we act to reduce the discomfort (dissonance) we feel when two of our thoughts (cognitions) are inconsistent. For example, when we become aware that our attitudes and out actions clash, we can reduce the resulting dissonance by changing our attitudes.
cognitive dissonance theory
improved performance on simple or well-learned tasks in the presence of others.
social facilitation
the tendency for people in a group to exert less effort when pooling their efforts toward attaining a common goal than when individually accountable.
social loafing
the loss of self-awareness and self restraint occurring in group situations that foster arousal and anonymity.
deindividuation
the enhancement of a group’s prevailing inclinations through discussion within the group.
group polarization
the mode of thinking that occurs when the desire from harmony in a decision-making group overrides a realistic appraisal of alternatives.
groupthink
the enduring behaviors, ideas, attitudes, values, and traditions shared by a group of people and transmitted from one generation to the next.
culture
an understood rule for accepted and expected behavior. … prescribe “proper” behavior.
norm