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
an unjustifiable and usually negative attitude toward a group and its members. … generally involves stereotyped beliefs, negative feelings, and a predisposition to discriminatory action.
prejudice
a generalized (sometimes accurate but ofter overgeneralized) belief about a group or people.
stereotype
unjustifiable negative behavior toward a group and its members.
discrimination
the tendency for people to believe the world is just and that people therefore et what they deserve and deserve what they get.
just-world phenomenon
“us” - people with whom we share a common identity
ingroup
“them” - those perceived as different or apart from our ingroup
outgroup
the tendency to favor our own group
ingroup bias
the theory that prejudice offers an outlet for anger by providing someone to blame
scapegoat theory
the tendency to recall faces of one’s own race more accurately than faces of other races. also called the cross-race effect or the own-race bias.
other-race effect
any physical or verbal behavior intended to hurt or destroy
aggression
the principle that frustration - the blocking of an attempt to achieve some goal - creates anger, which can generate aggression
frustration-aggression principle
culturally modeled guide for ow to act in various situations.
social script
the phenomenon that repeated exposure to novel stimuli increases liking of them.
mere exposure
an aroused state of intense positive absorption in another, usually present at the beginning of a love relationship.
passionate love
the deep affectionate attachment with whom our lives are intertwined.
companionate love
a condition in which people receive from a relationship in proportion to what they give to it.
equity
revealing intimate aspect of oneself to others.
self-disclosure
unselfish regard for the welfare of others.
altruism
the tendency for any given bystander to be less likely to give aid if other bystanders are present.
bystander effect
the theory that our social behavior is an exchange process, the am of which is to maximize benefits and minimize costs.
social exchange theory
an expectation that people will help, not hurt, those who have helped them.
reciprocity norm
an expectation that people will help those needing their help.
social-responsibility norm
a perceived incompatibility of actions, goals, or ideas.
conflict
a situation in which the conflicting parties, by each rationally pursuing their self-interest rather than the good of the group, become caught in mutually destructive behavior.
social trap
mutual views often held by conflicting people, as when each side sees itself as ethical and peaceful and views the other side as evil and aggressive
mirror-image perceptions
a belief that leads to its own fulfillment.
self-fulfilling prophecy
shared goals that override differences among people and require their cooperation.
superordinate goals
