Unit 14: Social Psychology Flashcards
Attribution Theory
The theory that we can explain someone’s behavior by crediting the situation or the person’s disposition
Social Psychology
The scientific study oh how we think about, influence, and relate to one another
Fundamental Attribution Error
The tendency for observers, when analyzing another’s behavior, to underestimate the impact of situation and overestimate the impact of personal disposition
Attitude
Feeling; often influenced by our beliefs, that prejudice our response in a particular way to objects, people, and events
Central Route Persuasion
Attitude change path in which interested people focus on the arguments and respond with favorable thoughts
(often influenced by facts or reliable statistics)
Peripheral Route Persuasion
Attitude change where people are influenced by incidental or non relevant cues (ex.attractiveness)
Role
A set of norms or expectations about a social position, defining how those in that position should behave
Conformity
Adjusting ones behavior or thinking to coincide with a group standard
Normative Social Conformity
Influence resulting from a person’s desire to gain approval or advice disapproval
Informational Social Conformity
Influence resulting from one’s willingness to accept other’s opinions as reality; believe that others know something we do not
Social Facilitation
Stronger responses on simple well-learned task when in the presence of others (ex. Bicyclists)
Social Loafing
Tendency for people in a group to exert less effort when pooling their efforts towards attaining a common goal
(as opposed to when individually accountable)
Deindividuation
The loss of self-awareness and self-restraint in group situations that foster arousal (social not sexual) and anonymity (lack of individual identity)
Group Polarization
The enhancement of a group’s prevailing inclinations through discussion with the group
Norm
An understood rule for accepted and expected behavior (proper)
Personal Space
A buffer zone people generally like to maintain around their bodies
Prejudice
An unjustifiable (and often negative) attitude towards a group and its members; generally involves stereotypes, negative feelings, and predisposition to discriminatory acts
Stereotype
A generalized (but not always accurate) belief about a group of people
Discrimination
Unjustifiable negative behavior towards a group and its members
Groupthink
The mode of thinking that occurs when the desire for harmony in a decision-making group overrides a realistic appraisal of alternatives
Cognitive Dissonance Theory
The theory that we act to reduce the discomfort (dissonance) we feel when two of our thoughts (cognitions) are inconsistent
Ex. An animal-lover that also eats meat
Culture
The enduring behaviors, ideas, attitudes, values, and traditions shared by a group of people and transmitted from one generation to the next
Foot-in-the-Door Phenomenon
The tendency for people who first agree to a small request to comply with a large request
Other-race effect
The tendency to recall faces on your own race better than that of others
“Cross-race effect” or “own-race effect”
