Unit 9 Flashcards
attribution theory
theory that we explain someones behavior by crediting either the situation or persons disposition
fundamental attribution error
tendency for observers, when analyzing others’ behavior, to underestimate the impact of the situation and overestimate impact of personal disposition
attitudes
feelings, often influnced by our beliefs, that predispose us to respond in a particular way to objects, people, events
peripheral route persuasion
occurs when people are influenced by incidental cues (ex: speakers attractiveness)
uses attention getting cues to trigger emotional snap judgements
central route persuasion
occurs when interested people focus on the arguments and respond with favorable thoughts
offers evidence and arguments that trigger careful thinking
foot in the door phenomenon
tendency for people who have agreed to a small request to later comply with a larger request
role
set of expectations about a social position, defining how these positions ought to behave
cognitive dissonance
LEON FESTINGER’s theory that we act to reduce discomfort (dissonance) we feel when two of our thoughts (cognitions) are inconsistent. For example, when we become aware our attitudes and actions clash, we reduce resulting dissonance by changing out attitudes
conformity
adjusting our behavior/thinking to coincide w group standard
-> Solomon Asch’s conformity experiment
normative social influence
influence resulting from person’s desire to gain approval/ avoid disapproval
informational social influence
influence resulting from one’s willingness to accept others’ opinions about reality
Stanley Milgrim
experiment on the power of an authority figure’s influence on behavior
had teacher (the real subject of experiment) “electrocute” a learner for wrong answers on recall questions, observed how long participants would continue shocks despite actor’s cries of pain by scientist’s instruction.
social facilitation
improved performance on simple or well-learned tasks in the presence of others (or amplifies bad perfomance)
social loafing
tendency for people in a group to exert less effort when pooling their efforts toward attaining a common goal than when individually accountable
deindividuation
loss of self-awareness and self-restraint occuring in group situations that foster arousal & anonymity
group polarization
enhancement of a group’s prevailing inclinations through discussion within the group
groupthink
mode of thinking that occurs when the desire for harmony in a decision making group overrides a realistic appraisal of alternatives
prejudice
an unjustifiable (usually neg.) attitude toward a group and its members. Prejudice generally involves stereotypical beliefs, neg. feelings, and a predisposition to discriminatory action
stereotype
a generalized (sometimes accurate but usually overgeneralized) belief about a group of people
discrimination
unjustifiable negative behaviors toward a group or its members
just-world phenomenon
tendency for people to believe the world is just and that people therefore get what they deserve and deserve what they get
ingroup
“us” - the people with whom we share a common identity
outgroup
“them” - those perceived as different/apart from our ingroup
ingroup bias
tendency to favor our own group
scapegoat theory
theory that prejudice offersw an outlet for anger by providing someone to blame
other-race effect
tendency to recall faces of one’s own race more accurately than faces of other races (aka cross-race effect/own-race bias)
aggression
any physical or verbal behavior intended to harm someone physically or emotionally
frustration-aggression principle
frustration - the blocking of an attempt to achieve a goal - creates anger, which can generate aggression
mere exposure effect
phenomenon that repeated exposure to novel stimuli increases liking of them
passionate love
an aroused state of intense positive absorbtion in another, usually present at beginning of romantic relationship
->two-factor theory of emotion:
sexual desire+growing attachment=passionate love
companionate love
deep affectionate attachment we feel for those with whom our lives are intertwined
-> as passion-facilitating hormones (testosterone, dopamine, adrenaline) subside, oxytocin remains
self-disclosure
act of revealing intimate aspects of ourselves to others
altruism
unselfish regard fro the welfare of others
bystander effect
tendency for any given bystander to be less likely to give aid if other bystanders are present
social exchange theory
our social behavior is an exchange process, the aim of which is to maximize benefits & minimize costs
reciprocity norm
expectation that people will help, not hurt, those who have helped them
social-responsibility norm
expectation that people will help those needing their help
conflict
perceived incompatibility of actions, goals or ideas
social traps
situation in which conflicting parties, by each pursuing their self-interest over the good of the group, become caught in mutually destructive behavior
mirror-image perceptions
mutual views often held by conflicting people, as when each side sees itself as ethical & peaceful and views the other side as evil & aggressive
superordinate goals
shared goals that override differences among people and require cooperation lead to positive attitudes toward each other
GRIT
Graduated and Reciprocated Initiatives in Tension-Reduction: a strategy to decrease international tensions, small conciliatory actions can lead to mutual conciliation
actor observer effect
tendency to attribute others’ behavior and experiences to dispositional AND to attribute one’s own actions to situational factors. attribution changes depends on who is observer and who is actor
self serving bias
attribution of internal/dispositional factors for positive success and situational factors for negative behaviors
self-effacing bias/modesty bias
tendency for individuals to minimize their abilities to not draw attention to themselves or make others feel inferior
halo effect
tendency for one’s opinion of a person to positively influence one’s opinion or feelings
self-handicapping strategy
tendency for people to set themselves up for failure to make a situational explanation when the failure occurs rather than dispositional explanation and preserve their self-esteem
