Unit 9: Social Psychology

Question 1

social psychology

Answer 1

the scientific study of how we think about, influence, and relate to one another.

Question 2

attribution theory

Answer 2

the theory that we explain someone’s behavior by crediting either the situation or the person’s disposition.

Question 3

fundamental attribution error

Answer 3

the tendency for observers, when analyzing others’ behavior, to underestimate the impact of the situation and to overestimate the impact of personal disposition.

Question 4

attitude

Answer 4

feelings, often influenced by our beliefs, that predispose us to respond in a particular way to objects, people, and events.

Question 5

peripheral route persuasion

Answer 5

occurs when people are influenced by incidental cues, such as a speaker’s attractiveness.

Question 6

central route persuasion

Answer 6

occurs when interested people focus on the arguments and respond with favorable thoughts.

Question 7

foot-in-the-door phenomenon

Answer 7

the tendency for people who have first agreed to a small request to comply later with a larger request.

Question 8

role

Answer 8

a set of expectations (norms) about a social position, defining how those in the position ought to behave.

Question 9

cognitive dissonance

Answer 9

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 our actions clash, we can reduce the resulting dissonance by changing our attitudes.

Question 10

norms

Answer 10

understood rules for accepted and expected behavior. Norms prescribe “proper” behavior.

Question 11

conformity

Answer 11

adjusting our behavior or thinking to coincide with a group standard.

Question 12

normative social influence

Answer 12

influence resulting from a person’s desire to gain approval or avoid disapproval.

Question 13

informational social influence

Answer 13

influence resulting from one’s willingness to accept others’ opinions about reality.

Question 14

social facilitation

Answer 14

improved performance on simple or well-learned tasks in the presence of others.

Question 15

social loafing

Answer 15

the tendency for people in a group to exert less effort when pooling their efforts toward attaining a common goal than when individually accountable.

Question 16

deindividuation

Answer 16

the loss of self-awareness and self-restraint occurring in group situations that foster arousal and anonymity.

Question 17

group polarization

Answer 17

the enhancement of a group’s prevailing inclinations through discussion within the group.

Question 18

groupthink

Answer 18

the mode of thinking that occurs when the desire for harmony in a decision-making group overrides a realistic appraisal of alternatives.

Question 19

culture

Answer 19

the enduring behaviors, ideas, attitudes, values, and traditions shared by a group of people and transmitted from one generation to the next.

Question 20

prejudice

Answer 20

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.

Question 21

stereotype

Answer 21

a generalized (sometimes accurate but often overgeneralized) belief about a group of people.

Question 22

discrimination

Answer 22

unjustifiable negative behavior toward a group and its members.

Question 23

just-world phenomenon

Answer 23

the tendency for people to believe the world is just and that people therefore get what they deserve and deserve what they get.

Question 24

ingroup

Answer 24

“us”— people with whom we share a common identity.

Question 25

outgroup

Answer 25

“them”— those perceived as different or apart from our ingroup.

Question 26

ingroup bias

Answer 26

the tendency to favor our own group.

Question 27

scapegoat theory

Answer 27

the theory that prejudice offers an outlet for anger by providing someone to blame.

Question 28

other-race effect

Answer 28

the tendency to recall faces of one’s own race more accurately than faces of other races. Also called the cross-race effect and the own-race bias.

Question 29

aggression

Answer 29

any physical or verbal behavior intended to harm someone physically or emotionally.

Question 30

frustration-aggression principle

Answer 30

the principle that frustration— the blocking of an attempt to achieve some goal— creates anger, which can generate aggression.

Question 31

social script

Answer 31

a culturally modeled guide for how to act in various situations.

Question 32

mere exposure effect

Answer 32

the phenomenon that repeated exposure to novel stimuli increases liking of them.

Question 33

passionate love

Answer 33

an aroused state of intense positive absorption in another, usually present at the beginning of a romantic relationship.

Question 34

companionate love

Answer 34

the deep affectionate attachment we feel for those with whom our lives are intertwined.

Question 35

equity

Answer 35

a condition in which people receive from a relationship in proportion to what they give to it.

Question 36

self-disclosure

Answer 36

the act of revealing intimate aspects of ourselves to others.

Question 37

altruism

Answer 37

unselfish regard for the welfare of others.

Question 38

bystander effect

Answer 38

the tendency for any given bystander to be less likely to give aid if other bystanders are present.

Question 39

social exchange theory

Answer 39

the theory that our social behavior is an exchange process, the aim of which is to maximize benefits and minimize costs.

Question 40

reciprocity norm

Answer 40

an expectation that people will help, not hurt, those who have helped them.

Question 41

social-responsibility norm

Answer 41

an expectation that people will help those needing their help.

Question 42

conflict

Answer 42

a perceived incompatibility of actions, goals, or ideas.

Question 43

social trap

Answer 43

a situation in which the conflicting parties, by each pursuing their self-interest rather than the good of the group, become caught in mutually destructive behavior.

Question 44

mirror-image perceptions

Answer 44

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.

Question 45

self-fulfilling prophecy

Answer 45

a belief that leads to its own fulfillment.

Question 46

superordinate goals

Answer 46

shared goals that override differences among people and require their cooperation.

Question 47

GRIT

Answer 47

Graduated and Reciprocated Initiatives in Tension-Reduction— a strategy designed to decrease international tensions.