Unit 9 Vocab - Social Psychology

Question 1

social psychology

Answer 1

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

Question 2

attribution theory

Answer 2

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

Question 3

Fundamental Attribution Theory/Error (FAE)

Answer 3

tendency to underestimate the impact of the situation and to overestimate the impact of personal disposition (when analyzing behavior)

Question 4

attitude

Answer 4

feelings, often unfluenced by belief, that predisposes us to response in a particular way to objects, people, and events

Question 5

foot-in-the-door technique

Answer 5

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

Question 6

cognitive dissonance

Answer 6

theory that we act to reduce the discomfort we feel when 2 of our thoughts are inconsistent by changing our attitudes rather than behaviors

Question 7

conformity

Answer 7

adjusting one’s behavior/thinking to coincide with a group standard

Question 8

normative social influence

Answer 8

influences resulting from a person’s desire to gain approval/avoid disapproval

Question 9

informational social influence

Answer 9

a person conforms to gain knowledge/they believe someone else is right

Question 10

social facilitation

Answer 10

stronger (improved) responses on simple/well-learned tasks in the presence of others

Question 11

social loafing

Answer 11

tendency for people in a group to exert less effort toward attaining a common goal than when by themselves

Question 12

deindividuation

Answer 12

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

Question 13

group polarization

Answer 13

tendency of group members to move to an extreme position after discussing an issue

Question 14

groupthink

Answer 14

tendency for groups of well-intentioned people to reach extreme, irrational decisions in an effort to conform

Question 15

prejudice

Answer 15

unjustifiable attitude toward a group and its members

Question 16

stereotype

Answer 16

generalized belief about a group of people

Question 17

discrimination

Answer 17

unjustifiable negative behavior toward a group and its members

Question 18

ingroup

Answer 18

‘us’ - people with whom we share a common identity

Question 19

outgroup

Answer 19

‘them’ - those perceived as different/apart from our ingroup

Question 20

ingroup bias

Answer 20

tendency for us to favor our own group

Question 21

scapegoating

Answer 21

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

Question 22

just world phenomenon

Answer 22

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

Question 23

aggression

Answer 23

any physical/verbal behavior intended to hurt/destroy

Question 24

frustration-aggression principle

Answer 24

the principle that frustration (blocking of an attempt to achieve some goal) creates anger which generates aggression

Question 25

conflict

Answer 25

perceived incompatibility of actions/goals/ideas

Question 26

social trap

Answer 26

situation in which the conflicting parties become caught in mutually destructive behavior by each pursuing their self-interest

Question 27

mere exposure effect

Answer 27

phenomenon that repeated exposure to novel stimuli increases liking of them

Question 28

passionate love

Answer 28

an aroused state of intense positive absorption in another - usually present at beginning of a love relationship

Question 29

companionate love

Answer 29

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

Question 30

equity

Answer 30

condition in which what people receive from a relationship is proportional to what they give to it

Question 31

self-disclosure

Answer 31

revealing intimate aspects of oneself to others

Question 32

altruism

Answer 32

unselfish regard for the welfare of others

Question 33

bystander effect

Answer 33

tendency for any given bystander to be less likely to offer needed help when others are present

Question 34

social exchange theory

Answer 34

our social behavior is an exchange process - aim is to maximize benefits and minimize costs

Question 35

reciprocity norm

Answer 35

expectation that people will help those who have helped them

Question 36

social responsiblity norm

Answer 36

expectation that people will help those dependent upon them

Question 37

superordinate goals

Answer 37

shared goals that override differences among people and require their cooperation

Question 38

Graduated and Reciprocated Initiatives in Tension (GRIT)

Answer 38

strategy designed to decrease international tensions

Question 39

Terror Management Theory (TMT)

Answer 39

death-related anxieties - explored people’s emotional/behavioral responses to reminders of their impending death