Chapter 15

What is social psychology?

The study of how the presence of other people influences the behavior of individuals and groups.

What are the main topics studied in social psychology?

Prejudice, aggression, attraction/intimacy, helping, conflict/peace, forensics, social beliefs/judgments, attitudes & behavior, culture, conformity/obedience, persuasion & influence, and groups.

What is situationism in social psychology?

The belief that behavior and actions are determined by immediate environment and surroundings, often overshadowing personality traits.

What does dispositionism suggest about behavior?

Behavior is determined by personal attributes such as personality traits and temperament.

What is the fundamental attribution error?

The tendency to overemphasize internal factors and underestimate situational influences when explaining someone else's behavior.

How does the actor-observer bias differ from the fundamental attribution error?

The actor-observer bias involves attributing others' behaviors to internal factors while attributing one's own behaviors to external factors.

What is self-serving bias?

The tendency to attribute positive outcomes to internal factors and negative outcomes to external factors, protecting self-esteem.

What is the just-world hypothesis?

The belief that people get the outcomes they deserve, often leading to victim-blaming.

What is a social role?

A pattern of behavior expected of a person in a given setting or group.

What is a social norm?

A group's expectation of what is appropriate and acceptable behavior for its members.

What was the Stanford Prison Experiment?

A study conducted by Philip Zimbardo that demonstrated the power of social roles, norms, and scripts on behavior.

What is cognitive dissonance?

Psychological discomfort arising from holding two or more inconsistent attitudes, behaviors, or cognitions.

How can individuals reduce cognitive dissonance?

By changing their behavior, changing beliefs through rationalization or denial, or adding a new cognition.

What is persuasion in social psychology?

The process of changing attitudes toward something based on communication.

What is the door-in-the-face technique?

A persuasion technique where a large request is made first, expecting rejection, followed by a smaller request.

What is the foot-in-the-door technique?

A persuasion technique where a small request is made first, followed by a larger request.

What is the halo effect?

The tendency to let one positive or negative trait of a person influence our overall impression of them.

What is the significance of Milgram's studies?

They illustrate the power of situational influences on obedience and conformity.

What does the term 'deindividuation' refer to?

The loss of self-awareness and individual accountability in group situations.

What is the role of cultural variation in social norms?

Cultural differences shape expectations of behavior and social roles within groups.

What are the three components of attitude?

Cognitive, affective, and behavioral components.

What did Nisbett et al. (1973) find regarding perceptions of attraction?

Men focused on internal qualities when explaining their attraction to their girlfriends, while offering a mixture of traits when discussing their friends' attractions.

What is the impact of individualistic societies on attribution?

They tend to emphasize dispositional explanations for behavior, potentially leading to the fundamental attribution error.

How do social roles influence behavior?

Social roles dictate expected behaviors in specific contexts, which can vary across different situations.

What is the significance of the Quizmaster Study?

It showed that observers inaccurately perceived questioners as smarter due to their roles, highlighting biases in attribution.

What is the relationship between social norms and scripts?

Social norms dictate acceptable behavior, while scripts provide knowledge about expected sequences of events in specific settings.

What is conformity?

The change in a person's behavior to go along with the group, even if they do not agree with the group.

What was the main finding of Solomon Asch's conformity experiment?

76% of participants conformed to group pressure at least once by indicating the incorrect line.

What factors increase the likelihood of conformity?

Size of majority, presence of another dissenter, and public vs private responses.

What is the Asch effect?

The influence of the group majority on an individual's judgment.

What is obedience?

The change of an individual's behavior to comply with a demand by an authority figure.

What did Stanley Milgram's experiment demonstrate?

The surprising degree to which people obey authority.

What does ABC stand for in the context of prejudice and discrimination?

Affect (prejudice), Behavior (discrimination), Cognition (stereotype).

Define prejudice.

A negative attitude and feeling toward an individual based solely on their membership in a particular social group.

Define discrimination.

A negative action toward an individual as a result of their membership in a particular group.

What is a stereotype?

A specific belief or assumption about individuals based solely on their membership in a group.

What is a self-fulfilling prophecy?

An expectation that alters behavior in a way that makes it true.

What is confirmation bias?

The tendency to seek out information that supports our stereotypes and ignore information that contradicts them.

What are in-groups and out-groups?

In-groups are groups we identify with; out-groups are groups we view as fundamentally different.

What is in-group bias?

Prejudice and discrimination because the out-group is perceived as different and less preferred.

What is scapegoating?

Blaming an out-group when the in-group experiences frustration or is blocked from obtaining a goal.

Define aggression.

Seeking to cause harm or pain to another person.

What is hostile aggression?

Aggression motivated by feelings of anger with intent to cause pain.

What is instrumental aggression?

Aggression motivated by achieving a goal that does not necessarily involve intent to cause pain.

What is the Frustration Aggression Theory?

The theory that frustration leads to aggression when humans are prevented from achieving important goals.

What is the bystander effect?

The phenomenon in which a witness does not volunteer to help a victim in distress.

What is diffusion of responsibility?

The tendency for no one in a group to help because the responsibility to help is spread throughout the group.

What is prosocial behavior?

Voluntary behavior with the intent to help other people.

Define altruism.

The desire to help others even if the costs outweigh the benefits of helping.

What is empathy?

The capacity to understand another person's perspective and feel what they feel.

What is social exchange theory?

The theory that people keep track of the costs and benefits of forming and maintaining a relationship.

What are the three components of Sternberg's Triangular Theory of Love?

Intimacy, Passion, Commitment.

What is homophily?

The tendency for people to form social networks with others who are similar.

What role does self-disclosure play in relationships?

It involves sharing personal information, leading to more intimate connections.