Chapter 16 - Social Psychology (PDF)

Social Cognition

The process by which people perceive, interpret, and understand social information.

Attributions

How we explain others’ behaviors.

Schemas

Mental frameworks for organizing social information.

Social/Person Perception

How we form impressions of others.

Conformity

Adjusting behaviors to align with a group.

Compliance

Changing behavior in response to a direct request.

Obedience

Following orders from an authority figure.

Social Norms

The unwritten rules and expectations for behavior within a group or society.

Cultural Variability

Norms can differ across cultures.

Core Social Motives

Belonging, Understanding, Controlling, Enhancing Self, Trusting.

Person Perception

The way we categorize, react to, and form opinions about others.

Social Categorization

Automatic mental sorting into groups.

Stereotype

A generalization about a group of people in which identical characteristics are assigned.

Prejudice

A preconceived negative attitude of a group and its individual members.

Discrimination

Unjustified different behavior toward a member of a group based on group characteristic generalizations.

Bystander Effect

People in groups are less likely to offer assistance than they would by themselves.

Fundamental Attribution Error

We overestimate the influence of personality rather than situation.

Self-Serving Bias

A tendency to attribute positive outcomes to oneself and negative outcomes to others.

Attitude

The tendency to judge people, objects, or issues in a certain way.

Cognitive Dissonance

The discomfort associated with holding two competing ideas at the same time.

Persuasion - Central Route

Logical links and merit in the persuasion process.

Persuasion - Peripheral Route

Emotion and feelings used in the persuasion process.

Aggression

Physical or verbal behavior that is intended to cause harm.

Bullying

Repeated, intentional behavior with an imbalance of power intended to hurt others.

Cyberbullying

Bullying that occurs through electronic means such as social media.

Factors in Attraction

Includes competence, proximity, physical attractiveness, similarity, and reciprocity.

Group Polarization

Individual attitudes within a group become more similar over time.

Groupthink

A mode of thinking in which the desire for harmony in a decision-making group overrides a realistic appraisal of alternatives.

Social Loafing

The tendency to put forth less effort in a group than would on one’s own.

Social Facilitation

The tendency for people to perform differently when in the presence of others than when alone.

Deindividuation

Merging self-identity with the group's to feel anonymous, reducing sense of responsibility.