Chapter 13 Social Psychology

Vocabulary

social psychology

study of how people influence others’ behavior, beliefs, and attitudes

social comparison theory

theory that states we seek to evaluate our abilities and beliefs by comparing them with those of others

mass hysteria

outbreak of irrational behavior that is spread by social contagion

social facilitation

enhancement of performance brought about by the presence of others

attribution

process of assigning causes to behavior

fundamental attribution error

tendency to overestimate the impact of dispositional influences on other people’s behavior

conformity

tendency of people to alter their behavior as a result of group pressure

deindividuation

tendency of people to engage in uncharacteristic behavior when they are stripped of their usual identities

groupthink

emphasis on group unanimity at the expense of critical thinking

group polarization

tendency of group discussion to strengthen the dominant positions held by individual group members

cult

group of individuals who exhibit intense and unquestioning devotion to a single individual or cause

inoculation effect

approach to convincing people to change their minds about something by first introducing reasons why the perspective might be correct and then debunking these reasons

obedience

adherence to instructions from those of higher authority

pluralistic ignorance

error of assuming that no one in a group perceives things as we do

diffusion of responsibility

reduction in feelings of personal responsibility in the presence of others

enlightenment effect

learning about psychological research can change real-world behavior for the better

social loafing

phenomenon whereby individuals become less productive in groups

altruism

helping others for unselfish reasons

aggression

behavior intended to harm others, either verbally or physically (or both)

relation aggression

form of indirect aggression prevalent in girls, involving spreading rumors, gossiping, and using nonverbal putdowns for the purpose of social manipulation

attitude

belief that includes an emotional component

self-monitoring

personality trait that assesses the extent to which people’s behavior reflects their true feelings and attitudes

cognitive dissonance

unpleasant mental experience of tension resulting from two conflicting thoughts or beliefs

self-perception theory

theory that we acquire our attitudes by observing our behaviors

impression management theory

theory that we don’t really change our attitudes, but report that we have so that our behaviors appear consistent with our attitudes

foot-in-the-door technique

persuasive technique involving making a small request before making a bigger one

door-in-the-face technique

persuasive technique involving making an unreasonably large request before making the small request we’re hoping to have granted

low-ball technique

persuasive technique in which the seller of a product starts by quoting a low sales price and then mentions all of the add-on costs once the customer has agreed to purchase the product

“but you are free” technique

persuasive technique in which we convince someone to perform a favor for us by telling them that they are free not to do it

prejudice

the drawing of negative conclusions about a person, group of people, or situation prior to evaluating the evidence

stereotype

a belief—positive or negative—about the characteristics of members of a group that is applied generally to most members of the group

ultimate attribution error

assumption that behaviors among individual members of a group are due to their internal dispositions

adaptive conservatism

evolutionary principle that creates a predisposition toward distrusting anything or anyone unfamiliar or different

in-group bias

tendency to favor individuals within our group over those from outside our group

out-group homogeneity

tendency to view all individuals outside our group as highly similar

discrimination

negative behavior toward members of out-groups

scapegoat hypothesis

claim that prejudice arises from a need to blame other groups for our misfortunes

just-world hypothesis

claim that our attributions and behaviors are shaped by a deep-seated assumption that the world is fair and all things happen for a reason

explicit prejudice

unfounded negative belief of which we’re aware regarding the characteristics of an out-group

implicit prejudice

unfounded negative belief of which we’re unaware regarding the characteristics of an out-group

jigsaw classroom

educational approach designed to minimize prejudice by requiring all children to make independent contributions to a shared project