Social Psychology Review (4.1-4.3e)

just-world phenomenon

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

social identity

the "we" aspect of our self-concept; the part of our answer to "Who am I?" that comes from our group memberships

ingroup

"Us"—people with whom we share a common identity.

ingroup bias

the tendency to favor our own group

outgroup

"them" - those perceived as different or apart from our ingroup

outgroup bias

tendency to focus on negative aspects of other people's groups

scape-goat theory

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

other-race effect

the tendency to recall faces of one's own race more accurately than faces of other races

attitude

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

foot-in-the-door phenomenon

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

role

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

cognitive dissonance theory

- theory by Leon Festinger

- idea that we act to reduce the discomfort we feel when two of our thoughts are inconsistent

cognitive dissonance

the discomfort felt when our beliefs and actions don align, typically forcing us to change our actions to match our beliefs, or our beliefs to match our actions

persuasion

changing people's attitudes, potentially influencing their actions.

Pheripheral route to persuasion

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

central route persuasion

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

norms

societal rules that define the boundaries of acceptable behavior

social contagion

spread of behavior, emotions, and ideas

conformity

adjusting our behavior or thinking to coincide with a group standard

normative social influence

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

informational social influence

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

obedience

Complying with the demands of an authority figure

social facilitation

improved performance on simple or well-learned tasks in the presence of others, and worsened performance on not-well-learned tasks

social loafing

the tendency for people in a group to exert less effort when pooling their efforts together to attain a common goal, than individually

deindividuation

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

group polarization

the enhancement of a group's prevailing inclinations through discussion within the group

group think

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

culture

values and traditions shared by a group

tight cultures

places with clearly defined and reliably imposed norms

loose cultures

places with flexible and informal norms

fundamental attribution error

the tendency for observers, when analyzing another's behavior, to underestimate situational attribution and to overestimate dispositional attribution

situational attribution

attributing behavior to the environment, external factors, and outside circumstances

dispositional attribution

attributing behavior to the person's disposition and traits

aggression

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

frustration-aggression principle

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

social script

culturally modeled guide for how to act in various situations

equity

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

self-disclosure

the act of revealing intimate aspects of oneself to others

reward theory of attraction

the theory that we like those whose behavior is rewarding to us or whom we associate with rewarding events

altruism

unselfish regard for the welfare of others

bystander effect

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

social exchange theory

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

reciprocity norm

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

social responsibility norm

an expectation that people will help those dependent upon them

conflict

a perceived incompatibility of actions, goals, or ideas

social traps

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

- doing something for individual benefit, instead of the common good, which hurts the group

mirror-image perceptions

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

self-fulfilling prophecy

a belief that leads to its own fulfillment

superordinate goals

shared goals that override differences among people and require their cooperation

GRIT

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

Self-Servung Bias

taking credit for successes, blaming the situation for failures.

Internal Locus of control

believing you control your life through your choices and actions

External Locus of Control

believing outside forces (luck, fate, other people, environment) control what happens to you.

Mere Exposure Effect

the more we see something, the more we tend to like it

Cognitive Load

How much mental effort your brain is using at one time

Relative deprivation

feeling unhappy or deprived because you compare yourself to others who have more.

Stereotype

A fixed, oversimplified belief about a group of people