Key Concepts in Social Psychology (Modules 74-80)

Attributions

The process of explaining causes of behavior (e.g., why someone did something).

Dispositional Attributions

Blaming someone's behavior on their personality (e.g., "He's rude because he's a mean person").

Situational Attributions

Blaming behavior on external factors (e.g., "He's rude because he had a bad day").

Explanatory Style

How people explain events; can be optimistic or pessimistic.

Optimistic Explanatory Style

Viewing events positively (e.g., "I didn't do well, but I can improve next time").

Pessimistic Explanatory Style

Viewing events negatively (e.g., "I failed because I'm not good enough").

Actor/Observer Bias

Explaining others' behavior by their personality but our own by the situation (e.g., "She's late because she's lazy, I was late because of traffic").

Fundamental Attribution Error

Overestimating personality in others and underestimating situational factors (e.g., "He cut me off because he's rude, not because he might be in a rush").

Self-Serving Bias

Taking credit for success but blaming external factors for failures (e.g., "I got an A because I studied hard, I failed because the test was unfair").

Internal Locus of Control

Believing you control your own destiny (e.g., "I succeeded because of my hard work").

External Locus of Control

Believing outside factors control your life (e.g., "I failed because I had bad luck").

Mere Exposure Effect

The more you are exposed to something, the more you like it (e.g., liking a song after hearing it multiple times).

Self-Fulfilling Prophecy

Expectations cause behaviors that make those expectations come true (e.g., expecting to fail might lead you to perform poorly).

Upward Social Comparison

Comparing yourself to someone better (e.g., comparing your grades to a top student).

Downward Social Comparison

Comparing yourself to someone worse off (e.g., comparing your grades to someone who failed).

Stereotype

Generalizing traits to all members of a group (e.g., "All teenagers are rebellious").

Cognitive Load

Mental effort required to process information (e.g., more effort needed when multitasking).

Prejudice

Negative feelings toward a group (e.g., racism).

Discrimination

Negative actions toward a group based on prejudice (e.g., refusing service to someone because of their race).

Implicit Attitudes

Unconscious beliefs that influence behavior (e.g., bias against a group without realizing it).

Just-World Phenomenon

Belief that people get what they deserve (e.g., "They must have done something wrong to deserve bad things").

Out-Group Homogeneity Bias

Believing everyone outside your group is the same (e.g., thinking all people from another country are the same).

In-Group Bias

Favoring your own group (e.g., favoring people from your school over others).

Ethnocentrism

Believing your culture is superior (e.g., "Our traditions are the best").

Belief Perseverance

Holding onto beliefs even when evidence contradicts them (e.g., believing in a false stereotype despite evidence to the contrary).

Confirmation Bias

Seeking information that supports your existing beliefs (e.g., only reading news that agrees with your views).

Cognitive Dissonance

The discomfort felt when holding two conflicting thoughts, leading to attitude change (e.g., smoking despite knowing it's bad for you).

Social Norms

Unwritten rules of behavior in society (e.g., saying "please" and "thank you").

Social Influence Theory

How people's behavior is influenced by others.

Normative Social Influence

Conforming to be liked or accepted by others (e.g., wearing trendy clothes).

Informational Social Influence

Conforming because you believe others are correct (e.g., following a crowd in an emergency because you think they know what to do).

Persuasion

Changing someone's attitude through communication.

Elaboration Likelihood Model

How people are persuaded via the central or peripheral routes.

Central Route

Persuasion through logical arguments (e.g., detailed explanation about why a product is good).

Peripheral Route

Persuasion through superficial cues (e.g., attractive people endorsing a product).

Halo Effect

One positive trait influences overall judgment (e.g., thinking someone is also smart because they are attractive).

Foot-in-the-Door Technique

Getting someone to agree to a small request first, then a larger one (e.g., asking for a small donation and later a larger one).

Door-in-the-Face Technique

Asking for a big favor that's likely to be denied, then asking for a smaller one (e.g., asking for a large donation and then asking for a smaller amount).

Conformity

Adjusting behavior to match others (e.g., copying someone's actions in a group).

Obedience

Following the orders of an authority figure (e.g., obeying a teacher's instructions).

Individualism

Prioritizing personal goals over group goals (e.g., focusing on your own achievements).

Collectivism

Prioritizing group goals over individual goals (e.g., working toward group success over personal gain).

Multiculturalism

Emphasizing the value of diverse cultural backgrounds (e.g., celebrating cultural diversity).

Group Polarization

Group discussions strengthen members' original opinions (e.g., a group of people with similar views becoming more extreme).

Groupthink

The desire for harmony in a group leads to poor decision-making (e.g., agreeing with a flawed plan to avoid conflict).

Diffusion of Responsibility

Feeling less responsible in a group (e.g., assuming someone else will help in an emergency).

Social Loafing

Putting in less effort when working in a group (e.g., not contributing much during a group project).

Deindividuation

Losing self-awareness and personal accountability in a group (e.g., acting more aggressively in a crowd).

Social Facilitation

Performing better on simple tasks when others are watching (e.g., playing sports better in front of an audience).

False Consensus Effect

Believing others share your opinions more than they actually do (e.g., assuming everyone supports your political views).

Superordinate Goals

Goals that require cooperation between groups (e.g., working together to achieve a common goal).

Social Traps

Situations where individuals act in their own self-interest, but it leads to worse outcomes for the group (e.g., overfishing).

Burnout

Emotional exhaustion from prolonged stress (e.g., feeling overwhelmed after working long hours).

Altruism

Helping others without expecting anything in return (e.g., donating to charity).

Prosocial Behavior

Actions that benefit others (e.g., helping someone with their groceries).

Social Debt

The feeling of owing others for their help (e.g., feeling obligated to return a favor).

Social Reciprocity Norm

Helping others with the expectation they'll help you in return (e.g., doing favors to get favors).

Social Responsibility Norm

The belief that we should help those in need (e.g., helping the homeless).

Bystander Effect

People are less likely to help when others are present (e.g., not intervening in a fight because others are watching).

Situational Variables

Factors in a situation that affect behavior (e.g., location, time, social context).

Attentional Variables

How much focus we give to a situation (e.g., distractions affecting whether we notice someone in need).

Leon Festinger (Cognitive Dissonance)

Studied how people change attitudes to reduce discomfort from conflicting beliefs (e.g., the $1 vs. $20 experiment about lying).

Solomon Asch (Conformity)

Studied how group pressure influences conformity through the line test.

Philip Zimbardo (Roles and Norms)

Conducted the Stanford Prison Experiment on how roles influence behavior.

Stanley Milgram (Obedience)

Studied obedience by having participants administer electric shocks.