Psych of Social Behavior Exam 1 (definitons)

Social Psychology

The study of how people’s thoughts, feelings, and behaviors are influenced by the actual, imagined, or implied presence of others

Independent variable

The variable in a research design that has been manipulated/ changed by the researcher and is believed to influence another variable

dependent variable

an outcome variable that is expected to be affected by the manipulated/ independent variable

Generalization

the ability to apply the findings of a particular research projects to larger population than the samples in which the study was conducted

Socially desirable response bias

tendency for people to answer questions in a way that they believe is socially acceptable/ making them look good

Experimental control

The consequence of an experimental design that helps keep outside factors from influencing any causal (i.e cause and effect) conclusions in a study

confounding variables

an unmeasured, hidden factor related to the independent variable that ends up influencing the dependent variable

experimental designs

research design that randomly assigns people to different conditions/group and has a manipulated variable/condition created by the researcher

Proxy variables

a variable that is easy to measure that stands in for a variable that cannot be measured or that may be too challenging to be measured

Replications

the creation of a study similar to or exactly the same as an original study’s methods

Operational

a description of how a researcher will measure their variables, which allows others to understand exactly how and what was measured

Hawthorne effect

when people change their behavior behavior because they know they are being watched as part of a study

Replication

the creation of a study similar to or exactly the same as an original study’s methods

Experimental Condition

the group of participants in an experiment who experience a condition being manipulated/ created by the researcher

Control condition

the group of participants in an experiment who do not experience a condition being manipulated/ created by the researcher ( not all experiments have and some have 2 or more of these groups)

Reliability

consistently finding the same result

Validity

accurately measuring or testing what one intends to measure/ test

Confounding variables

an unmeasured, hidden factor related to the independent variable that ends up influencing the dependent variable

personality

characteristics and behavior that include one’s traits, interests, drives, values, self-concept, abilities, and emotional patterns that are stable over time and across situations

Trait self-esteem

a stable, long-term evaluation of your own worth and value

state self- esteem

an evaluation of your own worth and value that is influenced by situational circumstances

individual difference factors

specific traits/ characteristics that make one person different from another; these may be characteristics that make up parts of one’s personality

spotlight effect

the belief that people’s behavior is being noticed more than it really is

egocentric bias

one’s own thoughts, feelings, and experiences are more vivid and accessible to that person than anyone else

Illusions of transparency

belief that one’s internal states (e.g. feeling and thoughts) are more apparent to others than is actually the case

self-efficacy

one’s belief in being able to achieve a specific goal

self-affirmation

act of recognizing and validating one’s own personal worth, core values, and capabilities

self-concept

overall mental image, collection of beliefs, and perception that an individual holds about their own identity, abilities, and characteristics

extroverted

personality trait describing someone who is outgoing and sociable; this person feels energized by interacting with other

Operational

a description of how a researcher will measure their variables, which allows others to understand exactly how and what was measured

Ego depletion

theory that willpower is limited, mental resource that will delete with use

Publication bias

the outcome of study influences whether it is published or not, rather than the quality of how the study was conducted

Statistically significant

the probability of an effect occurring is unlikely to have happened by chance

Null effect

a result that finds no difference between groups/conditions

Pre-registered research study

Practice of documenting a study’s hypotheses, methodology, and data analysis publicly before collecting data

Self-control fatigue

an alternative way to describe ego depletion, wherein one’s ability to engage in self-control is fatigued after using significant willpower

Effort avoidance theory

an updated way of thinking about ego depletion that claims ego depletion happens not because one has no willpower left, but because they no longer want to put forth effort

impression management

process use to shape how others perceive them

Ego

an individual’s self-image, confidence, or pride

Weak cues

subtle, not very strong predictors

Duchene smile

genuine, involuntary smile that involves wrinkling by the eyes

Emotional leakage

unintentional showing of true emotions with one’s facial expression

Polygraph test

a device that measures the records body's changes

Attribution theory

theory that people are naturally motivated to make attributions, which are judgments made about the cause of some kind of action or outcome

Internal attribution

explanation for some kind of action or outcome that is based on who that person is

External attribution

explanation for some kind of action or outcome that is based on external/ environmental factors rather than blaming the person experiencing the issue

Hydrosphygmograph

device that measures pulse and blood pressure; was used prior to polygraph testing to try to detect lies

Fundamental attribution error

tendency to underestimate external influences when judging others; behavior

Stereotype

an assumption or belief about a person because of their group membership

Amicus brief

a legal document submitted to a court by an outside person or group who is not a direct party to the lawsuit

Self-fulfilling prophecy

a false belief that becomes true after attitude holders carry out actions based on the false belief

Attributions

judgments made about the cause of some kind of actions or outcome

Stereotype threat

situations where people are worried about confirming a negative group stereotype, which leads to worse performance due to anxiety and arousal rather than actual ability

Self-affirmation

act of recognizing and validating one’s own personal worth, core values, and capabilities

Effect size

a statistical measure that tells one how large or important a difference is between groups or variables

Social cognition

explains how we select, interpret, use, and remember information to navigate a social world

Confirmation bias

tendency to search for, interpret, favor, and/or recall information that matches what we already believe while ignoring information that may disprove our initial beliefs

Need for cognitive closure

a psychological motivation to find a clear, firm answer to a question problem so there is no ambiguity or uncertainty

Group polarization

a phenomenon where individuals in a group adopt more extreme positions or decisions after interacting with others who have similar beliefs

Information cocoon

People tend to focus on information that brings them comfort and aligns with their perspectives, gradually placing themselves in an isolated ideological cocoon