psych 4.1-4.3

Person Perception

The mental processes we use to form judgments and draw conclusions about the characteristics and motives of other people.

Attribution Theory

a way of explaining others' behavior by either one's disposition or one's situation

Dispositional Attributions

based on the person

Situational Attributions

based on the situation

Explanatory Style

interpreting good and bad events in ways that are pessimistic/optimistic

Actor-Observer Bias

people explain their own behavior differently than how they explain the behavior of others.

Fundamental Attribution Error

tendency to attribute someone else's actions to their personality or character rather than considering the situation they're in.

Self-Serving Bias

crediting good deeds on personal merit but blame failures because of the situation

Mere-Exposure Effect

The finding that the more exposure we have to a stimulus, the more apt we are to like it

Self-Fulfilling Prophecy

an expectation that causes you to act in ways that make that expectation come true.

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

Social Comparison

evaluating one's opinions and abilities by comparing oneself with others

Attitude

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

Stereotype

A generalized belief about a group of people

Social Identity

the "we" aspect of our self-concept

Cognitive Load

Mental effort required to process information.

Prejudice

A negative attitude toward an entire category of people, often an ethnic or racial minority.

Discrimination

unjustifiable negative behavior toward a group and its members

Implicit Attitudes

attitudes that influence a person's feelings and behavior at an unconscious level

Just-World Phenomenon

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

Outgroup

a group that one does not belong to or identify with

Out-Group Homogeneity Bias

our tendency to see out-group members as being pretty much all alike

Ingroup

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

In-group Bias

the tendency to favor one's own group

Ethnocentrism

Belief in the superiority of one's nation or ethnic group.

Scapegoat Theory

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

other-race theory

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

Confirmation Bias

a tendency to search for information that confirms one's preconceptions

Cognitive Dissonance

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

Role

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

Social Norms

expected standards of conduct, which influence behavior

Social Influence Theory

a theory in psychology that talks about how people are more likely to do whatever they see as being the norm.

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

Peripheral Route Persuasion

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

Halo Effect

a tendency to believe that people have inherently good or bad natures rather than looking at individual characteristics

Foot-in-the-door Technique

asking for a small commitment and, after gaining compliance, asking for a bigger commitment

Door-in-the-face Technique

asking for a large commitment and being refused and then asking for a smaller commitment

Conformity

adjusting our behavior or thinking to coincide with a group standard

Persuasion

the process of creating, reinforcing, or changing people's beliefs or actions

Central Route Persuasion

attitude change path in which interested people focus on the arguments and respond with favorable thoughts

Obedience

changing one's behavior at the command of an authority figure

Culture

the enduring behaviors, ideas, attitudes, values, and traditions shared by a group of people and transmitted from one generation to the next

Individualism

giving priority to one's own goals over group goals and defining one's identity in terms of personal attributes rather than group identifications

Collectivism

giving priority to the goals of one's group (often one's extended family or work group) and defining one's identity accordingly

Multiculturalism

a condition in which ethnic groups exist separately and share equally in economic and political life

Group Polarization

tendency of group members to move to an extreme position after discussing an issue as a group

Groupthink

A situation in which group members seek unanimous agreement despite their individual doubts

Diffusion of Responsibility

reduction in sense of responsibility often felt by individuals in a group; may be responsible for the bystander effect

Social Loafing

the tendency for people in a group to exert less effort when pooling their efforts toward attaining a common goal than when individually accountable

Deindividuation

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

Social Facilitation

improved performance on simple or well-learned tasks in the presence of others

Social Trap

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

Superordinate Goals

higher-level goals taking priority over specific individual or group goals

Prosocial Behavior

positive, constructive, helpful behavior

Altruism

unselfish regard for the welfare of others

Social Responsibility

An organization's obligation to maximize its positive impact and minimize its negative impact on society

The 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 human interactions are transactions that aim to maximize one's rewards and minimize one's costs

Reciprocity Norm

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