Unit 4 Part 1 (Social Psychology and Personality)

Social Psychology

The ways that one's thoughts, feelings, and behaviors are influenced by the real, imagined, or inferred behavior or characteristics of others

Social Cognition

How you think of others

Social Influence

How others influence you

Attribution Theory

The theory that we explain someone's behavior by crediting or blaming either the situation or the person's disposition

Dispositional Attribution

Explanations that relate to some personality, characteristic, or trait of the person engaging in the behavior

Situational Attribution

Explanations of behavior, such as the teacher, the weather, or school bully that influences the way someone behaves

Fundamental Attribution Error (FAE)

Tendency to make dispositional attributions and underestimate the role of situational factors

Self-Serving Bias

Tendency to make situational attributions for our negative behaviors and dispositional attributions for our positive behaviors

Self-Effacing/Modesty Bias

Tendency to attribute our successes to external factors and our failures to internal factors

Actor-Observer Bias

Have different explanations for our own behaviors versus the behaviors of others, even though we may be engaged in similar actions

Self-Handicapping

Creating conditions or excuses for failure beforehand to protect the ego against the possibility of failure

Just-World Phenomenon/Hypothesis

Tendency to believe that the universe has an inherent balance, and people get what they deserve

Cognitive Dissonance

Mismatch between our beliefs and actions, which creates anxiety or guilt

Individualism

Emphasize individual achievement and prioritize personal goals over group goals

Collectivism

Value group goals over individual pursuits, members define themselves by their role in the group

In-Group

People with whom we share a common identity (us)

In-Group Bias

The tendency to favor our own group

Out-Group

Those perceived as different or apart from ourselves (them)

Out-Group Homogeneity

Thinking that others, them, are alike

Scapegoat Theory

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

Stereotyping

An over-generalized belief (positive or negative) about a particular group of people

Prejudice

An unjustifiable and usually negative attitude toward a group and its members

Racial Prejudice

Prejudice or discrimination based on race and/or skin color

Racism

The unequal distribution of power between races

Discrimination

The unfair treatment of a group and its members

Superordinate Goals

Different groups must work together to solve a problem

Contact Hypothesis

Bringing those in conflict together will help reduce the conflict

Mere-Exposure Effect

The more we're around people, the more we tend to like them

Self-Fulfilling Prophecy

Expectations about ourselves and others can lead us to act that way (consciously or unconsciously)

Stereotype Threat

Being aware of a stereotype about one's group and acting according to that stereotype

Ethnocentrism

Assuming the superiority of one's ethnic group

Attitude

An individual's opinion or belief about people and events

Central Route to Persuasion

Presenting facts, logic, and evidence in an argument

Peripheral Route to Persuasion

Appealing to emotions or credibility in an argument

Norm of Reciprocity

We do nice things for others after they've done nice things for us

Foot-In-the-Door Technique

Starting with a smaller request and working up to a larger one

Door-In-the-Face Technique

Starting with a large request (expecting rejection) and scaling back to make it more reasonable

Conformity

Adjusting your thoughts or actions to align with a reference group or expected behavior

Obedience

Doing something because a person in a person of authority told you to do it

Compliance

Going along with a reference or demand not necessarily from an authority figure

Informational Social Influence

Going along with others because we believe they have more information about the situation than we do

Normative Social Influence

Going along with others in order to gain their approval or fit in

Soloman Asch

Conducted a series of studies in the 1950s on conformity to group pressure

Stanley Milgram

Soloman's student, conducted a series of studies on obedience to authority

Philip Zimbardo

Conducted experiments on the influence of roles and social expectations in a simulated prison environment

Automatic Mimicry/Chameleon Effect

A type of social behavior where individuals unintentionally imitate gestures, behaviors, facial expressions, or speech patterns

Groupthink

Going along with decisions and opinions of a group, even if we don't agree with them

Group Polarization

The beliefs, attitudes, and decisions of a group tend to be more amplified and extreme than those of the individuals

Social Loafing

Individuals in a group exert less effort than they would on their own because they assume that others will fill in the gaps (consciously or unconsciously)

Social Striving

Individuals improve their performance in a group because they don't want to let other group members down

Deindividuation

Individuals often engage in negative behavior in a group setting

Social Facilitation

If it's a task you know well, the presence of an audience tends to aid your performance (includes home field advantage)

Social Inhibition

If it's a task you're unfamiliar with, the presence of an audience tends to hinder your performance

Social Trap

Individuals will make choices that benefit themselves, even if it hurts the group

Tragedy of the Commons/Commoner's Dilemma

Cooperation would serve the interest of all, but for it to work, everyone must cooperate and trust that others will do the same

The Prisoner's Dilemma

Type of social trap that results in competition being favored over cooperation

Altruism

The unselfish regard for the welfare of others

Bystander Effect

The more people witnessing an assault or emergency, the less likely it is that an individual will help

Diffusion of Responsibility

Thinking that someone else will help

Aggression

An intentional act meant to harm

Instrumental Aggression

An act of aggression carried out to serve a particular purpose

Frustration-Aggression Model

Aggression most often occurs when we're prevented from achieving a goal, causing frustration

Similarity

Opposites don't attract

Proximity

You're more likely to date someone who lives near you

Halo Effect

The assumption that physically attractive people are smarter, nicer + more talented than others

Sternberg's Triangular Theory of Love

Describes certain types of love and how they apply to relationships over time

Passion

The intense desire to be with the other person

Intimacy

Emotional closeness, openness, and sharing

Commitment

The desire to maintain the relationship

Consummate Love

Passion, intimacy, and commitment

Romantic Love

Passion and intimacy

Companionate Love

Intimacy and commitment

Fatuous Love

Passion and commitment

Empty Love

Commitment

Infatuation

Passion

Liking

Intimacy