Social Psychology Concepts and Theories

These flashcards cover key concepts, theories, and influential figures in social psychology, providing definitions and explanations to help with understanding and studying for exams.

Attribution theory

A theory that states we tend to give causal explanations for someone's behavior, crediting either the situation or the person’s disposition.

Dispositional attribution

when we explain someone’s behavior based on their personality or character rather the situation their in

Situational attribution

Attributing someone’s behavior or beliefs to external environmental factors.

Fundamental attribution error

when we assume that someone’s actions are because of their personality rather than the situation thier in

Just-world phenomenon

The belief that the world is just, and people get what they deserve.

Saliency bias

when we focus on the most noticeable information and ignore other important details because our brain naturally pays more attention to what it stands out, but that can sometimes lead to wrong conclusions L

Self-serving bias

The tendency to take credit for successes and attribute failures to external factors.

Self-fulfilling prophecy

Expectations about an individual that influence behavior towards them, which then influences their behavior towards you.

Attitudes

Beliefs and feelings that guide behavior.

Mere exposure effect

The tendency to develop a preference for things simply because they are familiar.

Central route of persuasion

Persuasion that focuses on factual information and logical arguments.

Peripheral route of persuasion

Persuasion that relies on emotional appeals and incidental cues.

Foot-in-the-door technique

A persuasion strategy where a small request is followed by a larger request.

Door-in-the-face technique

A persuasion strategy where a large request is made first, followed by a smaller request.

Reciprocity

The expectation that when we give something, we will receive something in return.

Cognitive dissonance

The uncomfortable feeling you get when you hold two conflicting thoughts, beliefs, or behaviors at the same time

Role playing

Changing attitudes based on the specific role assigned to an individual.

Chameleon effect

when people unconsciously copy the behaviors, gestures, or speech patterns of those around them. It happens naturally in social situations and helps people connect with each other.

Mood linkage

When a person's mood is affected by the moods of others in the group.

Conformity

The tendency to adopt the behaviors, attitudes, and beliefs of the group.

Normative social influence

Influence that arises from a desire to gain approval or avoid rejection from the group.

Informational social influence

Turning to the group for accurate information, especially in uncertain situations.

Compliance

when someone agrees to do something that another person asks, even if they don’t really want to. It’s different from obedience (following orders from an authority) because compliance usually happens due to social pressure or persuasion rather than strict rules or commands

Obedience

Following the direct orders of an authority figure.

Individual resistance

when one person stands up against something that they believe Is wrong , even if most people go along with it

Group influence

Conformity occurring due to feeling unsure of how to behave correctly.

Norms

Rules governing acceptable behavior and attitudes within a group.

Roles

Positions that individuals hold within a group, such as leader or follower.

Social loafing

The phenomenon where individuals exert less effort in a group than when alone.

Deindividuation

Loss of self-awareness and personal responsibility in a group context.

Social facilitation

Improvement in individual performance on well-learned tasks in the presence of others.

Social impairment

Decline in performance on complex tasks in the presence of others.

Group polarization

When people in a group start with similar opinions, but after discussing their opinions become more extreme than before, individuals thoughts, opinions, and morals by just being in a group

Groupthink

The phenomenon where the desire for harmony in a group leads to incorrect or poor decision-making.

Minority influence

The effect that a minority in a group can have on the larger group.

Prejudice

A learned prejudgment towards individuals based on their group membership.

Discrimination

Differential treatment of individuals, often negative.

Ingroups

A Group of people you feel connected to beach you share something in common like beliefs , interests, idenitty

Outgroups

Groups perceived as different from one’s ingroup.

Ingroup bias

The tendency to favor one’s own group over others.

Stereotypes

Generalized beliefs about a group that can be accurate or overly generalized.

Scapegoat theory

The tendency to blame others, usually minorities, for one’s problems.

Ethnocentrism

The belief that one's own culture is superior to others.

Contact theory

A theory stating that bringing groups together can reduce tensions.

Jigsaw classroom

A way of learning or students work together in small groups and each student is responsible for learning and teaching a different part of the lesson. it helps students rely on each other, which reduces competition and builds teamwork.( like a puzzle)

Altruism

Selflessness; putting others' welfare above one's own.

Bystander effect

The phenomenon where individuals are less likely to help in an emergency when others are present.

Diffusion of responsibility

when people don’t take action in a situation because they think someone else will do it. The more people there are, the less responsible each person feels.

Reciprocity norm

The expectation that helping others will lead to receiving help in return.

Aggression

Behavior intended to cause harm.

Instrumental aggression

Aggression that is a means to achieving a specific goal.

Hostile aggression

When someone hurts another person on purpose because they’re angry or upset the main goal is to cause harm not to achieve something else

Frustration-aggression principle

The idea that frustration leads to aggression.

Attraction

The psychological phenomenon of being drawn to another individual.

Conflict

Disagreements driven by differing objectives or desires.

Peacemaking

Efforts aimed at resolving conflict and fostering harmony.

Non-zero sum game

A situation where all participants can benefit or suffer collectively.

Social trap

A situation where individual short-term gains lead to long-term losses for the group.

Mirror-image perceptions

Each side in a conflict views itself as ethical while viewing the other as aggressive and evil.

Superordinate goals

Big goals that different people or groups have to work together to achieve, even if they don’t usually get along

Conciliation (GRIT)

A strategy for peace where both sides take gradual, reciprocal steps towards reducing conflict.

Fritz Heider

Psychologist who proposed the Attribution Theory.

Robert Rosenthal & Lenore Jacobson

Researchers who studied the self-fulfilling prophecy through the Oak Hill experiment.

Jane Elliot

Educator known for her classroom experiment on discrimination using eye color.(she told blue eyes students that they were superior and brown eye students said they were not in when she reverse the rules. Students acted according to their status.)

Leon Festinger

Psychologist who proposed the concept of cognitive dissonance.

Philip Zimbardo

Psychologist who conducted the Stanford prison experiment.

Solomon Asch

Psychologist known for his experiments on conformity.

Stanley Milgram

Psychologist famous for his obedience experiment involving shocks.

Walter Lippman

Coined the term 'stereotype'.

Kitty Genovese

Victim of a murder that highlighted the bystander effect.

Muzafer Sherif

Conducted the Robbers Cave Experiment to study group dynamics.

Bibb Latane & John Darley

Psychologists who researched bystander intervention and diffusion of responsibility.

Elliot Aronson & Marti Gonzales

Developed the jigsaw classroom to enhance self-efficacy in minority students.

Norman Triplett

Studied social facilitation and impairment.