Social Thinking and Social Processes Flashcards

109 flashcards covering social thinking, social processes, and social identity based on lecture transcript notes.

What is the tendency to think that our beliefs, values, and behaviors are normal and that others share them?

False Consensus Effect

What is the tendency to overestimate the extent to which other people notice our appearance or behavior?

Spotlight Effect

What is the tendency to explain others' behavior using internal traits while underestimating situational influences?

Fundamental Attribution Error

What is the tendency to attribute our own behavior to external circumstances while attributing others' behavior to internal traits?

Actor-Observer Bias

What is the tendency to attribute successes to internal factors and failures to external factors?

Self-Serving Bias

What is the tendency to seek, interpret, and remember information that supports existing beliefs?

Confirmation Bias

What is the tendency to judge events as having been predictable after they have already occurred?

Hindsight Bias

What is a mental shortcut that relies on immediate examples that come to mind?

Availability Heuristic

What is a mental shortcut that classifies something based on how similar it is to a typical example?

Representativeness Heuristic

What is the term for judging others based on a first impression?

Impression Formation

What is the tendency for one positive characteristic to influence overall evaluations?

Halo Effect

What is the tendency for one negative characteristic to influence overall evaluations?

Horn Effect

What is the process of explaining behavior and events called?

Attribution

What is explaining behavior based on personality traits or dispositions?

Dispositional Attribution

What is explaining behavior based on environmental or situational factors?

Situational Attribution

What is a learned tendency to respond favorably or unfavorably to something?

Attitude

When do attitudes predict behavior best, according to the transcript?

When outside influences are minimal (Attitude-Behavior Consistency)

What is behavior that follows from internal beliefs?

Internal Attribution

What is behavior that follows from rewards, punishments, or social pressure?

External Attribution

What is the discomfort caused by holding contradictory beliefs or behaviors?

Cognitive Dissonance

What theory states that people change attitudes to reduce psychological discomfort?

Cognitive Dissonance Theory

What is the process by which a message induces attitude change?

Persuasion

What is persuasion through careful consideration of evidence and arguments?

Central Route Processing

What is persuasion through superficial cues such as attractiveness or authority?

Peripheral Route Processing

What phenomenon involves performing a small request first to increase compliance with a larger request?

Foot-in-the-Door Phenomenon

What technique involves starting with a large request and following with a smaller request?

Door-in-the-Face Technique

What technique involves offering an attractive deal then revealing hidden costs?

Lowball Technique

What is adjusting behavior to match a group while privately disagreeing?

Compliance

What is changing behavior to match group expectations due to social pressure?

Conformity

What is changing behavior because of a direct order from an authority figure?

Obedience

What is going along with a group to gain approval or avoid rejection?

Normative Social Influence

What is going along with a group because it is viewed as a source of information?

Informational Social Influence

What theory defines the strength of influence resulting from importance, immediacy, and number of people?

Social Impact Theory

What influence is stronger when a task is difficult or ambiguous?

Informational Influence

What influence is stronger when a person is seeking acceptance?

Normative Influence

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

Social Facilitation

What is reduced performance on difficult or unfamiliar tasks in the presence of others?

Social Impairment

What is the term for reduced effort when working in a group?

Social Loafing

What is the loss of self-awareness and restraint in a group?

Deindividuation

What occurs when a group's desire for harmony overrides realistic decision-making?

Groupthink

What is the strengthening of a group's prevailing attitudes after discussion?

Group Polarization

What is a collection of people sharing common identity and interacting regularly?

Group

What is a group united by close relationships and emotional bonds?

Primary Group

What is a group organized around a common goal or activity?

Secondary Group

What is a group to which a person belongs?

In-Group

What is a group to which a person does not belong?

Out-Group

What is flavoring members of one's own group?

In-Group Bias

What is viewing out-group members as more similar to each other than they really are?

Out-Group Homogeneity Bias

What is a generalized belief about a group of people?

Stereotype

What is an unjustified attitude toward a group?

Prejudice

What is unjustified behavior toward a group?

Discrimination

What is anxiety or reduced performance caused by awareness of a stereotype?

Stereotype Threat

What is the tendency to blame victims for their circumstances?

Just-World Hypothesis

What is the preference for social hierarchies among groups?

Social Dominance Orientation

What is the term for negative feelings toward members of another group?

Intergroup Bias

What is behavior intended to help another person?

Prosocial Behavior

What is helping behavior motivated by concern for others?

Altruism

What is the tendency for people to be less likely to help when others are present?

Bystander Effect

What is reduced personal responsibility in the presence of others?

Diffusion of Responsibility

What norm suggests helping because help has been received before?

Reciprocity Norm

What are expectations about how people should behave?

Social Norms

What is physical or verbal behavior intended to harm?

Aggression

What is a person's sense of who they are based on group membership?

Social Identity

What theory describes the part of self-concept derived from group memberships?

Social Identity Theory

What is the belief that one can successfully perform a behavior?

Self-Efficacy

What is the sum total of beliefs an individual has about themselves?

Self-Concept

What is the value one places on oneself?

Self-Esteem

What is the tendency to define oneself differently depending on culture?

Independent vs. Interdependent Self

What is the process by which people make sense of others and themselves?

Social Cognition

What is the process of perceiving and interpreting information about other people?

Person Perception

What is a person's beliefs about the causes of events and behaviors?

Attribution Theory

What are expectations about how a person in a certain social position should behave?

Role Expectations

What is a set of behaviors expected of someone occupying a particular status?

Role

What is the tension caused by competing demands of multiple roles?

Role Conflict

What is the difficulty satisfying multiple expectations within the same role?

Role Strain

What is behavior that violates social norms?

Deviance

What are shared standards of acceptable behavior?

Norms

What are norms that carry moral significance?

Mores

What are norms governing routine or everyday behavior?

Folkways

What are formal norms that are written and enforced?

Laws

What is the belief that one has control over life outcomes?

Internal Locus of Control

What is the belief that outcomes are controlled by external forces?

External Locus of Control

What theory involves judging oneself by comparison with others?

Social Comparison Theory

What is comparing oneself to someone perceived as superior?

Upward Social Comparison

What is comparing oneself to someone perceived as worse off?

Downward Social Comparison

What is the process of presenting oneself favorably to others?

Impression Management

What is the tendency to modify behavior to fit social situations?

Self-Monitoring

What is the tendency to behave in ways that confirm expectations?

Self-Fulfilling Prophecy

What is the loss of efficiency and coordination when working in groups?

Process Loss

What is the tendency to perform differently when being observed?

Audience Effect

What is increased performance due to the presence of others?

Social Facilitation

What is reduced performance on difficult tasks due to the presence of others?

Social Impairment

What is defined as a positive or negative evaluation of a group?

Prejudice

What is defined as a cognitive belief about a group?

Stereotype

What are behavioral actions directed toward a group?

Discrimination

What is anxiety arising from fear of confirming a stereotype?

Stereotype Threat

In prejudice/stereotyping context, what is the tendency to favor members of one's own group?

In-Group Bias

What is viewing members of another group as highly similar?

Out-Group Homogeneity Bias

What is a cost-benefit model explaining helping behavior?

Social Exchange Theory

What is helping behavior motivated by expectation of future return?

Reciprocity