Social Psych Exam 3 Vocab

propinquity effect

the finding that the more we see and interact with people, the more likely they are to become our friends

Mere exposure effect

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

Functional distance

refers to certain aspects of architectural design that make it more likely that some people will come into contact with each other more often than with others

Social exchange theory

the idea that people’s feelings abt a relationship depend on perceptions of rewards and costs, the kind of relationship they deserve, and their chances for having a better relationship with someone else

equity theory

the idea that people are happiest with relationships in which rewards and costs experienced and both parties’ contributions are roughly equal

Comparison level

expectations abt the levels of rewards and costs you are likely to receive in particular relationship

Comparison level for alternatives

expectations abt the levels of rewards and costs you would receive in an alternative relationship

companionate love

the intimacy and affection we feel when we care deeply for a person but do not experience passion or arousal in the person’s presence

Passionate love

an intense longing we feel for a person, accompanied by physiological arousal; when our love is reciprocated, we feel great fulfillment and ecstasy, but when it is not, we feel sadness and despair

evolutionary approach to love

a theory derived from evolutionary biology that holds that men and women are attracted to different characteristics in each other (men are attracted by women’s appearance; women are attracted by men’s resources) because this maximizes their chances of reproductive success

Evolutionary psychology

the attempt to explain social behavior in terms of genetic factors that evolved over time according to the principles of natural selection

attachment styles

the expectations people develop abt relationships with others, based on the relationship they had with their primary caregiver when they were infants

Secure attachment style

an attachment style characterized by trust, a lack of concern with being abandoned, and the view that one is worthy and well liked

attachment style

characterized by trust, a lack of concern as well as being characterized by a concern that others with being abandoned, and the view that one is worthy and will not reciprocate one’s desire for intimacy, resulting in well liked higher than average levels of anxiety

exchange relationships

relationships governed by the need for equity (ex- for an equal ratio of rewards and costs)

Communal relationships

relationships in which people’s primary concern is being responsive to the other person’s needs

prosocial behavior

any act performed with the goal of benefitting another person

Altruism

the desire to help another person even if it involves a cost to the helper (not for selfish reasons)

kin selection

the idea that behaviors that help a genetic relative are favored by natural selection

norm of reciprocity

the expectation that helping others will increase the likelihood that they will help us in the future

empathy

the ability to put oneself in the shoes of another person and to experience events and emotions (ex- joy and sadness) the way that person experiences them

empathy-altruism hypothesis

the idea that when we feel empathy for a person, we will attempt to help that person, we will attempt to help that person purely for altruistic reasons, regardless of what we have to gain

altruistic personality

personality trait making it more likely that an individual will help others in a variety of situations

in-group

the group with which an individual identifies as a member

out-group

any group with which an individual doesn’t identify

negative-state relief hypothesis

the idea that people help in order to alleviate their own sadness and distress

urban overload hypothesis

the theory that people living in cities are constantly being bombarded with stimulation and that they keep to themselves to avoid being overwhelmed by it

diffusion of responsibility

the phenomenon whereby each bystander’s sense of responsibility to help decreases as the number of witnesses increases

aggression

intentional behavior aimed at doing harm/causing pain to another person

instrumental aggression

aggression as a means to some goal other than causing pain

hostile aggression

aggression stemming from feelings of anger and aimed at inflicting pain

frustration-aggression theory

the idea that frustration-the perception from attaining a goal- increases the probability of an aggressive response

aggressive stimulus

an object that is associated with aggressive responses and whose mere presence can increase the probability of aggression

social learning theory

the idea that we learn social behavior (ex- aggression) by observing others and imitating them

scripts

ways of behaving socially that we learn implicitly from our culture

Catharsis

the notion that “blowing off steam”- by performing an aggressive act, watching others engage in aggressive behaviors, or engaging in a fantasy of aggression-relieves built-up aggressive energies and hence reduces the likelihood of further aggressive behavior

prejudice

a hostile/negative attitude toward people in a distinguishable group, based solely on their membership in that group

stereotype

a generalization abt a group of people in which identical characteristics are assigned to virtually all members of the group, regardless of actual variation among the members

discrimination

an unjustified negative/harmful action toward the members of a group simply bc of their membership in that group

in-group bias

positive feelings and special treatment for people we have defined as being part of our in-group and negative feelings and unfair treatment for others simply bc we have defined them as being in the out-group

out-group homogeneity

the belief that “they” are all alike

illusory correlation

when we expect 2 things to be related, we fool ourselves into believing that they are actually unrelated

ultimate attribution error

our tendency to make dispositional attributions abt an individual’s negative behavior to an entire group of people

normative conformity

the strong tendency to go along with the group in order to fulfill the group’s expectations and gain acceptance

hostile sexists

hold stereotypical views of women that suggest that women are inferior to men (ex- “women are less intelligent”)

benevolent sexists

hold stereotypically positive views of women (ex- “women are great cooks and mothers”); still serves to undermine women’s role in society

mutual interdependence

the need to depend on each other to accomplish a goal that is important to each group