4.1-4.3

Attribution theory

the theory that we explain someone’s behavior by crediting either the situation (a situational attribution) or the person’s stable, enduring traits (a dispositional attribution)

explanatory style

an individual’s unique way of describing and explaining some phenomenon, event, or personal history.

actor-observer bias

the tendency for those acting in a situation to attribute their behavior to external causes, but for observers to attribute others’ behavior to internal causes.

fundamental attribution error

the tendency for observers, when analyzing others’ behavior, to underestimate the impact of the situation and to overestimate the impact of personal disposition.

self-serving bias

a readiness to perceive ourselves favorably.

internal locus of control

the perception that we control our own fate

external locus of control

the perception that outside forces beyond our personal control determine our fate.

mere exposure effect

the tendency for repeated exposure to novel stimuli to increase our liking of them.

self-fulfilling prophecy

a belief that leads to its own fulfillment.

relative deprivation

the perception that we are worse off relative to those with whom we compare ourselves.

sterotype

a generalized (sometimes accurate but often overgeneralized) belief about a group of people.

prejudice

an unjustifiable and usually negative attitude toward a group and its members. Prejudice generally involves negative emotions, stereotyped beliefs, and a predisposition to discriminatory action.

discrimination

unjustifiable negative behavior toward a group or its members.

belief perseverance

the persistence of one’s initial conceptions even after the basis on which they were formed has been discredited.

implicit attitude

a relatively enduring and general evaluative response of which a person has little or no conscious awareness.

just-world phenomenom

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

outgroup homogeneity bias

the tendency to assume that the members of other groups are very similar to each other

ingroup bias

the tendency to favor our own group.

confirmation bias

a tendency to search for information that supports our preconceptions and to ignore or distort contradictory evidence.

cognitive dissonance

the theory that we act to reduce the discomfort (dissonance) we feel when two of our thoughts (cognitions) are inconsistent

normative social inflence

influence resulting from a person’s desire to gain approval or avoid disapproval.

informational social influence

influence resulting from a person’s willingness to accept others’ opinions about reality.

elaboration likelihood model

a theory of persuasion postulating that attitude change occurs on a continuum of elaboration and thus, under certain conditions, may be a result of relatively extensive or relatively little scrutiny of attitude-relevant information

central route of persuasion

occurs when interested people’s thinking is influenced by considering evidence and arguments.

peripheral route of persuasion

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

halo effect

a rating bias in which a general evaluation (usually positive) of a person, or an evaluation of a person on a specific dimension, influences judgments of that person on other specific dimensions

foot in the door phenomenom

the tendency for people who have first agreed to a small request to comply later with a larger request.

door in the face phenomenom

a two-step procedure for enhancing compliance in which an extreme initial request is presented immediately before a more moderate target request

conformity

adjusting our behavior or thinking to coincide with a group standard.

obedience

complying with an order or a command.

social trap

a situation in which two parties, by each pursuing their self-interest rather than the good of the group, become caught in mutually destructive behavior.

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.

social facilitation

in the presence of others, improved performance on simple or well-learned tasks, and worsened performance on difficult tasks.