AP Psychology Study Materials: Social Psychology Concepts (Part 2)

altruism

unselfish regard for the welfare of others

bystander effect

the tendency for any given bystander to be less likely to give aid if other bystander to be less likely to give aid if other bystanders are present

diffusion of responsibility

diminished sense of responsibility for taking action in a given situation often experienced by people in groups

reciprocity norm

an expectation that people will help, not hurt, those who have helped them

social-responsibility norm

an expectation that people will help those dependent upon them (young children and the elderly)

superordinate goals

shared goals that override differences among people and require their cooperation

social trap

a situation in which the conflicting parties, by each rationally pursuing their self-interest, become caught in mutually destructive behavior

prosocial behavior

positive, constructive, helpful behavior

Philip Zimbardo

Psychologist who conducted the Stanford Prison experiment

social norms

The implicit or explicit rules a group has for the acceptable behaviors, values, and beliefs of its members

upward social comparison

comparing ourselves to people who are better than we are with regard to a particular trait or ability

downward social comparison

comparing ourselves to people who are worse than we are with regard to a particular trait or ability

relative deprivation

the perception that one is worse off relative to those with whom one compares oneself

conformity

adjusting our behavior or thinking to coincide with a group standard

Solomon Asch

Conducted famous conformity experiment that required subjects to match lines.

normative social influence

conformity to a group norm to fit in, feel good, and be accepted by the group

informational social influence

conformity to a group norm because one believes that the group is correct

Stanley Milgram

conducted controversial study on obedience to authority; had participants administer what they believed were dangerous electrical shocks to other participants

false consensus effect

the tendency to overestimate the extent to which others share our beliefs and behaviors

social facilitation

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

social impairment

the tendency for the presence of other people to have a negative impact on the performance of a difficult task

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

deindividuation

the loss of self-awareness and self-restraint occurring in group situations that foster arousal and anonymity

group polarization

the enhancement of a group's prevailing inclinations through discussion within the group

groupthink

the mode of thinking that occurs when the desire for harmony in a decision-making group overrides a realistic appraisal of alternatives