Psychology: Social Behavior, Attitudes, and Group Dynamics

Dispositional Attribution

Behavior driven by a person’s personality, feelings, etc. 

Situational Attribution

Someone's behavior is being driven by outside situations.

Fundamental Attribution Error

Assuming that a person’s behavior is caused by their personality.

Attitudes

Feelings or beliefs that influence how we act.

Peripheral Route Persuasion

Being persuaded by superficial cues rather than actual content.

Central Route Persuasion

logic driven using data and facts.

Foot-in-the-Door Phenomenon

Agreeing to a small request increases the chance of agreeing to a larger one.

Door-in-the-Face Phenomenon

Starting with a large request to make a smaller one seem reasonable.

Cognitive Dissonance Theory

We change our attitudes to reduce discomfort when actions don't match beliefs.

Normative Social Influence

Conforming to fit in or be liked.

Informational Social Influence

Conforming because others seem correct or knowledgeable.

Milgram Experiment

Showed people obey authority even when it harms others.

Asch Experiment

Showed people conform to group pressure in obvious situations.

Social Facilitation

Performing better on easy tasks when others are watching.

Social Loafing

People put in less effort when working in a group.

Deindividuation

Loss of self-awareness in groups leading to impulsive or mob behavior.

Stanford Prison Experiment

Showed how roles and environment strongly influence behavior.

Group Polarization

Group discussions strengthen existing opinions.

Groupthink

Social harmony to avoid open disagreement.

Power of Individuals

One committed person can influence or resist a group.

Cultural Influence and Norms

Shared rules and expectations that guide behavior in a culture.

Prejudice

Unjustified negative attitude toward a group.

Discrimination

Unfair actions or behaviors toward a group.

Implicit Bias

Automatic, unconscious attitudes or beliefs.

Just-World Phenomenon

Belief that people get what they deserve.

In-Group/Out-Group

Us vs. them thinking.

Scapegoat Theory

Blaming others when things go wrong.

Other-Race Effect

Better at recognizing faces of one's own race.

Hostile Aggression

Aggression driven by anger with the goal of hurting someone.

Instrumental Aggression

Aggression used to achieve a goal.

Genetic, Neural, Biochemical Influences

Biological factors that contribute to aggression.

Aversive Events

Stressful or unpleasant events that trigger aggression.

Frustration-Aggression Principle

Frustration leads to anger, which can lead to aggression.

Reinforcement and Modeling

Learning aggression by seeing it rewarded or by copying others.

Altruism

Helping others with no expectation of reward.

Bystander Effect

People are less likely to help when others are present.

Social Exchange Theory

We help others if the rewards outweigh the costs.

Reciprocity Norm

We should help people who have helped us.

Social Responsibility Norm

We should help those who depend on us.