Social Psychology

Conformity

Individuals adjust their thoughts, feelings, and/or behavior to align with a group as a result of pressure (real or imagined)

Social influence theory

Explains how people’s beliefs, attitudes, and behaviors are shaped by social interactions

Normative social influence

Conforming because you want to be liked/accepted by the group; fear negative social consequences

Informational social influence

Assume that others are correct because they all agree; willingly accept information as evidence about reality

Social norms

Unwritten rules that dictate acceptable behavior, influencing behavior and interactions

Relative deprivation

A feeling of dissatisfaction or injustice when comparing oneself to others and perceiving to be worse off

Upward social comparison

Compare oneself to others who are perceived to be better; can motivate self-improvement but may also decrease self-esteem

Downward social comparison

Comparing oneself to others who are perceived to be worse off; can boost self-esteem but may also foster complacency

Obedience

Performing an action under orders of a perceived authority figure, even if orders contradict personal beliefs or morals

Social facilitation

People perform differently in front of others; they tend to perform better on simple or well-practiced tasks and worse on complex or new tasks.

Group polarization

The phenomenon where group discussions enhance the group's dominant viewpoint, leading to more extreme decisions or opinions.

Groupthink

A psychological phenomenon in which the desire for harmony or conformity in a group results in irrational or dysfunctional decision-making.

Diffusion of responsibility

Individuals feel less responsible for taking action in a situation when others are present; leads to a decrease in likelihood of intervention

Social loafing

The tendency for individuals to put in less effort when working in a group compared to working alone, often leading to reduced productivity.

Deindividuation

A psychological state where individuals in a group lose self-awareness and sense of responsibility, often leading to impulsive and deviant behavior.

Bystander effect

When an emergency situation occurs, observers are less likely to take action if there are many people present

Attribution theory

Explains how people decide whether someone’s behavior is caused by their personality or their situation

Dispositional attributions

Assuming a person’s actions are due to their personality, not their situation

Situational attributions

Assuming a person’s actions are due to their circumstances, not personality

Explanatory style

How a person usually explains the reasons behind events - whether they blame themselves or outside factors

Optimistic explanatory style

A tendency to attribute positive events to internal factors and negative events to external factors, fostering a hopeful outlook on life

Pessimistic explanatory style

A tendency to attribute positive events to external factors and negative events to internal factor, fostering a negative outlook on life

Attribution bias

The tendency to inaccurately attribute the causes of someone’s behavior to their character while underestimating situational factors

Fundamental attribution error

The tendency to blame people’s actions more on their personality and less on their situation

Actor-observer bias

The habit of blaming our own actions on the situation but blaming others’ actions on their personality

Self-serving bias

The tendency to attribute one’s success to personal characteristics and failures to external factors, enhancing one’s self-esteem

Internal locus of control

The belief that one’s own actions and decisions directly influence the outcomes and events in their life

External locus of control

The belief that outcomes and events are determined by external factors or fate, rather than one’s own actions

Person perception

The process of forming impressions and making judgements about others based on their appearance, behavior, and social interactions

Mere exposure effect

Repeated exposure to a stimulus increases an individual’s preference for that stimulus

Prosocial behavior

Refers to voluntary actions intended to benefit others, including acts of kindness, sharing, and helping without expecting a reward

Altruism

The selfless concern for the wellbeing of others, leading to helping behavior without expecting any personal gain

Social debt

The perceived obligation to repay favors or kindness received from others

Social reciprocity norm

Societal expectation that people will help those who have helped them, fostering mutual exchange and cooperation in social relationships

Social responsibility norm

Societal expectation that people will help those in need without regard for future expectations

Stereotype

A generalized belief about a particular category of people, often oversimplified and not based on direct experience

Prejudice

An unjustifiable and usually negative attitude toward a group and its members; generally involves negative emotions, stereotypes, and predisposition to discrimination

Discrimination

Unjustifiable negative behavior toward a group or its members

Implicit bias

Unconscious beliefs or feelings that influence a person’s behavior and perspectives without their awareness

Just-World Phenomenon

A belief that the world is fundamentally fair, leading people to rationalize injustice or misfortune as deserved

Out-group homogeneity bias

The tendency to see members of an outgroup as more similar to each other than they really are, often perceiving them as less varied than members of one’s own group

In-group bias

Tendency to favor and extend loyalty to members of one’s own group, often leading to preferential treatment and judgement

Ethnocentrism

The belief in the inherent superiority of one’s own ethnic group or culture, often accompanied by a feeling of contempt for the other groups

Belief perseverance

The tendency to maintain one’s beliefs even when presented with contradictory evidence

Self-fulfilling prophecy

A prediction that directly or indirectly causes itself to become true due to positive feedback between belief and behavior

Individualism

A cultural value that emphasizes personal independence, self reliance, and prioritizing individual goals over group goals

Collectivism

A cultural value that emphasizes group harmony, interdependence, and prioritizing the needs of the group over the individual

Multiculturalism

The recognition and appreciation of diverse cultural backgrounds within a society, promoting coexistence and equal respect of different cultural identities

Superordinate goals

Shared goals that require cooperation among individuals/groups, typically overriding smaller or individual conflicts and fostering collaborative efforts

Social traps

Situations in which individuals or groups pursue immediate rewards that later prove to have negative or even catastrophic consequences for the larger community

Persuasion

The process of influence others’ attitudes, beliefs, or behaviors through communication, often involving appeals to reason, emotions, or authority

Elaboration Likelihood Model

People process information in two ways: through deep, thoughtful analysis or based on quick cues like how appealing or trustworthy the speaker seems

Central route to persuasion

Involves deeply engaging with the content of the message, leading to careful analysis and thoughtful consideration, typically resulting in more durable attitude change

Peripheral route to persuasion

Involves processing information based on superficial cues like attractiveness or credibility of the speaker, rather than the actual content of the message, leading to temporary attitude changes

Halo effect

The tendency to let an overall impression of a person influence specific judgments about their traits or abilities, often based on a single positive quality

Foot-in-the-door technique

Agreement to a small, initial request increases the likelihood of compliance with a larger, subsequent request

Door-in-the-face technique

A large, initial request is made knowing it will be refused, followed by a smaller, more reasonable request that is more likely to be accepted

False consensus effect

A cognitive bias where people overestimate how much others agree with their own beliefs, behaviors, or attitudes; leads people to believe their views are “normal” and the majority of people share the same point of view

Cognitive dissonance

Psychological discomfort experienced when simultaneously holding conflicting beliefs, attitudes, or values, often leading to an alteration in one in order to reduce the discomfort

Industrial/organizational psychologist

A professional who applies psychological principles and research methods to improve workplace environments, enhancing employee performance, and promote overall organizational effectiveness