Ch7 personality & adjustment

Attitudes

as beliefs and feelings about people, objects, and ideas

Attributions

are inferences that people draw about the causes of their own behavior, others behavior, and events

Bystander effect

the tendency for individuals to be less likely to provide help when others are present than when they are alone

Channel

is the medium through which the message is sent

Compliance

occurs when people yield to social pressure in their public behavior, even though their private beliefs have not changed 

Conformation bias

is the tendency to seek information that supports one’s beliefs while not pursuing disconfirming information

Conformity

occurs when people yield to real or imagined social pressure

Defensive attribution

is a tendency to blame victims for their misfortune, so that one feels less likely to be victimized in a similar way

Discrimination

involves behaving differently, usually unfairly, toward members of a group

Door in the face technique

technique involves making a large request that is likely to be turned down in order to increase the chances that people will agree to a smaller request later

Elaboration likelihood model

an individual’s thoughts about a persuasive message rather than the actual message itself) determine whether attitude change will occur

Foot in the door technique

technique involves getting people to agree to a small request to increase the chances that they will agree to a larger request later

Fundamental attribution error

refers to the tendency to explain other people behavior as the result of personal, rather than situational factors

Lowball technique 

which involves getting someone to commit to an attractive proposition before its hidden costs are revealed

Message

is the information transmitted by the source

Need for cognition

the tendency to seek out and enjoy effortful thought, problem solving activities, and in-depth analysis

Normative influence

operates when people conform to social norms for fear of negative social consequences

Obedience

is a form of compliance that occurs when people follow direct commands, usually from someone in a position of authority

Person perception

the process of forming impressions of others

Persuasion

the communication of arguments and information intended to change another person’s attitudes

Prejudice

is a negative attitude toward members of a group

Primacy effect

occurs when initial information carries more weight than subsequent information

Receiver

is the person to whom the message is sent

Reciprocity principle

the rule that one should pay back in kind what one receives from others

Self-fulfilling prophecy

occurs when expectations about a person cause him or her to behave in ways that confirm the expectations 

Source

is the person who sends a communication

Stereotypes

are widely held beliefs that people have certain characteristics because of their membership in a particular group

out group homogeneity

refers to a cognitive bias in which people mistakenly perceive outgroup members as being a homogenous group

in group homogeneity

refers to an in group are perceived as more similar to each other