Intro to Psych Chapter 11 - FINAL EXAM

social psychology

The study of how people think about, influence, and relate to other people.

stereotype threat

An individual’s fast-acting, self-fulfilling fear of being judged based on a negative stereotype about their group.

prejudice

An unjustified negative attitude toward an individual based on the individual’s membership in a group.

attribution theory

The view that people are motivated to discover the underlying causes of behavior as part of their effort to make sense of the behavior.

fundamental attribution error

Observers’ overestimation of the importance of internal traits and underestimation of the importance of external situations when they seek explanations of another person’s behavior.

attitudes

An individual’s opinions and beliefs about people, objects, and ideas—how the person feels about the world.

cognitive dissonance

An individual’s psychological discomfort (dissonance) caused by two inconsistent thoughts.

altruism

Giving to another person with the ultimate goal of benefiting that person, even if it incurs a cost to oneself.

egoism

Giving to another person to ensure reciprocity (expect something in return); to gain self-esteem; or to avoid social and self-censure for failing to live up to society’s expectations.

empathy

A feeling of oneness with the emotional state of another person. Plays big role in prosocial behavior and doing random acts of kindness.

prosocial behavior

actions that benefit others, can be associated with empathy and altruism

aggression

Social behavior whose objective is to harm someone, either physically or verbally.

conformity

A change in a person’s behavior to coincide more closely with a group standard.

obedience

Behavior that complies with the explicit demands of the individual in authority.

deindividuation

The reduction in personal identity and erosion of the sense of personal responsibility when one is part of a group.

groupthink

The impaired group decision making that occurs when making the right decision is less important than maintaining group harmony.

prejudice

An unjustified negative attitude toward an individual based on the individual’s membership in a group. (An affect

discrimination

An unjustified negative or harmful action toward a member of a group simply because the person belongs to that group. (An action)

stereotype

A generalization about a group’s characteristics that does not consider any variations from one individual to another. (A cognition/thought)