Social Psychology Review

Fundamental Attribution Error

The tendency for observers, when analyzing another's behavior, to underestimate the impact of the situation and to overestimate the impact of personal disposition.

Self-Fulfilling Prophecy

An expectation that causes you to act in ways that make that expectation come true.

Reciprocity Norm

Idea that if you do something for someone, they owe you something in return.

Bystander Effect

The tendency to not offer help when needed if others are present who do not offer help.

Social Facilitation

Improved performance of tasks in the presence of others; occurs with simple or well-learned tasks but not with tasks that are difficult or not yet mastered.

Self-Serving Bias

The tendency to assign oneself credit for successes but to blame failures on external forces.

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.

Just-world Phenomenon

The tendency of people to believe the world is just and that people therefore get what they deserve and deserve what they get.

Deindividuation

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

Cognitive Dissonance

An uncomfortable mental state due to conflicts between attitudes or between attitudes and behavior.

Groupthink

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

Normative Social Influence

Influence resulting from a person's desire to gain approval or avoid disapproval.

Obedience

Changing one's behavior at the command of an authority figure.

Foot-in-the-door Phenomenon

A phenomenon in which people who agree to a small request are more likely to later agree to a larger request.