Social Psychology Vocab Terms #1

Social Psychology

scientific study of how thoughts, feelings, and behaviors of an individual are influenced by the real, imagined, or inferred behavior/characteristics of other people

Attribution Theory

tries to explain how people make judgements about the causes of other peoples behavior

Fundamental Attribution Error

when explaining the behavior of others this is the tendency to OVEREMPHASIZE personal causes and UNDEREMPHASIZE situational causes

Attitude

feelings (influenced by beliefs) that predispose out reactions to objects, people, and events

Peripheral route persuasion

Occurs when positive/negative cues (images, sounds, language) are associated with the object of the message (Ex: Chanel perfume commercial)

Central route persuasion

When the attitude of the audience/individual is changed as a result of thoughtful consideration of the message

Foot-in-the-door Phenomenon

tendency for people who have first agreed to a small request to comply with a larger request

Door-in-the-face phenomenon

Start asking for a larger request that the person will say no to, then ask for a smaller/more realistic request

Cognitive dissonance theory

(Leon Festinger, James Carlsmith 1957), If a person is induced to do/say something that CONTRADICTS their private opinion, there's a tendency for them to change their opinion

Cognitive dissonance theory (changing attitude)

The less coerced and more responsible we feel for an action the more dissonance. The more dissonance the more likely we are to change our attitude

Cognitive dissonance theory (tension)

creates an unpleasant cognitive tension and the person tries to resolve

Norms

Understood rules for accepted/expected behavior in situations

Conformity

tendency to adjust one's behavior, attitudes, or beliefs to group norms in response to real/imagined group pressure

Normative social influence

Behavior that is motivated by the desire to GAIN social acceptance

Informative social influence

Behavior that is motivated by the desire to BE CORRECT, uncertain about our judgement -\> look to group

Social facilitation

work harder/better in a group, improved performance in presence of others, Ex: cyclists bike better when competing against others

Social loafing

tendency for an individual in a group to put LESS effort towards attaining a common goal when tested individually, Ex: tug of war

Deindividuation

loss of self awareness/self restraint in group situation that foster arousal/anonymity, Ex: Mob behavior/ mosh pit at homecoming

Self-fulfilling prophecy

A person's expectations about another elicits behavior from the other person that confirms expectations, the physical outcome of a situation being influenced by our thinking (positively or negatively), Ex: not thinking you're getting the job and you actually don't get it

Bystander effect

tendency for any bystander to be less likely to provide aid if other bystanders are also present

Social exchange theory

social behavior is an exchange process, aim: maximize benefits; minimize costs, concept based on the notion that a relationship between two people is created through a process of cost-benefit analysis

Reciprocity norm

expectation that if I offer to help you, then you offer to help me (help me help you)

social-responsibility norm

largely learned, tells us when to help others/ when they need us, even though they may NOT REPAY us