Social Psychology and Behavioral Science

A collection of vocabulary flashcards covering key concepts in social psychology, behavior, research methods, biological bases of behavior, and sensation and perception.

Attribution

The process of explaining the causes of behavior, including situational and dispositional factors.

Fundamental Attribution Error

The tendency to overemphasize dispositional factors while underemphasizing situational factors in explaining others' behavior.

Group Think

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

Self-fulfilling Prophecy

A prediction that causes itself to become true due to the behavior it generates.

Bystander Effect

The phenomenon in which the greater number of bystanders present, the less likely individuals are to help a person in distress.

Cognitive Dissonance

The mental discomfort experienced by a person who holds two or more contradictory beliefs, ideas, or values.

Conformity

The act of matching attitudes, beliefs, and behaviors to group norms.

Informational Influence

Conformity occurring when people accept evidence about reality provided by other people.

Normative Influence

Conformity based on a person's desire to fulfill others' expectations and gain acceptance.

Discrimination

Unjust treatment of different categories of people, often based on race, age, or sex.

Ethical Guidelines

Standards for conducting research that promote the welfare of participants and integrity of research.

Correlation vs. Causation

Correlation indicates a relationship between two variables, while causation indicates that one variable directly affects the other.

Neurotransmitters

Chemicals that transmit signals across a synapse from one neuron to another.

Nature vs. Nurture

The debate concerning the relative contributions of genetic inheritance (nature) and environmental factors (nurture) to human development.

Circadian Rhythm

The physical, mental, and behavioral changes that follow a 24-hour cycle, responding primarily to light and darkness.

Absolute Threshold

The minimum stimulation needed to detect a particular stimulus 50% of the time.

Transduction

The process of converting one form of energy into another, such as sensory stimuli into neural signals.

Change Blindness

A perceptual phenomenon that occurs when a change in a visual stimulus is introduced and the observer does not notice it.