Social Cognition and Attitudes

A series of flashcards covering key concepts in social cognition and attitudes as discussed in the lecture notes.

Social Cognition

The study of how people think about and understand social situations.

Unrealistic Optimism

The belief that one is less likely to experience negative events than others.

Self-Serving Bias

The tendency to attribute success to personal factors and failure to external factors.

Attitude

A positive or negative evaluation of an object, which can influence behavior.

Cognitive Dissonance Theory

The theory that suggests we have an innate drive to hold all our attitudes and beliefs in harmony and avoid disharmony or dissonance.

Insufficient Justification

A situation where one does not have enough external justification for their actions, leading to an internal attitude change.

Strong Attitudes

Attitudes that are resistant to change, stable over time, and better predictors of behavior.

Dissonance Reduction

The process of resolving tension caused by conflicting beliefs or behaviors.

Persuasion

The process of consciously attempting to change attitudes through the transmission of a message.

Balance Theory

The theory which suggests that people prefer harmony and consistency in their opinions.