Social Psychology

Social psychology

The scientific study of how individuals’ thoughts, feelings, and behavior are shaped by the actual, implied, or imagined presence of others.

Social role

A set of expectations (norms) about a social position, defining how those in the position behave.

Stanford Prison Experiment

This experiment linked behavior to social roles…

Self-fulfilling prophecy (behavioral confirmation)

People behave in ways that confirm their belief or perceptions of themselves or others.

Social comparison theory

We are unable to self-judge our opinions and abilities accurately and instead rely on comparing ourselves to other people to form an evaluation.

Judging your sense of deprivation based on others.

Downward comparison

Comparing yourself to someone “worse”. Positive effect is gratitude, and negative effects are pity/scorn.

Upward comparison

Comparing yourself to someone “better”. Positive effects are hope and inspiration, and negative effects are envy and dissatisfaction.

Explanatory style

A predictable pattern of attributions that reflect how we explain good and bad events in our lives and in others. These can be optimistic or pessimistic.

Dispositional attributions

Explanations of behavior/mental processes based on internal causes (characteristic of the person, personality, etc.).

Situational attributions

Explanations of behavior/mental processes based on external causes (eg. traffic, alarm didn’t ring, not enough sleep).

Actor-observer bias

The tendency for individuals acting in a situation to attribute the causes of their behavior to external/situational factors, but for observers to attribute the same behavior to internal/dispositional factors.

Fundamental attribution error

A bias toward over attributing the behavior of others to internal causes (more likely when we don’t know the person well).

Self serving bias

The tendency to attribute positive outcomes and successes to internal factors like our personal traits, skills, or actions.

False consensus effect

The tendency to think that other people share our attitudes more than they actually do.

Optimistic explanatory style

An explanatory style that is temporary, based on specific causes, and based on external causes.

Pessimistic explanatory style

An explanatory style that is permanent, pervasive (global), and based on personal/internal causes.

Mere exposure effect

Repeated exposure increases our liking.

The Halo Effect

Positive impressions of people in one area lead to positive feelings in another area.

ex. The attractiveness stereotype, which is the tendency to assign positive qualities and traits to physically attractive or friendly people.

Social influence

A process where social groups and individuals exert pressure on an individual either deliberately or unintentionally.

Normative social influence

Strive to act consistently with group norms even if you disagree; groups place direct or indirect pressure on members to comply with norms.

Informational social influence

We conform to people who we believe have accurate info; we accept others’ opinions as reality because they seem informed.

Compliance

When someone does what someone else wants them to do, following their request or suggestion (no order).

Foot-in-the-door phenomenon

People agreeing to a small request will find it easier to agree later to a larger one.

Door-in-the-face technique

People agreeing to a smaller request once they rejected a larger request.

Elaboration likelihood model

Theory of attitude change. Explores how we process information differently and how the outcomes of these processes result in changing attitudes and then behavior.

Central route persuasion

High level of persuasion, offers evidence and arguments to trigger thoughtful responses. (More durable).

Peripheral route persuasion

High level of persuasion, uses incidental cues such as marketing or endorsements to try to persuade. (Fast but thoughtless changes in attitudes).

Cognitive dissonance

When attitudes/beliefs don’t fit with actions, we often reduce tensions by changing our attitudes to match actions.

Conformity

Following group standards or behavior as a result of group pressure (real or imagined). Includes both compliance and obedience.

Obedience

When people follow direct commands, usually from someone in a position of authority.

Ethnocentrism

Tendency, often unintentional, to base perceptions and understandings of other groups or cultures on one’s own.

Stereotype

A generalized concept about a group of people

Prejudice

Negative attitude

Discrimination

Negative behavior

In group bias

The tendency to favor one’s own group, its members, its characteristics, and its products, particularly in reference to other groups.

Social trap

Individuals, groups, organizations, or whole societies initiate a course of action or establish a set of relationships that lead to negative or even lethal outcomes in the long term, but that once initiated are difficult to withdraw from or alter.

Minimal group paradigm

A method for investigating the minimal conditions required for discrimination to occur between groups.

Implicit bias

When we have attitudes towards people or associate stereotypes with them without our conscious knowledge.

Out group homogeneity bias

The tendency to assume that the members of other groups are very similar to each other, particularly in contrast to the assumed diversity of the membership of one’s own group.

Group polarization

Group discussions with like-minded others strengthen members’ prevailing beliefs and attitudes. (social media, echo chambers)

Groupthink

People are driven by a desire for harmony within a decision—making group, overriding realistic appraisal of alternatives. (Harmonious but unrealistic)

Social facilitation

Increased level of effort as a result of the presence of others. Enhances performance on easy tasks but impairs performance on difficult tasks.

Social loafing

Tendency for people in a group to exert less effort when pooling their efforts toward attaining a common goal than when individually accountable.

Deindividuation

Involves loss of self-awareness and self-restraint occurring in group situations that foster arousal and anonymity. Causes people to be less concerned with their personal values.

Prosocial behavior

A behavior that produces positive social consequences. Includes resisting temptation, cooperation, helping, and altruism.

Diffusion of responsibility

Responsibility for intervening is shred, or diffused, among those present. The more people in an emergency, the less personally responsible each person feels—and therefore the less help one provides.

Bystander effect

Tendency for any given bystander to be less likely to give aid if other bystanders are present.

Just world hypothesis

Tendency to believe that good people are rewarded, and bad people are punished.

Altruism

An intentional behavior that benefits others at some cost to the individual.

Social reciprocity norm

Behavior that benefits another with the expectation that those be returned in the future.

Industrial-organizational psychology

The scientific study of human behavior in organizations and in the work place. The specialty focuses on deriving principles of individual, group and organizational behavior and applying this knowledge to the solution of problems at work.