Unit 4: Social Psychology

Social Psychology

Study of how people think about, influence, and relate to one another

Explanatory Style (ES)

A person’s tendency to explain the causes of events in their life. Can be pessimistic or optimistic

Personalization

Internalizing or externalizing cause of event

Permanence

Thinking the cause of this event is something permanent

Pervasiveness

Thinking cause of this event causes other events

Person Perception

forming impressions of others

Attribution Theory

Tendency to give casual explanation for behavior

Attribute

Quality or characteristic considered an inherent part of someone

dispositional (personal traits) or situational (time)

Fundamental Attribution Error

Underestimates situation, overestimates personality

Actor-observer bias

Cognitive bias where people tend to attribute their own actions differently than they attribute the actions of others

Self-Serving Bias

tendency to attribute personal successes to internal factors like skill or effort, while blaming external factors for failures

Social Comparison

Evaluating oneself by comparing with others (downward or upward)

Relative Deprivation

Thinking you are worse off than who you compare yourself to

Mere exposure effect

Repeated exposure to novel stimuli increases liking

Cognitive load

Info taking up space in working memory

Prejudice

Preconceived, typically negative attitude

implicit - unconscious

explicit - conscious

Discrimination

Unjustifiable negative behavior towards a group

Just-World Phenomenon

World is always fair

In-group

Common identity

Out-group

Outside of group

Ingroup bias

Tendency to favor one’s own group

Outgroup homogeneity bias

Perceiving out-group members as more similar than they truly are

ethnocentrism

Tendency to evaluate other cultures based on standards of one’s own culture

Belief perseverance

Our tendency to maintain a belief even when faced with contradictory evidence

Cognitive dissonance

Discomfort caused by inconsistency between our thoughts or our thoughts and actions

Social Norms

Unspoken, informal rules that define behavior

Social influence theory

People adjust their behaviors based on the influence of others

Normative

Going along with others for approval

Informative

Going along with others because their ideas make sense

Elaboration likelihood model

People vary in willingness to scrutinize an argument

Central route persuasion

Logical arguments

Peripheral route persuasion

Incidental cues

Halo effect

Cognitive bias where our impression of someone is based off one trait

Foot-in-the-Door Phenomenon

Tendency for people who agreed to something small to comply to a larger one later

Door-in-the-face technique

Follow up an extravagant request with something reasonable

Conformity

Adjusting one’s behavior to coincide with a group standard

Obedience

Comply with direct order from an authority figure

Superordinate Goal

A shared goal that overrides differences among people and requires their cooperation

Social Trap

A person or group of people actively work to attain a short-term goal, which will ultimately have long-term consequences for the larger population

False consensus effect

A cognitive bias where individuals overestimate the extent to which their opinions or behaviors are shared by others

Groupthink

When the desire for harmony in a decision- making group overrides realistic appraisal of alternatives

Group polarization

When the decisions and opinions of people in a group setting become more extreme than their actual, privately held beliefs after group discussion

Deindividuation

Loss of self-awareness and self-restraint in group situations that foster arousal and anonymity (impulsive, less need for social approval)

Social facilitation

Performing better on a task in front of others (occurs with simple or well-learned tasks)

Social inhibition

Performing worse on a task in front of others (occurs with complicated or new tasks)

Social loafing

Tendency for people in a group to exert less effort together compared to when each person is individually accountable

Altruism

An unselfish regard for the welfare of others, or engaging in acts of kindness without expecting anything in return

Social responsibility norm

The expectation that people will help those in need of help

Social reciprocity norm

The expectation that people will help those that have helped them

Social debt

An emotional state in which guilt accumulates from unpleasant social interactions (feeling like you “owe” someone)

Bystander effect

Tendency for a bystander to be less likely to give aid if other bystanders are present

Diffusion of responsibility

Dividing the feeling of responsibility by the number of people present

Psychodynamic Theory

Behavior is influenced by unconscious thoughts, feelings, and conflicts

The unconscious

Freud: A reservoir of unacceptable thoughts, wishes feelings, and memories

Contemporary: Information processing of which people are unaware

Id

Pleasure

Ego

Reality

Superego

Morality

Defense mechanisms

Ways the ego unconsciously distort reality to reduce anxiety and protect itself

Denial

Refuse to accept events because they are unpleasant

Displacement

Transferring inappropriate urges or behaviors onto a more acceptable target

Projection

Attributing unacceptable desires to others

Rationalization

Justifying behaviors by substituting acceptable reasons for less-acceptable real reasons

Reaction formation

Reducing anxiety by adopting beliefs contrary to your own beliefs

Regression

Returning to coping strategies for less mature stages of development

Repression

Suppressing painful memories and thoughts

Sublimation

Redirecting unacceptable desires through socially acceptable channels

Free Association

Method of exploring the unconscious by relaxing and saying whatever comes to mind

Humanism

Approach to psychology that emphasizes helping people fulfill their purpose and maximize well-being

Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs

1. Self-Actualization

2. Esteem

3. Social

4. Safety

5. Physiological

Self-Actualization

Motivation to become the best form of yourself

Congruence

Consistency between how you view yourself and who you want to become

Unconditional positive regard

Providing basic love and acceptance of a person regardless of situation or behavior

Positive Psychology

Study of what factors contribute to a fulfilling life

Post-Traumatic growth

The positive psychological changes a person experiences following a traumatic event

5 stages:

1. Appreciation of life

2. Relationship with others

3. New possibilities in life

4. Personal strength

5. Spiritual change

Signature strengths

The most prominent and essential positive character traits a person possesses