Attribution, Social Influence, and Group Behavior in Psychology

Attribution Theory

Explains how we interpret the causes of behavior—both our own and that of others.

Dispositional Attribution

Crediting the behavior to the person's internal traits, personality, or character.

Situational Attribution

Crediting the behavior to external environmental factors.

Fundamental Attribution Error (FAE)

Our tendency to overestimate the influence of internal traits and underestimate the influence of the situation when analyzing others' behavior.

Culture and FAE

People in individualist cultures are more prone to the FAE, while collectivist cultures are more sensitive to the power of the situation.

Actor-Observer Bias

We tend to attribute our own bad behavior to the situation but attribute others' bad behavior to their personality.

Attitude

A set of feelings, often based on our beliefs, that predisposes us to respond in a particular way to objects, people, and events.

Foot-in-the-Door Phenomenon

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

Role Playing

When you adopt a new role, repetitive actions eventually change your internal attitude to fit the role.

Cognitive Dissonance

An unpleasant state of psychological tension that occurs when our attitudes and actions clash.

Central Route Persuasion

Focuses on facts, logic, and the content of the message, requiring the audience to be motivated and analytical.

Peripheral Route Persuasion

Focuses on incidental cues that trigger automatic acceptance without much thinking.

Social Influence

The process by which others affect our thoughts and behaviors.

Conformity

Adjusting our behavior or thinking to coincide with a group standard or social norms.

Asch's Line Studies

Participants were asked to match the length of a line to three choices, showing conformity under group pressure.

Normative Influence

We conform to be liked, avoid rejection, and gain social approval.

Informational Influence

We follow the group because we assume they have better information than we do.

Obedience

Changing behavior in response to a direct order from an authority figure.

Milgram's Shock Studies

Participants administered painful electric shocks to a learner simply because an authority figure told them to.

Social Facilitation

The presence of others improves performance on easy or well-learned tasks but can hinder performance on difficult tasks.

Social Loafing

The tendency for people in a group to exert less effort when pooling their efforts toward a common goal.

Deindividuation

The loss of self-awareness and self-restraint occurring in group situations that foster arousal and anonymity.

Group Polarization

The enhancement of a group's prevailing inclinations through discussion within the group.

Groupthink

The mode of thinking that occurs when the desire for harmony in a decision-making group overrides a realistic appraisal of alternatives.

Stereotype

A generalized belief about a group of people, serving as a mental shortcut.

Prejudice

An unjustifiable (and usually negative) attitude toward a group and its members.

Discrimination

Unjustifiable negative behavior toward a group or its members, putting prejudice into action.

Explicit Attitudes

Conscious, thought-out, and deliberate beliefs.

Implicit Attitudes

Unconscious, automatic 'gut reactions' that influence decisions.

Colorism

Bias favoring lighter skin tones within or across racial and ethnic groups.

Wage Gap

The disparity in earnings between different genders.

Glass Ceiling

Barriers preventing women and minorities from reaching top-tier leadership.

Ingroup Favoritism

The tendency to favor one's own group over others.

Scapegoating

Blaming a marginalized group to displace frustration or anger.

Outgroup Homogeneity

The perception that members of an outgroup are all alike.

Availability Heuristic

The tendency to overestimate the frequency of events based on vivid examples.

Aggression

Any physical or verbal behavior intended to harm someone.

Frustration-Aggression Hypothesis

The idea that frustration leads to anger and aggression.

Observational Learning

Learning aggression by watching others being rewarded for it.

Mere Exposure Effect

The phenomenon where repeated exposure increases liking of a stimulus.

The Halo Effect

Assuming positive traits in someone based on their physical attractiveness.

Companionate Love

A deep, affectionate attachment in a mature relationship.

Equity

A condition where people receive in proportion to what they give in a relationship.

Self-Disclosure

Revealing intimate aspects of oneself to others to build trust.

Bystander Effect

The tendency for bystanders to be less likely to help when others are present.

Diffusion of Responsibility

Feeling less personally responsible to act in a group setting.

Social Exchange Theory

We help others by weighing costs against rewards.

Reciprocity Norm

The expectation to help those who have helped us.

Social-Responsibility Norm

The expectation to help those who are dependent on us.

Superordinate Goals

Shared goals that require cooperation to achieve, reducing conflict.

Communication

Mediators help conflicting parties find a 'win-win' solution.