Chapter 12 Textbook Content

Define Social Psychology

The branch of psychology that focuses on the way people’s thoughts and actions are affected by the real or imagined presence of others

What do social psychologists study?

How people are affected by the actual, imagined or implied presence of others

Define Person Perception

The process of forming impressions of others

Describhe the relationship between perception and attractiveness

More attractive people were ascribed more positive characteristics, live better lives, be more successful etc.

Define Social Schemas

Organized clusters of ideas about categories of social events and people

Define Self Schema

An integrated set of memories, beliefs, and generalizations about one’s behavior in a given domain

Define Stereotypes

Widely held beliefs that people have certain characteristics because of their membership in a particular group

Define Attributions

Inferences that people draw about the causes of events, others’ behaviour and their own behavior

Define Fundamental attribution error

Observer bias in favor of internal attribution in explaining others behavior

Define Actor-Observer Bias

Actors prefer external attributions for their behavior, while observers are more likely to explain that same behavior with internal attributions

Define Defensive Attributions

The tendency to blame victims for their misfortune so that one feels less likely to be victimized in a similar way

Define the Mere Exposure effect

Repeated exposure to a stimulus promotes greater liking of that stimulus

Define cognitive dissonance

Wehn related cognitions are inconsistent, when they contradict each other

Define Normative Influence

When people conform to social norms for fear of negative social consequences

Define Informational Influence

When people look at each other for guidance about how to behave in ambiguous situations

What occurred to the guards as a result of the Zimbardo Prison Experiment?

The guards became sadistic and all powerful, started abusing prisoners

What occured to the prisoners of the Zimbardo Prison Experiment

Some were released early due to emotional disturbance, the rest became demoralized and listless.

Define the bystander effect

People are less likely to provide needed help when they are in groups than when they are alone

Define the diffusion of responsibility

Sense of responsbility decreases as the number of people in a group increases

Define Social Loafing

Reduction in effort by individuals when they are in a group versus to when they are working alone

Define Group Polarization

Group discussion strengthens a groups dominant point of view and produces a shift toward a more extreme decision in that direction

Define groupthink

When members of a cohesive group emphasize concurrence at the expense of critical thinking in arriving at a decision

Define the matching hypothesis

Males and females of approximate equal attractiveness are likely to select each other as partners