chapter 16.1 - 16.5

Social psychology

Social psychology

The study of how individuals think and behave in social settings.

Culture

An ongoing pattern of life, characterizing a society at a given point in history.

Social role

Expected behavior patterns associated with particular social positions.

Role conflict

Trying to occupy two or more roles that make conflicting demands on behavior.

Group structure

The network of roles, communication pathways, and power in a group.

Group cohesiveness

The degree of attraction among group members or their commitment to remaining in the group.

In-group

A group with which a person identifies.

Out-group

A group with which a person does not identify.

Social status

The degree of prestige, admiration, and respect accorded to a member of a group.

Social power

The degree to which a group member can control, alter, or influence the behavior of another group member.

Norm

A widely accepted (but often unspoken) standard of conduct for appropriate behavior.

Social cognition

The process of thinking about ourselves and others in a social context.

Social comparison

Making judgments about ourselves through comparison with others.

Downward comparison

Comparing yourself with a person who ranks lower than you on some dimension.

Upward comparison

Comparing yourself with a person who ranks higher than you on some dimension.

Attribution

The act of assigning cause to behavior.

Situational demands

Unstated expectations that define desirable or appropriate behavior in various settings and social situations.

Self-handicapping

Arranging to perform under conditions that usually impair performance, so as to have an excuse for a poor showing.

Fundamental attribution error

Tendency to attribute behavior to internal causes without regard to situational influences.

Actor-observer bias

The tendency to attribute the behavior of others to internal causes while attributing one’s own behavior to external causes.

Attitude

Positive or negative perception of people, objects, or issues.

Open-ended interview

An interview in which persons are allowed to freely state their views.

Social distance scale

A rating of the degree to which a person would be willing to have contact with a member of another group.

Attitude scale

A collection of attitudinal statements with which respondents indicate agreement or disagreement.

Reference group

Any group that an individual uses as a standard for social comparison.

Persuasion

A deliberate attempt to change attitudes or beliefs with information and arguments.

Cognitive dissonance

Psychological state of having related ideas or perceptions that are inconsistent.

Social influence

Changes in a person’s behavior induced by the presence or actions of others.

First way to reduce cognitive dissonance

Change your attitude.

Second way to reduce cognitive dissonance

Add consonant thoughts.

Third way to reduce cognitive dissonance

Change the importance of the dissonant thoughts.

Fourth way to reduce cognitive dissonance

Reduce the amount of perceived choice.

Fifth way to reduce cognitive dissonance

Change your behavior.