Untitled Flashcards Set

Person Perception

The process of forming impressions of others.

Attribution Theory

The theory that describes how individuals explain the causes of behavior and events.

Fundamental Attribution Error

The tendency to overemphasize personal characteristics and ignore situational factors in judging others' behavior.

Self-Serving Bias

The tendency to attribute positive events to one’s own character but attribute negative events to external factors.

Self-Fulfilling Prophecy

An expectation that causes individuals to act in ways that make the expectation come true.

Actor-Observer Bias

The tendency to attribute one’s own actions to external factors while attributing others' actions to internal factors.

Prejudice

A negative attitude toward a group and its members.

Stereotypes

Oversimplified beliefs about the characteristics of a group.

Discrimination

Unjustified negative behavior toward a group or its members.

Just World Phenomenon

The belief that the world is fair and people get what they deserve.

Social Identity

A person's sense of who they are based on group membership.

Ingroup

A group that an individual belongs to and identifies with.

Outgroup

A group that an individual does not belong to or identify with.

Ingroup Bias

The tendency to favor one’s own group over other groups.

Scapegoat Theory

The theory that prejudice offers an outlet for anger by providing someone to blame.

Other-Race Effect

The tendency to recognize faces of one's own race more accurately than faces of other races.

Foot in the Door Phenomenon

The tendency to agree to a larger request after agreeing to a small one.

Role

A set of expectations about a social position, defining how those in the position ought to behave.

Cognitive Dissonance Theory

The theory that we act to reduce the discomfort we feel when two of our thoughts are inconsistent.

Confirmation Bias

The tendency to search for, interpret, and remember information that confirms one's preconceptions.

Persuasion

The process of influencing someone's beliefs, attitudes, or behaviors.

Peripheral Route Persuasion

A method of persuasion that uses superficial cues to influence people.

Central Route Persuasion

A method of persuasion that uses logical arguments and factual evidence.

Norms

Rules and expectations by which a society guides the behavior of its members.

Social Contagion

The phenomenon of behaviors, emotions, and ideas spreading through a group.

Conformity

The adjustment of one's behavior or thinking to coincide with a group standard.

Normative Social Influence

Influence resulting from a person's desire to gain approval or avoid disapproval.

Informational Social Influence

Influence resulting from one's willingness to accept others' opinions about reality.

Obedience

The act of following orders or instructions from an authority figure.

Stanley Milgram

Psychologist known for his controversial experiment on obedience, which demonstrated the willingness of participants to obey authority figures.

Social Facilitation

The tendency for people to perform differently when in the presence of others than when alone.

Social Loafing

The tendency for individuals to put forth less effort when part of a group.

Deindividuation

The loss of self-awareness and self-restraint in group situations.

Group Polarization

The tendency for group members to move to an extreme position after discussing an issue.

Groupthink

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

Tight Cultures

Cultures that enforce strict social norms and discourage deviation.

Loose Cultures

Cultures that allow for more individual freedom and deviance from cultural norms.

Frustration-Aggression Principle

The principle that frustration leads to aggression.

Social Script

Culturally provided mental instructions for how to act in various situations.

Mere Exposure Effect

The phenomenon where people tend to develop a preference for things merely because they are familiar with them.

Passionate Love

An intense longing for union with another, characterized by emotional and sexual desire.

Companionate Love

The deep affectionate attachment we feel for those with whom our lives are intertwined.

Equity

A condition in which the outcomes received from a relationship are proportional to what one contributes.

Self-Disclosure

The act of revealing personal information to others.

Altruism

The unselfish concern for the welfare of others.

Bystander Effect

The tendency for a bystander to be less likely to help a victim when other people are present.

Social Exchange Theory

The theory that human interactions are transactions that aim to maximize one's rewards and minimize costs.

Reciprocity Norm

The expectation that people will respond favorably to each other by returning benefits for benefits.

Social-Responsibility Norm

The expectation that people will help those dependent on them.

Social Traps

Situations in which individuals or groups are caught in mutually destructive behavior.

Mirror-Image Perceptions

Mutual views often held by conflicting people, where each side sees itself as ethical and peaceful and the other as aggressive and evil.

Self-Fulfilling Prophecy

The tendency for one's expectations to cause those expectations to be fulfilled.

Superordinate Goals

Shared goals that override differences among people and require their cooperation.

GRIT (Graduated and Reciprocated Initiatives in Tension-Reduction)

A strategy for peace that involves both sides gradually reducing tensions.