Psych chapter 13

actor–observer bias, 504

actors favour external attributions for their behaviour, whereas observers are more likely to explain the same behaviour with internal attributions 

attitudes, 512

 are positive or nega- tive evaluations of objects of thought.

attributions, 502

are inferences that people draw about the causes of events, others’ behaviour, and their own behaviour.

bystander effect, 526

people are less likely to pro- vide needed help when they are in groups than when they are alone.

channel, 515

is the medium through which the message is sent.

cognitive dissonance, 519

exists when related cognitions are inconsistent— that is, when they contradict each other.

collectivism, 505

involves putting group goals ahead of personal goals and defining one’s identity in terms of the groups one belongs to (such as one’s family, tribe, work group, social class, and caste).

commitment, 507

is an intent to maintain a relationship in spite of the difficulties and costs that may arise.

companionate love, 507

is warm, trusting, tolerant affection for another whose life is deeply intertwined with one’s own.

conformity, 520

occurs when people yield to real or imagined social pres- sure. 

defensive attribution, 504

is the tendency to blame victims for their misfortunes, so that one feels less likely to be victimized in a similar way. 

discrimination, 533

which involves behaving differently, usually unfairly, toward the members of a group.

door-in-the-face effect, 537

occurs when people are presented with a very large request, turn it down, but then comply to a more moderate request

ethnocentrism, 535

a tendency to view one’s own group as superior to others and as the standard for judging the worth of foreign ways.

explicit attitudes , 513

are attitudes that we hold consciously and can readily describe.

external attributions, 502

ascribe the causes of behaviour to situational demands and environ- mental constraints. 

foot-in-the-door technique, 537

involves getting people to agree to a small request to increase the chances that they will agree to a larger request later.

fundamental attribution error, 503

which refers to observers’ bias in favour of internal attributions in explaining others’ behaviour. 

group, 525

consists of two or more individuals who interact and are interdependent. 

group cohesiveness, 528

refers to the strength of the liking relationships linking group members to each other and to the group itself. M

group polarization, 527

occurs when group dis- cussion strengthens a group’s dominant point of view and produces a shift toward a more extreme decision in that direction

groupthink, 528

occurs when members of a cohesive group emphasize concurrence at the expense of critical thinking in arriving at a decision.

implicit attitudes, 513

are covert attitudes that are expressed in subtle automatic responses over which we have little conscious control

individualism, 505

involves putting personal goals ahead of group goals and defining one’s identity in terms of personal attri- butes rather than group memberships.

informational influence, 522

operates when people look to others for guidance about how to behave in ambiguous situ- ations.

ingroup, 501

a group that one belongs to and identifies with

internal attributions, 502

ascribe the causes of behaviour to personal dispositions, traits, abilities, and feelings.

interpersonal attraction, 505

refers to positive feelings toward another.

intimacy, 507

refers to warmth, closeness, and sharing in a rela- tionship.

lowball technique, 537

involves getting someone to commit to an attractive proposition before its hidden costs are revealed.

matching hypothesis, 506

proposes that males and females of approximately equal physical attractive- ness are likely to select each other as partners.

mate choice copying, 506

their sexual pref- erences are influenced by the choices that others have made

mate poaching , 506

or lure the person in question away from their current partner.

mere exposure effect, 516

is the finding that repeated exposures to a stimulus promotes greater liking of the stimulus.

message, 515

is the infor- mation transmitted by the source,

normative influence, 522

operates when people conform to social norms for fear of negative social consequences.

obedience, 522

is a form of compliance that occurs when people follow direct commands, usually from someone in a position of authority.

outgroup, 501

a group that one does not belong to or identify with.

passionate love, 507

is a complete absorption in another that includes tender sexual feelings and the agony and ecstasy of intense emotion.

person perception, 498

the process of forming impressions of others.

prejudice, 532

is a negative attitude held toward members of a group.

receiver, 515

the person to whom the message is sent.

reciprocity, 507

involves liking those who show that they like us. 

reciprocity norm, 537

the rule that we should pay back in kind what we receive from others. 

self-schema, 499

is an integrated set of memories, beliefs, and generalizations about one’s behaviour in a given domain

self-serving bias, 504

is the tendency to attribute one’s successes to personal factors and one’s failures to situational factors.

social loafing, 526

is a reduction in effort by individuals when they work in groups as com- pared to when they work by themselves. 

social neuroscience, 529

is an approach to research and theory in social psy- chology that “integrates models of neuroscience and social psychology to study the mechanisms of social behaviour” 

Social psychology 497

is the branch of psychology concerned with the way individuals’ thoughts, feelings, and behaviours are influenced by others.

social role, 524

are widely shared expectations about how people in certain positions are supposed to behave.

social schemas, 499

are organized clusters of ideas about categories of social events and people.

source, 515

is the person who sends a communication,

stereotypes, 500

are widely held beliefs that people have certain characteristics because of their membership in a particular group.