Social psychology

Attribution theory

suggests how we explain someone's behavior—by crediting either the situation or the person's disposition.

Fundamental attribution error

the tendency for observers, when analyzing another's behavior, to underestimate the impact of the situation and to overestimate the impact of personal disposition

Attitude

feelings, often based on our beliefs, that predispose 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

Cognitive dissonance theory

the theory that we act to reduce the discomfort (dissonance) we feel when two of our thoughts (cognitions) are inconsistent. For example, when our awareness of our attitudes and of our actions clash, we can reduce the resulting dissonance by changing our attitudes

Conformity

Adjusting 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

Social facilitation

stronger responses on simple or well-learned tasks in the presence of others

Social loafing

the tendency for people in a group to exert less effort when pooling their efforts toward attaining a common goal than when individually accountable

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

Prejudice

an unjustifiable (and usually negative) attitude toward a group and its members. Prejudice generally involves stereotyped beliefs, negative feelings, and a predisposition to discriminatory action.

Stereotype

a generalized (sometimes accurate but often overgeneralized) belief about a group of people

Discrimination

unjustifiable negative behavior toward a group and its members

Ingroup

"Us" - people with whom one shares a common identity

Outgroup

"them" - those perceived as different or apart from our ingroup

Ingroup bias

the tendency to favor one's own group

Scapegoat theory

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

Just-world phenomenom

the tendency for people to believe the world is just and that people therefore get what they deserve and deserve what they get

Aggression

any physical or verbal behavior intended to hurt or destroy

Frustration-aggression principle

the principle that frustration- the blocking of an attempt to achieve some goal- creates anger which can generate aggression

Conflict

a perceived incompatibility of actions, goals, or ideas

Social trap

a situation in which the conflicting parties, by each rationally pursuing their self-interest, become caught in mutually destructive behavior

Mere exposure effect

the phenomenon that repeated exposure to novel stimuli increases liking of them

Passion love

an aroused state of intense positive absorption in another, usually present at the beginning of a love relationship

Compassionate love

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

Equity

a condition in which people receive from a relationship in proportion to what they give to it

Self-disclosure

revealing intimate aspects of oneself to others

Altruism

unselfish regard for the welfare of others

Bystander effect

the tendency for any given bystander to be less likely to give aid if other bystanders are present

Social exchange theory

the theory that our social behavior is an exchange process, the aim of which is to maximize benefits and minimize costs

Reciprocity theory (norm)

an expectation that people will help, not hurt, those who have helped them

Social-responsibility norm

an expectation that people will help those dependent upon them

Superordinate goals

shared goals that override differences among people and require their cooperation

GRIT

Graduated and Reciprocated Initiatives in Tension-Reduction - a strategy designed to decrease international tensions

Social inhibition

The tendency to perform complex or difficult tasks more poorly in the presence of others

Other race effect

the tendency to recall faces of one's own race more accurately than faces of other races

Ethnocentrism

Belief in the superiority of one's nation or ethnic group.

Frustration Aggression Principle

the principle that frustration creates anger, which can generate aggression

Central Route Persuasion

attitude change path in which interested people focus on the arguments and respond with favorable thoughts

Halo effect

the tendency to draw a general impression about an individual on the basis of a single characteristic

Compliance

Conforming to a request or demand

Reciprocity of Liking Effect

a tendency to like those who like us

Diffusion of Responsibility

reduction in feelings of personal responsibility in the presence of others

Peripheral Route Persuasion

attitude change path in which people are influenced by incidental cues, such as a speaker's attractiveness

Dehumanization of the Victim

when a person obeying orders to harm a person thinks of the victim as an object rather than a person, interfering feelings of guilt are reduced or eliminated

Social Responsibility Norm

an expectation that people will help those needing their help

Phillip Zimbardo

social psychology; Stanford Prison Study; college students were randomly assigned to roles of prisoners or guards in a study that looked at who social situations influence behavior; showed that peoples' behavior depends to a large extent on the roles they are asked to play

Soloman Asch

I am a social psychologist that studied conformity through my famous line experiment

Stanley Milgram

obedience to authority; had participants administer what they believed were dangerous electrical shocks to other participants; wanted to see if Germans were an aberration or if all people were capable of committing evil actions

Norman Triplett

first official social psychology experiment on social facilitation; cyclists performed better when paced by others

Situational attribution

the process of assigning the cause of behavior to external factors or situations.

Dispositional attribution

the process of assigning the cause of behavior to internal characteristics or dispositions of the person.

Expert effect

the phenomenon where an individual's performance improves in the presence of others who are skilled or knowledgeable in the same area.