4.3: Psychology of Social Situations

Conformity

Adjusting one's behavior or thinking to match the group standard.

Unanimity of a Group

The extent to which all members of a group agree

Group Cohesion

The sense of solidarity or loyalty individuals feel toward a group.

Obedience

Following orders or directions from an authority figure, even when it may conflict with personal beliefs.

Dissent

The act of disagreeing or holding opinions that differ from those of the group or authority.

Social Influence Theory

The idea that social influence results from the strength, immediacy, and number of people in a group affecting an individual.

Normative Influence

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

Informational Influence

Influence that occurs when people accept evidence about reality provided by others because they believe others are correct.

Elaboration Likelihood Model

A theory of persuasion that proposes two routes to persuasion.

Central Route to Persuasion

Persuasuion based on the content and quality of the arguments, leading to more lasting attitude change.

Peripheral Route to Perusasion

Persuasion based on superficial cues such as attractiveness, emotions, or status, leading to temporary attitude change.

Halo Effect

A cognitive bias where our overall impression of a person influences how we feel and think about their character.

Foot-in-the-Door Technique

A persuasion strategy involving getting a person to agree to a small request first to increase the chances they'll agree to a larger request later.

Door-in-the-Face Technique

A persuasion strategy involving making a large request that is likely to be refused, then following up with a smaller, more reasonable request.

Group Polarizaiton

The tendency for a group's prevailing attitudes to become stronger and more extreme after group discussions.

Groupthink

A phenomenon where a group prioritizes harmony and consensus over critical thinking, often leading to poor decisions.

Deindividuation

Loss of self-awareness and self-restraint occurring in group situations that foster arousal and anonymity.

Diffusion of Responsibility

The phenomenon where individuals are less likely to take action when responsibility is shared among many people.

Social Loafing

The tendency for individuals to put less effort into a task when they are working in a group compared to when they work alone.

Industrial-Organizational Psychology

The application of psychological concepts and methods to optimizing human behavior in workplaces.

Social Facilitiation

Improved performance on simple tasks when in the presence of others.

False Consensus Effect

The tendency to overestimate the extent to which others share our beliefs and behaviors.

Superordinate Goals

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

Social Traps

Situations in which pursuing self-interest leads to collective harm for everyone involved.

Altruistic Act

A selfless act intended to help others without expecting anything in return.

Social Responsibility Norm

The expectation that people should help others who depend on them, even when it consts them.

Social Reciprocity Norm

The expectation that people will help those who have helped them.

Bystander Effect

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