chapter 16 social thinking and social influence

social psychology

study of how individuals think and behave in social situation

culture

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

ingroup

a group which a person identifies

outgroup

a group which a person does not identify

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

norm

a widely accepted but often unspoken standard of conduct for appropriate behaviour

social role

expected behaviour patterns associated with particular social positions

ex. student

role conflict

trying to occupy two or more roles that make conflicting demands on behaviour

social status

the degree of prestige, admaration, and respect accorded to a member of a group

social power

the degree to which a group member can control after, or influence the behaviour of another group member

social cognition

the process of thinking about ourselves and others in a social context

social comparison

making judgements 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 in some dimension

attribution

the act of assigning cause to behaviour

situational demands

unstated expectations that define desirable or appropriate behaviour in various settings and social situations

fundamental attribution error

tendency to attribute behaviours to internal causes without regard to situational influences

actor-observer bias

the tendency to attribute the behaviour of others to internal causes while attributing ones own behaviour to external causes (situations and circumstances)

self-handicapping

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

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

cognitive dissonance

psychological state of having related ideas or perceptions that are inconsistent

social influence

changes in a persons behaviour induced by the presence or actions of others

social facilitation

tendency to perform better when in the presence of others

social interference

tendency to perform more poorly when in the presence of others

mere presence

the tendency for people to change their behaviour just because of the pressure of other people

social loafing

exerting less effort when performing a specific task with a group than when alone

conformity

matching behaviour and appearance to perceived social norms

group sanctions

rewards and punishments (approval or disapproval) administered by groups to enforce conformity among members

group think

flawed decision-making in which a collection of individuals favors conformity over critical analysis

compliance

bending to the requests of a person who has little or no authority or other form of social power

persuasion

a deliberate attempt to change beliefs or behaviour with information and arguments

foot-in-the-door effect

the tendency for a person who has first complied with a small request to be more likely later to fulfill a larger request

door-in-the-face effect

tendency for a person who has refused a major request to subsequently be more likely to comply with a minor request

lowball technique

a strategy in which commitment is gained first to reasonable or desirable terms, which are then made less reasonable or desirable

obedience

compliance with a request from another authority figure

coercion

being forced to change your beliefs or your behaviour against your will

brainwashing

engineered or forced attitude change involving a captive audience

cult

group that professes great devotion to some person and follows that person almost without question; cult members are typically victimized by their leaders in various ways

self-assertion

direct, honest expression of feelings and desires