Social Psychology Final Exam Key Terms

Informational Conformity

When people look to others for guidance because they believe others know more about the situation.

Normative Conformity

When people change their behavior to fit in and be liked or accepted by others.

Social Norms

Shared expectations about how people should behave in a group.

Social Impact Theory

The idea that group influence depends on its size, closeness, and importance.

Minority Influence

When a small group changes the opinions or behavior of a larger group by being consistent and confident.

Injunctive Norms

Beliefs about what people approve of and think is right.

Descriptive Norms

Beliefs about what people are actually doing in a situation.

Obedience

Following orders from someone who has authority.

Self-Justification

Explaining and defending one's own behavior to reduce guilt or discomfort.

Prestige

Influence based on respect for someone who seems skilled or admired.

Synchrony

When people's movements, body responses, or brain activity line up with others.

Simple Contagion

An idea or behavior that spreads after one contact.

Complex Contagion

An idea or behavior that spreads after repeated exposure from multiple people.

Tipping Points

The moment when enough people adopt a behavior that it suddenly becomes widespread.

Normative Tightness

When a culture has strict social rules.

Normative Looseness

When a culture has flexible social rules.

Social Roles

Shared rules about how someone in a certain position should act.

Group Cohesiveness

How connected and committed people feel toward their group.

Group Diversity

Differences among group members in background, skills, or perspectives.

Social Facilitation

When being watched changes performance, helping with easy tasks and hurting hard ones.

Social Loafing

Putting in less effort when working in a group than when working alone.

Deindividuation

Losing self-awareness and acting differently when in a group or anonymous.

Wisdom of the Crowds

When large groups make more accurate decisions than individuals.

Process Loss

When a group performs worse than its members would on their own because of poor coordination.

Transactive Memory

A shared system where group members divide knowledge and rely on each other's expertise.

Groupthink

When a group wants agreement so badly that it makes poor decisions.

Group Polarization

When group discussion leads people to adopt more extreme views.

Risky Shift

When groups take riskier decisions than individuals normally would.

Cultural Evolution

How ideas and behaviors change over time as people learn from each other.

Partially-Connected Groups

Groups where not everyone is linked, causing information to spread unevenly.

Echo Chambers

Groups where people mostly hear from others with the same views.

Homophily

Liking, trusting, and connecting with people who are similar to you.

Acrophily

Tendency to be drawn toward more extreme opinions or more extreme versions of the views you already hold.

Misinformation

False or misleading information that spreads through social networks.

Applied Research

Research done to solve real-world problems.

Psychological Distance

How far away a problem feels in time, space, social connection, or certainty.

Learned Helplessness

Feeling powerless after repeated failures, leading to giving up. Pluralistic

Ignorance

When people wrongly think others do not care about an issue, so they stay silent.

Dynamic Norms

Messages showing how people's behavior is changing over time. Negative

Spillover

When doing one helpful action makes someone less likely to do another later.

Affective Forecasting

Predicting how you will feel in the future, often incorrectly.

Psychological Richness

A version of the good life focused on interesting and varied experiences.

Happiness

A version of the good life focused on comfort, pleasure, and low stress.

Meaning

A version of the good life focused on purpose, fulfillment, and connection.

Ideal Affect

The emotional state a person wants to feel.

Emotion Contagion Susceptibility

How easily you catch and match other people's emotions.

Maximizing

Wanting the best possible option when making choices.

Satisficing

Choosing an option that is "good enough" instead of the absolute best.

Rumination

Repeating the same negative thoughts over and over.