Unit 4 - Psychology of Social Situations (2)

Individualists

more emphasis on independent self. Self defined by personal values, personal goals, and personal attitudes

Collectivists

more emphasis on collective self. Self defined by connections with family and friends with the goals of the group having higher priority than individual goals

Multiculturalism

the quality or condition of a society in which different ethnic and cultural groups have equal status and access to power but each maintains its own identity, characteristics, and mores

Group Polarization

the enhancement of a group's prevailing inclinations through discussion within the group

• ex: political rallies tend to strengthen people's views because of group polarization

Group Think

the mode of thinking that occurs when the desire for harmony in a decision-making group overrides a realistic appraisal of alternatives

• ex: during debates, many people will agree to disagree to avoid conflict

Diffusion of responsibility

a phenomenon whereby a person is less likely to take responsibility for action or inaction when other bystanders or witnesses are present

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

• more common in Individualistic cultures

Social Striving

individuals contribute more effort as members of a group.

• more common in Collectivist Cultures

Deindividuation

the loss of self-awareness and self-restraint occurring in group situations that foster arousal and anonymity

• deindividuation is very common during sporting events

Social Facilitation

improved performance on simple or well learned tasks in the presence of others

• because of social facilitation, I'm even better at doing this activity around others

Social Interference

performance decreases on difficult or unfamiliar tasks in the presence of others

• ex: the pressure of an audience can negatively affect poorly prepared actors and dancers

False Consensus Effect

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

Superordinate Goals

shared goals that can only be achieved through cooperation

Social Trap

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

Social Inhibition

when a person restrains or alters their behavior when around others in a social setting for fear of being judged, or facing the disapproval of others

• in many cases social inhibition is a normal and proper social behavior however too much or too little can be a detrimental characteristic and/or problematic

Mirror-Image Perceptions

mutual views often held by people, as when each side sees itself as ethical and peaceful and views the other side as evil and aggressive

Prosocial behavior

refers to any action that benefits other people

Altruism

unselfish concern for the welfare of others

• ex: saving someone's life despite having to risk your own

Social Responsibility Norm

largely learned, it is a norm that tells us to help others when they need us even though they may not repay us

Diffusion of Responsibility

the effect the presence of others has on our decision to help

Bystander effect

the idea that people are less likely to help if others are around, because we assume that someone else will help instead

Burnout

a state of physical, emotional, and mental exhaustion created by long-term exposure to a stressful situation (e.g., a demanding job) and accompanied by lowered performance and motivation

Social debt

when people act in a prosocial way because they have been helped by others in the past (paying it forward) or by feeling responsible for the common good of society (doing my part)

Situational variables

factors in a particular context that can impact an individual's likelihood of helping another person

Attentional variables

elements of attention that can impact an individual's likelihood of helping another person

Elaboration likelihood model

analyzes the variables that cause long-term and short-term attitude changes to understand the effectiveness of persuasive messaging