Psych Unit 9: Social Psych

Disposition Attribution

Assigning the cause of a person's behavior to internal characteristics, such as personality traits.

Situation Attribution

Assigning the cause of a person's behavior to external factors, such as situational influences or external events.

Actor/Observer Bias

The tendency to attribute one's own actions to situational factors while attributing the actions of others to their personality traits.

Fundamental Attribution Error

The tendency to overemphasize personality-based explanations for the behaviors of others while underestimating situational influences.

Person Perception

The process of forming impressions of others based on their appearance, behavior, and other social cues.

Mere Exposure Effect

The phenomenon by which individuals tend to develop a preference for things merely because they are familiar with them.

Self-Fulfilling Prophecy

A belief or expectation that brings about the situation it envisions, often influencing others' behavior in ways that reinforce the belief.

Social Comparison

Evaluating oneself by comparing to others, with upward comparison being to those perceived as better and downward to those perceived as worse.

Relative Deprivation

The experience of being deprived of something to which one believes they are entitled, often leading to feelings of resentment or dissatisfaction.

Stereotype

A widely held but oversimplified and generalized belief or idea about a particular category of people.

Prejudice

An unfavorable or negative attitude toward a group and its members, often based on stereotypes.

Discrimination

Behaving differently, usually unfairly, toward the members of a particular group.

Implicit Attitudes

Attitudes that exist outside of conscious awareness and influence thoughts and actions involuntarily.

Just-World Phenomenon

The cognitive bias that assumes a person's actions always lead to fair and fitting consequences.

Out-Group Homogeneity Bias

The tendency to view members of an out-group as more similar to each other than they really are.

In-Group Bias

The tendency to favor one's own group over others, often leading to discriminatory behaviors.

Ethnocentrism

The belief in the superiority of one's own ethnic group or culture, typically accompanied by a disdain for other groups.

Cognitive Dissonance

The mental discomfort experienced when holding two or more conflicting beliefs, values, or attitudes.

Belief Perseverance

The tendency to maintain one's beliefs even in the face of contrary evidence.

Social Norms

The accepted behaviors within a group or society, which can dictate appropriate conduct in social situations.

Social Influence Theory

Explains how individuals change their thoughts, feelings, and behaviors in response to social influences.

Normative Social Influence

The influence of other people that leads us to conform to be liked and accepted by them.

Informational Social Influence

The influence that produces conformity when a person believes others are correct in their judgments.

Persuasion

The process of changing someone's beliefs, attitudes, or behaviors through argument, reasoning, or appealing to emotions.

Elaboration Likelihood Model

A theory suggesting there are two pathways through which persuasive messages lead to attitude change: a central route and a peripheral route.

Central Route to Persuasion

Involves being persuaded by the content of the message, requiring high effort in processing information.

Peripheral Route to Persuasion

Involves being persuaded in a manner not involving a lot of thought, often through superficial cues.

Halo Effect

The cognitive bias where the perception of one positive trait influences the perception of other traits.

Foot-in-the-Door Technique

A strategy where a small request is made first with the intent that it will be followed by a larger request.

Door-in-the-Face Technique

A strategy involving making a large request expected to be refused, followed by a smaller request.

Conformity

The tendency to align attitudes, beliefs, and behaviors with those of the group.

Obedience

Compliance with an order or request from an authority figure.

Individualism

A social pattern where individuals prioritize personal goals over those of the group.

Collectivism

A social pattern where individuals prioritize the needs and goals of the group over personal desires.

Multiculturalism

The presence of, or support for, multiple cultural traditions within a single society.

Group Polarization

The tendency for groups to make decisions that are more extreme than the initial inclinations of their members.

Groupthink

A psychological phenomenon where desire for harmony leads to irrational or suboptimal outcomes due to suppression of dissenting viewpoints.

Diffusion of Responsibility

The reduction of personal responsibility felt by individuals when part of a group.

Social Loafing

The tendency for individuals to put forth less effort when part of a group compared to working alone.

Deindividuation

A social phenomenon where individuals lose self-awareness and accountability in group situations.

Social Facilitation

The tendency for people to perform better on tasks in the presence of others compared to when alone.

False Consensus Effect

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

Superordinate Goals

Goals that require cooperation of multiple groups and can only be achieved through collaboration.

Social Traps

Situations where individuals or groups act according to self-interests, leading to negative outcomes for all involved.

Altruism

Selfless concern for the well-being of others, resulting in acts without expectation of reward.

Social Reciprocity Norm

The expectation that people will respond favorably to each other by returning benefits for benefits.

Social Responsibility Norm

The expectation that individuals will help those in need, based on societal standards.

Bystander Effect

The phenomenon where individuals are less likely to offer help to a victim when others are present.