Social Psychology: The Self and Social Attribution

Vocabulary flashcards covering core social psychology concepts such as self-concept, motivation, ego depletion, and attribution theories.

Self concept

What makes us who we are from our family and friends, consisting of our attributes and beliefs.

Independent

Relying on ourselves.

Interdependent

Balancing self reliance with healthy cooperation.

Self-enhancement motivation

Viewing ourselves in a positive light with high self esteem, often used for job interviews.

Downward social comparison

Comparing ourselves to people below us to make us feel better.

Basking in reflected glory

Associating with successful others so that their success becomes our own, such as rooting for sports teams.

Self-verification

When you want others to view yourself as you view yourself, typically used when around close friends.

Self handicapping

Creating excuses for oneself so that image can be protected if one performs poorly on a task.

High self monitor

Someone more concerned with blending in and seeking status than being one's true self, which relies on self-enhancement.

Low self monitor

Someone who acts as themselves regardless of the situation, which relies on self-verification.

Self regulation

Processes that people use to alter their behavior to pursue a goal, such as resisting short-term goals to attain long-term goals.

Ego depletion

A state where previous acts of self control drain the ability to control future behavior.

Buddy system

A method to prevent ego depletion by keeping each other accountable.

Internal attribution

Explaining behavior by the person's personality or ability.

External attribution

Explaining behavior by aspects of the situation and factors outside a person's control.

Correspondent Inference theory

A framework evaluating if behavior corresponds with a person's internal attributes based on social desirability, alignment with social rules, and whether the person had choice.

Discounting principle

Giving less weight to a specific behavior because it meets rules and was not your decision.

Augmentation principle

Giving more weight to a specific behavior because it does not meet rules and was your decision.

Covariation theory

The principle that behavior should be attributed to potential causes using consensus, consistency, and distinctiveness.

Fundamental Attribution error

The tendency for people to underestimate external causes and overestimate internal causes regarding someone's behavior, which is less common in collectivistic cultures.

Self serving bias

Attributing one's own failure to external causes instead of internal causes, allowing people to feel good about themselves.

Actor-observor bias

Attributing one's own behavior to external causes and others' behavior to internal causes.

Thin slicing

Observing a small selection of behaviors and drawing conclusions about a person.

Schema

A mental framework and automatic plan in the head that helps the brain organize and interpret information based on past experiences.

Confirmation bias

The tendency to test an idea by searching for evidence that would support it.

Self-fulfilling prophecy

The tendency for people to act in ways that bring about the very things they expect to happen.