Psycology 4.1 Study Guide

social psychology

The scientific study of how we think about, influence, & relate to one another

Person perception

How we form impressions of ourselves & others, including attributions of behavior

Dispositional attribution

The tendency to assign the case of a person’s behavior to their internal characteristics such as personality traits

Situational attribution

The act of explaining someone behavior as a result of external factors of a circumstance

Mere exposure effect

The tendency for repeated exposure to novel stimuli to increase our liking of them

Self-fulfilling prophecy

A belief that leads to its own fulfillment due to the person’s own actions

Fundamental attribution error

Tendency for observers, when analyzing others’ behavior, to underestimate the impact of the situation & to overestimate the impact of personal disposition

Actor-observer bias

Tendency for those acting in a situation to attribute their behavior to external causes, but for observers to attribute others’ behavior to internal causes; contributes to the fundamental attribution error (which focuses on our explanations for others’ behavior)

Self Serving Bias

The tendency to attribute personal success to internal traits while blaming external factors as failures.

Prejudice

An unjustifiable & usually negative attitude toward a group & its members; prejudice generally involves negative emotions, stereotyped beliefs, & a predisposition to discriminatory action

implicit vs.explicit prejudice

unconscious bias vs. implicit bias

Stereotype

Generalized (sometimes accurate but often overgeneralized) belief about a group of people

Discrimination

Unjustifiable negative behavior toward a group or its members

Just-world phenomenon

Tendency for people to believe the world is just & that people therefore get what they deserve & deserve what they get

ingroup vs. outgroup

us vs. them

Ingroup bias

The tendency to favor our own group

Scapegoat Theory

theory that prejudice provides an outlet for anger by providing someone to blame.

Other-race effect

easily recognize and remember faces or one’s own race compared to faces of other races

Attitudes

Feelings, often influenced by our beliefs, that predispose us to respond in a particular way to objects, people, & events

Foot-in-the-door phenomenon

The tendency for people who have first agreed to a small request to comply later with a larger request

Door-in-the-face phenomenon

The tendency for people who deny a large request to comply later with a smaller request

Cognitive dissonance theory

The theory that we act to reduce the discomfort (dissonance) we feel when two of our thoughts (cognitions) are inconsistent; for example, when we become aware that our attitudes & our actions clash, we can reduce the resulting dissonance by changing our attitudes

Central route persuasion

Occurs when interested people’s thinking is influenced by considering evidence & arguments

Peripheral route persuasion

Occurs when people are influenced by incidental cues, such as a speaker’s attractiveness

Norms

A society’s understood rules for accepted & expected behavior; norms prescribe “proper” behavior in individual & social situations

Conformity

Adjusting our behavior or thinking to coincide with a group standard

Factors that increase conformity

one is made to feel incompetent or insecure, the group has at least 3 people, the group is unanimous, on is made no prior commitment o any response, others in the group are observing one’s behavior

Normative social influence

Influence resulting from a person’s desire to gain approval or avoid disapproval

Informational social influence

Influence resulting from a person’s willingness to accept others’ opinions about reality

Obedience

Complying with an order or command

factors that increase obedience

person giving orders was done at hand and considered to be a legit authority figure, the authority figure was supported by a prestigious institution, the victim was in another room, there were no models for defiance

Social facilitation

In the presence of others, improved performance on simple or well-learned tasks, & worsened performance on difficult tasks

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

Deindividuation

The loss of self-awareness & self-restraint occurring in group situations that foster arousal & anonymity

Group polarization

The enhancement of a group’s prevailing inclinations through discussion with the group

Groupthink

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

Individualism vs. collectivism

personal autonomy, goals and self reliance vs. group of humans, loyalty, and collective well being our personal needs

tight vs. loose culture

a place with clearly defined and reliability imposed norms vs. a place with flexible and informal norms

Altruism

Unselfish regard for the welfare of others

Reciprocity norm

An expectation that people will help, not hurt, those who have helped them

Bystander effect

The tendency for any given bystander to be less likely to give aid if other bystanders are present; when more people share responsibility (diffusion of responsibility), we are less likely to help

diffusion of responsbility

when people share responsibility

Conflict

A perceived incompatibility of actions, goals, or ideas

Social trap

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

Mirror-image perceptions

Mutual views often held by conflicting parties, as when each side sees itself as ethical & peaceful & views the other side as evil & aggressive

Superordinate goals

Shared goals that override differences among people & require their cooperation