Social Relationships and Group Dynamics

These flashcards cover key concepts related to social relationships and group dynamics.

Communal relationship

A close relationship where people help each other without keeping score, based on need and care.

Exchange relationship

A more distant relationship where people give and get things equally and fairly.

Social exchange theory

The theory that we stay in relationships that feel rewarding and not too costly.

Comparison level

What you think you deserve from a relationship.

Comparison level for alternatives

What you think you could get from a different relationship.

Equity theory

The theory that people like relationships where both sides give and get fairly.

Attachment theory

The theory that how we were cared for as kids affects our adult relationships.

Anxiety dimension of attachment

The tendency to worry about being left or unloved.

Avoidance dimension of attachment

The tendency to be uncomfortable with closeness and needing space.

Functional distance

How a building’s layout helps or stops people from meeting.

Mere exposure effect

The phenomenon that the more we see something or someone, the more we like it.

Complementarity

Liking people who are different from us in ways that balance out.

Halo effect

The tendency to think someone who looks good also has other good traits.

Reproductive fitness

How good someone is at passing on their genes.

Investment model of commitment

The theory that people stay in relationships if they’re happy, don’t see better options, and have invested a lot.

Stereotype

A belief about a group of people.

Prejudice

A feeling (good or bad) about someone based on their group.

Discrimination

Treating someone unfairly because of their group.

Modern racism

Hidden or subtle racism that people may not admit.

Implicit Association Test (IAT)

A test that shows hidden feelings toward certain groups.

Priming

Showing something to get someone to think a certain way.

Affect Misattribution Procedure (AMP)

A test that shows unconscious feelings by using images.

Realistic group conflict theory

The theory that groups fight when they want the same limited resources.

Ethnocentrism

The belief that your own group is better than others.

Superordinate goal

A big goal that two groups can only reach by working together.

Minimal group paradigm

The observation that people favor others in their group, even when the group is random.

Social identity theory

The theory that our self-worth comes partly from the groups we belong to.

Basking in reflected glory

Feeling proud because someone in your group did well.

Paired distinctiveness

The tendency to remember unusual things better when they happen together.

Subtyping

Saying someone is 'different' from their group to maintain a stereotype.

Outgroup homogeneity effect

The belief that people from other groups are all the same.

Own-race identification bias

The tendency to recognize faces more easily from your own race.

Stereotype threat

Worrying that you’ll confirm a negative stereotype about your group.

Contact hypothesis

The idea that spending time with people from other groups helps reduce prejudice.