Chapter 10 social thinking

Interpersonal attraction — factors (memory trick)

PRSSSP → Physical attractiveness, Reciprocity, Similarity, Self-disclosure, proximity, familiarity (mere exposure)

Physical attractiveness

Increased by facial symmetry and proportions close to the golden ratio

Similarity

We are attracted to people similar in attitudes, intelligence, religion, age, and socioeconomic status

Self-disclosure

Sharing fears, goals, and thoughts and being met with empathy and nonjudgment increases attraction

Reciprocity

We like people who we believe like us

Proximity

Being physically close to someone increases attraction

Mere exposure effect

We prefer stimuli we have been exposed to more frequently — familiarity breeds liking

Aggression

Physical, verbal, or nonverbal behavior intended to cause harm or increase social dominance

Testosterone and aggression

Higher testosterone levels are linked to more aggressive behavior

Cognitive neoassociation model

Negative emotions (pain, frustration, illness) increase the likelihood of aggressive responses toward others

Secure attachment

Consistent caregiver → child explores freely, returns to caregiver as safe base; strong preference for caregiver

Avoidant attachment

Caregiver unresponsive → child shows NO preference for caregiver over strangers

Ambivalent attachment

Inconsistent caregiver → child is distressed when caregiver leaves, ambivalent when they return

Disorganized attachment

Erratic/abusive caregiver → child shows no clear behavioral pattern; may display repetitive behaviors

Social support — 5 types

Emotional (empathy), Esteem (affirm skills), Material (money/resources), Informational (useful info), Network (sense of belonging)

Monogamy

Exclusive mating with one partner

Polygyny

One male, multiple female partners

Polyandry

One female, multiple male partners

Promiscuity

Mating without exclusivity

Mate choice (intersexual selection)

Selecting a mate based on attraction and specific traits

Direct benefits (mate choice)

Material advantages, protection, or emotional support provided by a mate

Indirect benefits (mate choice)

Better survival or fitness passed to offspring

Phenotypic benefits

Observable traits that make a mate more attractive

Sensory bias

A trait evolves to match a preexisting sensory preference in the population

Fisherian/runaway selection

A trait with no survival benefit becomes increasingly exaggerated over generations via positive feedback

Indicator traits

Traits that signal overall health and fitness, increasing attractiveness

Genetic compatibility

Mate pairs with complementary genetics produce more viable offspring

Altruism

Helping behavior intended to benefit someone else at a cost to oneself

Empathy-altruism hypothesis

Feeling empathy for another person drives helping behavior regardless of personal cost

Game theory

Explains decision-making between individuals as if they are participating in a strategic game

Evolutionarily stable strategy (ESS)

A genetic strategy that, when adopted by most of a population, cannot be overtaken by any alternative strategy

Inclusive fitness

Measure of reproductive success based on number of offspring, support of offspring, and offspring's ability to support others

Social perception (social cognition)

How we form impressions about people in our social environment

Implicit personality theory

People assume certain traits, behaviors, and types of people naturally go together

Primacy effect

First impressions carry more weight than later information

Recency effect

The most recent information about a person is most influential in forming impressions

Reliance on central traits

Organizing perceptions of others around traits that personally matter to the perceiver

Halo effect

An overall positive impression of a person colors judgments of their specific traits

Just-world hypothesis

Belief that good things happen to good people and bad things to bad people

Self-serving bias

Own successes → internal causes; own failures → external causes

Self-enhancement

Focus on maintaining and boosting self-worth

Self-verification

Seeking out people who see you as you see yourself to validate your self-concept

Attribution theory

How people infer the causes of others' behavior

Dispositional (internal) attribution

Behavior attributed to the person's own traits or character

Situational (external) attribution

Behavior attributed to the surrounding context or environment

Correspondent inference theory — consistency cue

Person behaves the same way consistently over time → dispositional attribution

Correspondent inference theory — consensus cue

Most people behave the same way in that situation → situational attribution

Correspondent inference theory — distinctiveness cue

Person behaves similarly across many situations → dispositional attribution

Fundamental attribution error

Overemphasizing dispositional (internal) causes and underemphasizing situational causes when judging others

Attribute substitution

Replacing a complex judgment with a simpler heuristic answer

Stereotype

An impression based on limited, superficial information about a person or group

Paternalistic stereotype

Group viewed as inferior, dismissed, or ignored

Contemptuous stereotype

Group viewed with resentment, annoyance, or anger

Envious stereotype

Group viewed with jealousy, bitterness, and distrust

Admiration stereotype

Group viewed with pride and positive feelings

Self-fulfilling prophecy

Stereotyped expectations create conditions that confirm the stereotype

Stereotype threat

Anxiety about confirming a negative stereotype about one's own group

Prejudice

Irrational positive or negative attitude toward a group prior to any actual experience

Ethnocentrism

Judging other cultures by the values and standards of one's own culture

Cultural relativism

Studying cultures on their own terms without imposing outside judgments

Discrimination

Treating a person or group differently due to prejudicial attitudes

Individual discrimination

One person discriminating against another person or group

Institutional discrimination

An entire institution discriminating against a particular person or grou