Ch. 8 Psych Soc

Social Facilitation

people tend to perform better on simple tasks when in the presence of others

Deindividuation

the loss of one’s self awareness in a group setting and the associated adoption of a more group oriented identity; mob mentality

Bystander Effect

a phenomenon that occurs in social groups wherein individuals do not intervene to assist those who are in perceived need when other people are present.

Social Loafing

the tendency of individuals to reduce effort when in a group setting

Peer pressure

the social influence placed on an individual by one’s peers

Identity shift effect

changes in beliefs or behavior due to peer pressure; caused by a threat of social rejection

Cognitive dissonance

the simultaneous presence of two opposing thoughts or opinions leading to an internal state of discomfort which manifests as anxiety, fear, anger, or confusion.

Group Polarization

the tendency for groups to collaboratively make decisions that are more extreme than the individual ideas and inclinations of the members within the group

Groupthink

a social phenomenon in which desire for harmony or conformity results in a group of people coming to an incorrect or poor decision.

Illusion of invulnerability

members encourage risks, ignore possible pitfalls and are too optimistic; factor indicative of groupthink

Collective rationalization

members ignore expressed concerns about group approved ideas; factor indicative of groupthink

Illusion of morality

members believe ideas produced by the group are morally correct, disregarding evidence to the contrary; factor indicative of groupthink

Excessive stereotyping

members construct stereotypes of those expressing outside opinions; factor indicative of groupthink

Self censorship

members withhold ideas and opinions that disagree with the group; factor indicative of groupthink

Illusion of unanimity

members believe the decisions and judgements of the group to be without disagreement, even if it does exist; factor indicative of groupthink

Mindguards

some members may decide to take on a role protecting the group against opposing views; factor indicative of groupthink

Culture

the beliefs, behaviors, actions, and characteristics of a group or society of people

Assimilation

process by which an individual’s or group’s behavior and culture begin to resemble that of another group

Ethnic Enclaves

locations with a high concentration of one specific ethnicity, most common in urban areas

Multiculturalism

communities or societies containing multiple cultures or ethnic groups; celebration of coexisting cultures; a cultural mosaic

Cultural transmission

beliefs, customs, and cultural norms being passed down from one generation to another within a society

Cultural diffusion

spread of norms, customs, and beliefs from one culture to another

Primary socialization

occurs during childhood when we initially learn acceptable actions and attitudes in our society, through observation of adults in close proximity

Secondary socialization

process of learning appropriate behavior within smaller sections of the larger society; occurs outside of home and is based on learning the rules of specific social environments

Anticipatory socialization

process by which a person prepares for the future changes in occupations, living situations, or relationships

Resocialization

process by which one discards old behaviors in favor of new ones, typically through intensive retraining and can have a positive or negative connotation.

Mores

widely observed social norms

Social stigma

extreme disapproval or dislike of a person or group based on perceived differences from the rest of the society

Labeling theory

labels given to a person affect not only how others respond to that person, but also affect that person’s self image

Role engulfment

internalizing a label and assuming the role implied by the label may lead to the assumed role taking over a person’s identity

Differential association theory

intimate exposure to others who engage in deviant behavior lays the groundwork for people to engage in deviant behavior themselves

Strain theory

attempts to explain deviance as a natural reaction to the disconnect between social goals and social structure

Conformity

matching one’s attitudes, beliefs, and behaviors to group or societal norms

Internalization

changing one’s behavior to fit with a group while also privately agreeing with the ideas of the group

Identification

outward acceptance of others ideas without personally taking on these ideas

Compliance

change in behavior based on a direct request

Foot-in-the-door technique

begins with a small request, and after gaining compliance, a larger request is made

Door-in-the-face technique

a large request is made first and if refused, a second smaller request is made; second request is usually the goal of the requester

Lowball technique

the requestor will get an initial commitment from an individual and then raise the cost of the commitment

That’s-not-all technique

an individual is made an offer, but before making a decision, is told the deal is even better than expected.

Obedience

changing one’s behavior in response to a direct order or expectation expressed by an authority figure

Affective component of attitude

the way a person feels toward something; the emotional component

Behavioral component of attitude

the way a person acts with respect to something

Cognitive component of attitude

the way an individual thinks about something

Functional attitudes theory

states that there are four functional areas of attitudes that serve individuals in life: knowledge, ego expression, adaptability, and ego defense

Learning theory of attitude

states that attitudes are developed through forms of learning: direct contact, direct interaction, direct instruction, and conditioning

Elaboration likelihood model of attitude

states that attitudes are formed and changed through different routes of information processing based on the degree of elaboration

Social cognitive theory of attitude

attitudes are formed through observation of behavior, personal factors, and environment.