Intro to Psych - Week 9

Ingroup

Groups to which an individual feels they belong and identify with. People tend to favor members of their ingroup.

Outgroup

Groups to which an individual does not belong. Often, people may hold negative views or biases toward outgroup members.

Stereotypes

Oversimplified and fixed beliefs about a group of people, often based on race, gender, age, or other characteristics. These can be positive or negative.

Implicit Bias

Unconscious attitudes or stereotypes that influence our perceptions, actions, and decisions without us realizing it.

Explicit Bias

Conscious beliefs and attitudes that people openly express about a group or individual.

Stereotype Threat

The risk of confirming negative stereotypes about one’s group, which can lead to anxiety and lower performance.

Locus of Control

A belief about how much control a person has over events in their life.

Internal locus: Belief that you control your own fate.

External locus: Belief that external forces (luck, fate) control your life.

Confederate

A person who is secretly working with the researcher in a psychological experiment but is pretending to be a participant.

Obedience

Following the orders or instructions of an authority figure, even if it goes against one’s own beliefs or morals.

Conformity

Adjusting one’s behavior or thinking to match a group standard.

Bystander Effect

The tendency for individuals to be less likely to help someone in need when others are present.

Diffusion of Responsibility

A phenomenon where individuals feel less personal responsibility to act when others are present, thinking someone else will help.

Deindividuation

A psychological state in which a person loses self-awareness and self-restraint in group situations, often leading to behavior they wouldn’t typically engage in alone.