Social Situations

Belief Perseverance

Clinging to one’s initial conceptions despite discredit

Ex: flat-earthers

Confirmation Bias

Tendency to search for information that supports our preconceptions, ignoring contradictory evidence

Cognitive Dissonance

Mental discomfort when actions/attitudes are in conflict

Ex: smoker know smoking is harmful, to reduce “dissonance” they justify by saying it’s stress relief

Foot-in-door vs Door-in-face

Foot-in-door: minor request as gateway to bigger request

Door-in-face: extreme initial request followed by moderate target request

Group polarization

Original attitude is enhanced when discussed within like-minded group

Groupthink

Desire for harmony or completion interferes with realistic answers when decision-making

Diffusion of Responsibility

Diminished sense of responsibility when in social setting

Social Loafing

People exert less energy when pooling efforts than when working individually

Deindividualisation

Loss of self-awareness and restraint in social settings that foster anonymity and arousal

Ex: drinking at a big college party when you usually wouldn’t

Bystander Effect

Tendency for any given bystander to be less likely to give aid to someone or thing if other bystanders are present. All assume others will step in.

Social Facilitation

Improved performance in the presence of others

False Consensus Effect

Tendency to overestimate how much other people agree with our opinions

Social Trap

Lose-lose situation

Ex: 2 fishermen both know that they are overfishing in shared lake, but each refuse to back down in fear of missing out (“If I don’t, someone else will”