Social Psych

Stereotypes

Beliefs that associate a whole group of people with certain traits or characteristics.

Prejudice

Negative feelings toward others because of their membership in certain groups.

Discrimination

Behavior directed against persons because of their membership in a certain group.

Categorization

A natural and necessary process to organize and understand information by linking similar things together.

Social Categorization

The classification of people into groups based on basis of common attributes which influences basic perception.

Ingroups

Groups to which we feel a sense of membership, belonging, and identity.

Outgroups

Groups we don’t feel a sense of belonging, membership and identification with.

Outgroup Homogeneity Effect

The tendency to overestimate the differences between groups and underestimate the differences within groups.

Illusory Correlations

The tendency for people to overestimate the link between variables that are only slightly or not at all correlated.

Fundamental Attribution Error

Underestimating the influence of discriminatory situations on behavior of individuals.

Confirmation Bias

The tendency to interpret, seek, and create information that confirms expectations.

Subtyping

Creating an 'exception' category to maintain stereotypes when encountering stereotype-disconfirming information.

Automatic Activation

Triggered by observing stimuli associated with stereotyped groups.

Motivated Activation

Rooted in goals and needs.

Cognitive Busyness

A circumstance that interferes with stereotype activation due to a lack of working memory space.

Motivation to Control Prejudice

The desire to avoid acting prejudiced because of values and concern that others will see them as prejudiced.

Need for Cognition

Desire to think carefully about others.

Causal Uncertainty

Need to accurately understand the world.

Need for Closure

Need for structure and dislike for ambiguity.

Intergroup Conflict

Negative experiences with outgroup members leading to prejudice and stereotyping.

Superordinate Goals

Shared goals that can be achieved through cooperation.

Relative Deprivation

Feelings of discontent aroused by the belief that one fares poorly compared to others.

Bookkeeping Model

The stereotype is adjusted based on small pieces of disconfirming evidence and change occurs slowly.

Conversion Model

People 'see the light' based on undeniably contradictory evidence.

Subtyping Model

When a discrepant case is encountered, a special category is created, and beliefs about superordinate group remain intact.

Contact Hypothesis

Reduced prejudice with contact under ideal conditions.

Attitude

A positive, negative, or mixed reaction to a person, object, or idea.

Attitude scale

A multiple-item questionnaire designed to measure a person’s attitude toward some object.

Social desirability

The inclination to present yourself in ways that will be viewed favorably by others.

Bogus pipeline

A phony lie-detector device used to encourage truthful answers to sensitive questions.

When do Attitudes predict behavior?

Attitudes most clearly predict behavior when there is high correspondence between attitude measures and the behavior, decisions are made deliberately and the attitudes are strongly held

Persuasion

The process by which our attitudes are changed.

Central route to persuasion

Thinking carefully about the content of a message; being influenced by the strength and quality of the message.

Peripheral route to persuasion

Not thinking critically about the contents of a message; being influenced by superficial cues.

What are the two characteristics of a credible source?

Competence or expertise and trustworthiness

What two factors influence a source's likability?

Similarity between the source and audience and physical attractiveness

Sleeper effect

A delayed increase in the persuasive impact of a noncredible source.

Discounting cue hypothesis

People immediately discount arguments from non-credible communicators, but over time, dissociate what was said from who said it.

Subliminal messages

Messages that are outside of conscious awareness.

Primacy effect

Message given first has greater impact.

Recency effect

Message given last has greater impact

Cognitive dissonance theory

Inconsistent cognitions arouse psychological tension that people are motivated to reduce.

Self-Perception Theory

Inferring our attitudes from observing our behavior

Impression Management Theory

Motivated to appear consistent; changing attitudes and behaviors to be consistent publically.

Self-Affirmation Theory

Dissonance situations create a threat to the self; striving to repair threat through positive acts.