Social Psychology – Liking, Loving, Helping, & Altruism

A comprehensive set of vocabulary flashcards covering key concepts from the lecture on social psychology topics of attraction, love, helping, altruism, and related phenomena.

Need for Affiliation

A basic, relatively stable motive to seek and maintain interpersonal relationships.

Affect

A person’s emotional state that includes positive and negative feelings and moods.

Positive Affect

Good moods that directly increase liking for others and make helping more likely.

Negative Affect

Bad moods that tend to decrease liking and can reduce helping unless alleviated.

Associated Affect

When feelings triggered by an unrelated stimulus become linked to a person who happens to be present.

Excitation Transfer (Arousal Misattribution)

Attributing physiological arousal from one source (e.g., exercise) to another source (e.g., attraction).

Laughter and Liking

Shared humor elevates mood and strengthens interpersonal bonds.

Proximity

Physical closeness that increases the likelihood of interaction and attraction.

Mere Exposure Effect

Repeated exposure to a neutral or positive stimulus increases liking for it.

Physical Attractiveness

Combined observable characteristics judged as beautiful or handsome and influential in attraction.

"What Is Beautiful Is Good" Stereotype

The belief that attractive people possess desirable traits such as sociability and success.

Self-Fulfilling Prophecy of Attractiveness

Treating attractive people more positively causes them to act in ways that confirm favorable expectations.

Facial Symmetry

Balanced facial proportions linked to perceptions of health and attractiveness.

Average (Composite) Faces

Computer-blended faces that appear more attractive due to familiarity and symmetry.

Matching Hypothesis

People select romantic partners whose physical attractiveness is similar to their own.

Similarity–Dissimilarity Effect

Positive responses toward similar others and negative responses toward dissimilar others.

Reciprocal Liking

Tendency to like people who express that they like us.

Sternberg’s Triangular Theory of Love

Love consists of passion, intimacy, and commitment in varying combinations.

Passionate Love

High arousal love marked by infatuation; combines passion with either intimacy or commitment.

Companionate Love

Warm, trusting, committed love characterized by intimacy and commitment without intense passion.

Consummate Love

Love that contains passion, intimacy, and commitment—the ‘complete’ form.

Romantic Love

Combination of passion and intimacy without commitment.

Fatuous Love

Combination of passion and commitment without intimacy.

Infatuation

Pure passion without intimacy or commitment.

Empty Love

Commitment without passion or intimacy.

Detachment Process

Gradual withdrawal and neglect that can lead to the end of a relationship.

Prosocial Behavior

Any action intended to benefit another person.

Altruism

Helping motivated by unselfish concern for another’s welfare, with no expected benefit to the helper.

Heroism

Courageous, risk-taking prosocial behavior aimed at a socially valued goal.

Social Apathy

Failure to help despite the ability to do so, often observed in groups.

Five Steps of Helping

Noticing, interpreting, assuming responsibility, knowing how to help, and deciding to act.

Bystander Effect

Decreased likelihood of helping as the number of bystanders increases.

Diffusion of Responsibility

Tendency for individuals to feel less personal obligation to act when others are available.

Pluralistic Ignorance

Assuming a situation is not an emergency because others appear unconcerned.

Good Samaritan Study

Darley & Batson’s experiment showing time pressure reduces helping among theology students.

Smoke-Filled Room Study

Latane & Darley experiment where group presence reduced reporting of apparent fire smoke.

Empathy

Affective and cognitive capacity to understand and share another’s emotional experience.

Altruistic Personality

Dispositional tendency marked by high empathy, social responsibility, low egocentrism, internal locus of control, and belief in a just world.

Just World Bias

Belief that people get what they deserve, which can reduce helping toward those deemed responsible for their plight.

Population Density Effect

High urban crowding can overwhelm attention and lower rates of helping.

Prosocial Models

Witnessing others help increases one’s own likelihood of helping.

Labeling Effect

Being described as helpful increases future helping behavior to maintain self-image.

Self-Awareness & Helping

Focusing attention on oneself (e.g., mirrors, direct address) heightens responsibility and aid.

Positive Mood Effect

Good feelings enhance the tendency to help.

Negative Mood Relief Hypothesis

People may help to alleviate their own mild negative emotions.

Guilt & Helping

Feelings of guilt markedly increase willingness to assist others.

Social Exchange Theory

Helping decisions are made by weighing expected rewards against costs.

Reciprocity Norm

Social rule that we should return help to those who help us.

Social Responsibility Norm

Expectation that people should help those who depend on them.

Overjustification Effect (Helping)

External rewards for a previously intrinsic act can reduce the perceived internal motivation to help.

Need for Affiliation

Desire to seek social contact and form relationships; varies between individuals.

Attachment Styles

Patterns of expectations, needs, and emotions in close relationships (secure, avoidant, ambivalent).

Excitation Transfer Bridge Study

Dutton & Aron’s experiment showing fear-induced arousal increased attraction to a confederate.

Locus of Control

Degree to which people believe they have control over life events; internal locus links to helping.

Mimicry

Automatic imitation that increases rapport and likelihood of offering help.

Self-Fulfilling Prophecy

Expectations about others cause behaviors that make those expectations come true.

Facial Expressions Universality

Six primary emotions (happiness, fear, sadness, anger, surprise, disgust) recognized across cultures.

Waist-to-Hip Ratio

Body proportion (.7 for women) associated with perceived attractiveness and fertility cues.

Contrast Effect (Attractiveness)

Rating someone as less attractive after viewing exceptionally attractive people.

Similarity Principle

Liking increases with shared attitudes, values, demographics, and appearance.

Need to Belong

Fundamental human motivation to form and maintain strong, stable interpersonal bonds.

Disclosure Reciprocity

Tendency to match self-disclosure level with a partner, fostering intimacy.

Equity in Relationships

Perception that contributions and benefits are balanced promotes satisfaction.

Self-Focused Individualism

Prioritizing personal goals over group goals; linked to higher relationship dissolution.

Volunteering

Planned helping behavior motivated by knowledge, career, social, ego, esteem, or values.

Generativity

Adult concern for guiding and contributing to future generations, often via volunteering.

Mandated Volunteering

Externally compelled service that may lack intrinsic satisfaction.

Perspective Taking

Cognitive component of empathy involving imagining another’s viewpoint.

Attachment – Secure

Comfort with intimacy and autonomy; associated with healthier relationships.

Attachment – Avoidant

Discomfort with closeness; tendency to maintain emotional distance.

Attachment – Ambivalent/Insecure

Anxiety about abandonment; desire for closeness coupled with fear of rejection.

Self-Esteem & Attractiveness

Attractiveness correlates with higher self-esteem, partly due to positive social feedback.

Height Stereotype

Perception linking taller men to leadership and masculinity.

Physique Stereotypes

Assumptions about personality traits based on body type, often inaccurate.

Contrast Effect (Helping Request)

Unusual, specific requests (e.g., 72¢) increase compliance compared to common requests.

Bystander Training

Programs teaching people to recognize emergencies and take action to reduce bystander effect.