Social Psychology & Personality without examples and mnemonics

Conformity

Changing your behavior or opinions to match a group, even if you don't fully agree

Normative Social Influence

Going along with others because you want to be accepted and liked

Social Norms

Unwritten rules that guide how people are expected to behave in different situations

Relative Deprivation

Feeling upset when you compare yourself to others who have more than you

Upward Social Comparison

Comparing yourself to people who seem better off or more successful

Downward Social Comparison

Comparing yourself to people who are worse off to feel better about yourself

Informational Social Influence

Following others because you believe they know more than you

Obedience

Following orders or commands from an authority figure

Social Facilitation

When people perform differently because others are watching

Group Polarization

When group discussions make opinions stronger or more extreme

Groupthink

When a group avoids disagreement to keep peace, leading to bad decisions

Bystander Effect

When people are less likely to help because others are present

Diffusion of Responsibility

Feeling less responsible to act because others are around

Social Loafing

Putting in less effort when working in a group than alone

Deindividuation

Losing self-awareness and control in a large group or crowd

Attribution Theory

How people explain the causes of behavior

Dispositional Attribution

Explaining behavior based on personality or character

Situational Attribution

Explaining behavior based on outside factors or situations

Explanatory Style

The way people explain good and bad events in life

Optimistic Explanatory Style

Seeing bad events as temporary and good events as lasting

Pessimistic Explanatory Style

Seeing bad events as permanent and good events as temporary

Fundamental Attribution Error

Blaming people's behavior on personality instead of situations

Actor-Observer Bias

Blaming your own behavior on situations but others' behavior on personality

Self-Serving Bias

Taking credit for success and blaming outside factors for failure

Internal Locus of Control

Believing you control your own outcomes

External Locus of Control

Believing outside forces like luck control outcomes

Altruism

Helping others without expecting anything in return

Social Responsibility Norm

Belief that people should help those who need it

Stereotype

Oversimplified belief about a group of people

Confirmation Bias

Only noticing information that supports what you already believe

Belief Perseverance

Holding onto beliefs even after they are proven wrong

Self-Fulfilling Prophecy

When expectations influence behavior and make them come true

Prejudice

Unfair negative feelings toward a group

Discrimination

Unfair actions toward a group of people

Implicit Attitudes

Hidden beliefs or feelings that affect behavior without realizing it

Just-World Phenomenon

Belief that people get what they deserve

Out-Group Homogeneity Bias

Seeing people in other groups as all the same

In-Group Bias

Favoring your own group over others

Mere Exposure Effect

Liking something more because you see it often

Ethnocentrism

Believing your culture is better than others

Collectivism

Putting the group's goals before personal goals

Multiculturalism

Accepting and valuing many cultures

Superordinate Goals

Shared goals that bring different groups together

Social Traps

Situations where short-term benefits cause long-term problems

Persuasion

Using communication to change attitudes or behaviors

Elaboration Likelihood Model

Theory that explains two ways people are persuaded

Central Route of Persuasion

Being persuaded by facts and logical arguments

Peripheral Route of Persuasion

Being persuaded by emotions or surface features

Halo Effect

When one positive trait makes someone seem good overall

Foot-in-the-Door Technique

Getting someone to agree to a big request after a small one

Door-in-the-Face Technique

Starting with a big request then asking a smaller one

False Consensus Effect

Thinking most people agree with you

Cognitive Dissonance

Feeling uncomfortable when beliefs and actions don't match

Industrial-Organizational Psychologists

Psychologists who study and improve workplaces