Social Psychology Study Guide (Chapters 1–4, 6)

A comprehensive vocabulary flashcard set covering key terms, experimental studies, and theoretical concepts from Chapters 1–4 and 6 of David G. Myers & Jean M. Twenge's Social Psychology.

Social psychology

The scientific study of how people think about, influence, and relate to one another.

Independent variable

The variable in an experiment that the researcher changes or manipulates.

Dependent variable

The variable in an experiment that is measured to see the outcome.

Random assignment

An experimental technique that helps create comparable groups by giving participants an equal chance of being placed in any condition.

Self-concept

Our beliefs about who we are, including traits, abilities, roles, relationships, and group memberships.

Self-schema

A mental framework about ourselves that influences what information we notice and remember.

Spotlight effect

The tendency to overestimate how much other people notice us.

Self-esteem

Our overall evaluation of ourselves.

Self-serving bias

Taking credit for successes while often attributing failures to outside factors.

Self-handicapping

Creating obstacles or excuses that protect self-image if performance is poor.

Self-presentation

Efforts to present ourselves to others in particular ways.

Social cognition

How we think about and interpret our social world.

Schema

A mental framework that organizes and interprets information.

Heuristics

Mental shortcuts that help us make judgments quickly but can lead to errors.

Availability heuristic

Judging likelihood by how easily examples come to mind.

Representativeness heuristic

Judging something by how closely it resembles a typical example.

Confirmation bias

Looking for or emphasizing information that supports what we already believe.

Fundamental attribution error

Overestimating personal/dispositional causes and underestimating situational causes when explaining others' behavior.

Self-fulfilling prophecy

A process where expectations influence behavior in ways that help make the expectations come true.

Overconfidence

Having more confidence in a judgment than the evidence warrants.

Attitude

A favorable or unfavorable evaluation of a person, object, idea, group, or behavior.

Foot-in-the-door phenomenon

The tendency for people who have first agreed to a small request to comply later with a larger request.

Role-playing

Acting in a specified role, which can sometimes influence attitudes to become more consistent with the behavior.

Cognitive dissonance

Psychological discomfort caused by inconsistency among attitudes, beliefs, and behavior.

Conformity

Changing behavior or thinking because of real or imagined group pressure.

Informational social influence

Conforming because we believe other people have information we do not have.

Normative social influence

Conforming because we want acceptance, approval, or to avoid rejection.

Sherif's autokinetic experiment

A landmark study showing that people can develop shared group norms when faced with an ambiguous situation.

Asch's conformity experiment

A classic study demonstrating that people may conform to an obviously incorrect group answer due to social pressure.

Milgram's obedience experiment

A famous study showing how authority and situational pressures can lead people to continue behavior they may otherwise resist.

Obedience

Changing behavior because of a direct command from an authority figure.

Reactance

The desire to protect one's freedom when it feels threatened.

Individualism

A cultural pattern that emphasizes independence and personal goals.

Collectivism

A cultural pattern that emphasizes group goals, relationships, harmony, and interdependence.