SOCIAL PSYCHOLOGY EXAMPLES

Fundamental Attribution Error

people are assuming you are late b/c you are lazy not b/c you had a car accident

Pessimistic

(you did bad on a test) its all my fault bc in stupid (internally), this will affect me and last forever (stable), and i won’t be able to do anything ever again (global)

Optimistic

you did bad on a test) it was because of the environment i did bad (external), this will only bring my grade down for a little bit (temporary), this is just one test (specific)

Situational attribution

she did bad on the test bc the test was hard not bc she didn’t study

Mere exposure effect

when that annoying girl in my class becomes less annoying

Self fulfilling prophecy

low confidence leads to poor performance, relationship insecurity causes distrust

Dispositional attribution

Assuming a late employee is “lazy” (not stuck in traffic), assuming a quiet person is “shy” (not just tired)

Actor observer bias

You say, “I was late because of traffic,” but when someone else is late, you think, “They’re careless.”

Mirror-image perception

During conflicts, each side views itself as peaceful and the other as aggressive, fueling ongoing hostility

in-group bias

Fans of a sports team believe their team is superior and look down on rival fans

Stereotype

Believing all elderly people are bad drivers

Cognitive dissonance

A smoker who knows smoking is harmful but continues smoking may convince themselves “it’s not that bad” to reduce discomfort

Prejudice

Feeling distrust or dislike toward a racial or ethnic group without personal experience

Scapegoat theory

During economic hardship, blaming immigrants for job shortages

Discrimination

Refusing to hire someone because of their gender or ethnicity

Just-world phenomenon

Assuming a homeless person is lazy and deserves their situation

Role playing and attitudes

In the Stanford Prison Experiment, students assigned as guards began to adopt aggressive attitudes

Implicit attitudes

Unconscious negative feelings toward a group revealed by reaction

Other race effect

the tendency to better recognize faces of one’s own race compared to others

Social Facilitation

Doing better on simple or well learned tasks when others are around

Peripheral Route Persuasion

Buying a product because the celebrity endorsing it is attractive, not because of product quality

Central Route to Persuasion

Changing your opinion about climate change after reading detailed scientific evidence

Reciprocity Norm

You receive a gift and feel compelled to give one back

Foot-in-the-Door Phenomenon

Agreeing to put a small sign in your window, then later agreeing to a large billboard

Door-in-the-Face Technique

Asking for a $1,000 donation (refused), then asking for $50, which is accepted

Conformity

In Asch’s experiment, participants agreed with incorrect group answers just to fit in

Deindividuation

People in large crowds at a concert may act more wildly than they would alone.

Bystander Effect

Witnesses to an emergency don’t help because each assumes someone else will.

Social Loafing

Group project members put in less effort than when working individually

Groupthink

A board makes a risky decision without critical evaluation to maintain harmony

Group Polarization

After discussing politics, a group’s opinions become more extreme

Social Exchange Theory

Helping a friend because you expect they will help you in return

Biopsychosocial Approach

Understanding depression by looking at brain chemistry (bio), thought patterns (psycho), and social support (social)