social psychology exam 4

conformity

a change in one’s behavior due to the real or imagined infuence of other people

informational social influence

relying on other ppl as a source of info to guide our behavior; we conform bc we believe that others’ interpretation of an ambiguous situation is correct and can help us choose an appropriate course of action

private acceptance

conforming to other ppl’s behavior out of a genuine belief that what they are doing or saying is right

public compliance

conforming to other ppl’s behavior publicly without necessarily believing in what the other ppl are doing or saying

social norms

the implicit or explicit rules a group has for the acceptable behaviors, values, and beliefs of its members

normative social influence

going along with what other ppl do in order to be liked and accepted by them; we publicly conform with the grp’s beliefs and behaviors but do not always privately accept them

social impact theory

the idea that conforming to social influence depends on the grp’s importance; immediacy, and the number of ppl in the grp

idiosyncrasy credits

the tolerance a person earns, over time, by conforming to grp norms; if enough credits are earned, the person can, on occasion, deviate from the group without retribution

minority influence

the case where a minority of grp members influences the behavior or beliefs of the majority

injunctive norms

ppl’s perceptions of what behaviors are approved or disapproved by others

descriptive norms

ppl’s perceptions of how ppl actually behave in given situations, regardless of whether the behavior is approved or disapproved of by others

foot in the door technique

social influence strategy in which getting ppl to agree first to a small request makes them more likely to agree later to a second, larger request

door in the face technique

social influence strategy in which first asking ppl for a large request that they will probably refuse makes them more likely to agree later to a second, smaller request

propaganda

a deliberate, systematic attempt to advance a cause by manipulating mass attitudes and behaviors, often thru misleading or emotionally charged info

group

two or more ppl who interact and are interdependent in the sense that their needs and goals cause them to influence eo

social roles

shared expectations in a grp abt how particular ppl are supposed to behave

group cohesiveness

qualities of a grp that bind members tog and promote liking btwn them

social facilitation

when ppl are in the presence of others and their individual performance can be evaluated, the tendency to perform better on simple tasks and worse on complex tasks

social loafing

when ppl are in the presence of others and their individual performance cannot be evaluated, the tendency to perform worse on simple or unimportant tasks but better on complex or important tasks

deindividuation

the loosening of normal constraints on behavior when ppl cant be identified (such as when they are in a crowd)

process loss

any aspect of group interaction that inhibits good problem solving

transactive memory

the combined memory of a grp that is more efficient than the memory of the individual members

groupthink

a kind of decision process in which maintaining group cohesiveness and solidarity is more important than considering the facts in a realistic manner

group polarization

the tendency for grps to make decisions that are more extreme than the initial inclinations of their members

great person theory

the idea that certain key personality traits make a person a good leader, regardless of the situation

transactional leaders

leaders who set clear, short-term goals and reward ppl who meet them

transformational leaders

leaders who inspire followers to focus on common, long term goals

contingency theory of leadership

the idea that the effectiveness of a leader depends both on how task oriented or relationship oriented the leader is and on the amt of control the leader has over the grp

task-oriented leaders

leaders who are concerned more with getting the job done than with workers’ feelings and relationships

relationship-oriented leaders

leaders who are concerned more with workers’ feelings and relationships

social dilemma

a conflict in which the most beneficial action for an individual will, if chosen by most ppl, have harmful effects on everyone

tit for tat strategy

a means of encouraging cooperation by at first acting cooperatively but then always responding the way your opponent did (cooperatively or competitively) on the previous trial

negotiation

a form of communication btwn opposing sides in a conflict in which offers and counteroffers are made and a solution occurs only when both parties agree

integrative solution

a solution to a conflict whereby the parties make trade-offs on issues, with each side conceding the most on issues that are unimportant to it but important to the other side

aggression

intentional behavior aimed at causing physical harm or psychological pain to another person

hostile aggression

aggression stemming from feelings of anger and aimed at inflicting pain or injury

instrumental aggression

aggression as a means to some goal other than causing pain

social-cognitive learning theory

the theory that ppl learn social behavior (e.g., aggression or altruism) in large part thru observation and imitation of others and by cognitive processes such as plans, expectations, and beliefs

frustration aggression theory

the theory that frustration—the perception that you are being prevented from attaining a goal—increases the probability of an aggressive response

weapons effect

the increase in aggression that can occur bc of the mere presence of a gun or other weapon

sexual scripts

sets of implicit rules that specify proper sexual behavior for a person in a given situation, varying with the person’s age, religion, social status, and peer grp

catharsis

the notion that “blowing off steam”—by behaving too aggressively or watching others do so—relieves built up anger and aggressive energy and hence reduces the likelihood of further aggressive behavior

acquisition

the process by which ppl notice and pay attention to info in their environment

storage

the process by which ppl maintain in memory info they have acquired from the environment

retrieval

the process by which ppl recall info stored in their memories

own-race bias

the tendency for ppl to be better at recognizing faces of their own race than those of other races

reconstructive memory

the process whereby memories of an event become distorted by info encountered after the event occurred

source monitoring

the process whereby ppl try to identify the source of their memories

recovered memories

recollections of a past event, such as sexual abuse, that have been forgotten or repressed

false memory syndrome

remembering a past traumatic experience that is objectively false but is nevertheless accepted by the person as true

story model

the theory that jurors try to fit the evidence they hear at trial into a coherent story, and ultimately reach a verdict that best fits the story they have created