Unit 9: Social Psychology Vocab

Social Psychology(768)

The scientific study of how we think about, Influence, and relate to one another.

Attribution Theory(768)

The theory that we explain someone’s behavior by crediting either the situation or the person’s disposition.

Fundamental Attribution Error(768)

The tendency for observers, when analyzing others’ behavior, to underestimate the impact of the situation and to over estimate the impact of personal disposition.

Attitude(770)

Feelings, often influenced by our beliefs, that predispose us to respond in a particular way to objects, people, and events.

Peripheral Route Persuasion(771)

Occurs when people are influenced by incidental cues, such as a speaker’s attractiveness.

Central Route Persuasion(771)

Occurs when interested people focus on the arguments and respond with favorable thoughts.

Foot-in-the-Door phenomenon(771)

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

Role(772)

A set of expectations (norms) about a social position, defining how those in the position ought to behave.

Cognitive Dissonance Theory(773)

The theory that we act to reduce the discomfort (dissonance) we feel when two of our thoughts (cognitions) are inconsistent.

For example, when we become aware that our attitudes and our actions clash, we can reduce the resulting dissonance by changing our attitudes.

Norms(775)

Understood rules for accepted and expected behavior.

_____ prescribe “proper” behavior.

Conformity(776)

Adjusting our behavior or thinking to coincide with a group standard.

Normative Social Influence(777)

Influence resulting from a person’s desire to gain approval or avoid disapproval.

Informational Social Influence(778)

Influence resulting from one’s willingness to accept others’ opinion about reality.

Social Facilitation(784)

Improved performance on simple or well-learned tasks in the presence of others.

Social Loafing(785)

The tendency for people to exert less effort when pooling their effort toward attaining a common goal than when individually accountable.

Deindividuation(786)

The loss of self-awareness and self-restraint occurring in group situations that foster arousal and anonymity.

Group Polarization(787)

The enhancement of a group’s prevailing inclinations through discussion within the group.

Groupthink(788)

The mode of thinking that occurs when the desire for harmony in a decision-making group overrides a realistic appraisal of alternatives.

Culture(789)

The enduring behaviors, ideas, attitudes, values, and traditions shared by a group of people and transmitted from one generation to the next.

Prejudice(792)

An unjustifiable (and usually negative) attitude toward a group and its members.

_______ generally involves stereotyped beliefs, negative feelings, and a predisposition to discriminatory action.

The thought.

Stereotype(792)

a generalized (sometimes accurate but often overgeneralized) belief about a group of people

Discrimination(792)

Unjustifiable negative behavior toward a group and its members.

The action.

Just-World Phenomenon(796)

The tendency for people to believe the world is just and that people therefore get what they deserve and deserve what they get.

ingroup(796)

“us”-people with whom we share a common identity.

outgroup(796)

“them”-those perceived as different or apart from our ingroup.

ingroup bias(796)

the tendency to favor our own group.

scapegoat theory(797)

the theory that prejudice offers an outlet for anger by providing someone to blame.

other-race effect(797)

the tendency to recall faces of one’s own race more accurately than faces of other races.

Also called the “cross-race effect” and the “own-race bias”

aggression(801)

any physical or verbal behavior intended to harm someone physically or emotionally.

frustration-aggression principal(803)

the principal that frustration- the blocking of an attempt to achieve some goal- creates anger, which can generate aggression.

social script(804)

a culturally modeled guide for how to act in various situations.

mere exposure effect(808)

the phenomenon that repeated exposure to novelstimuli increases liking of them.

passionate love(812)

an aroused state of intense positive absorption in another, usually present at the beginning of a romantic relationship,

compassionate love(813)

the deep affectionate attachment we feel for those with whom out lives are intertwined.

equity(813)

a condition in which people recive from a relationship in proportion to what they give to it.

self-disclosure(814)

the act of revealing intimate aspects of ourself to others.

altruism(816)

unselfish regard for the welfare of others.

bystander effect(817)

the tendency for any given bystander to be less likely to give aid if other bystanders are present.

social exchange theory(818)

the theory that our social behavior is an exchange process, the aim of which is to maximize benefits and minimize costs.

reciprocity norm(818)

an expectation that people will help, not hurt, those who have helped them.

social-responsibility norm(819)

an expectation that people will help those needing their help.

conflict(819)

a perceived incompatibility of actions, goals, or ideas.

social trap(819)

a situation in which the conflicting parties, by each pursuing their self-interest rather than the good of the group, become caught in mutually destructive behavior.

mirror-image perceptions(820)

mutual views often held by conflicting people, as when each side sees itself as ethical and peaceful and views the other side as evil and aggressive.

self-fulfilling prophecy(820)

a belief that leads to its own fulfillment.

superordinate goals(821)

shared goals that override differences among people and require their cooperation.

GRIT(822)

Graduated and Reciprocated Initiatives in Tension-Reduction- a strategy designed to decrease international tensions.

Philip Zimbardo(772)

Conducted the Stanford Prison Experiment. It was shut down by him 6 days later.

Leon Festinger(773)

Created the cognitive dissonance theory.

Solomon Asch(776)

Conducted the conformity test with lengths of lines.

Stanley Milgram(778)

Classmate of Zimbardo and student of Asch, conducted the obedience test with a teacher, learner and shocks.

John Darley(816)

With Latane, figured out bystander effect.

Bibb Latane(816)

With Darley, figured out bystander effect.