Social Cognition

social psychology

scientific study of how we fell about, think about, and behave toward the other people around us, and how those people influence our thoughts, feelings, and behavior

social situation

the people with whom we are interacting

social cognition

the part of human thinking that helps us understand and predict the behavior of ourselves and others

social norms

the accepted beliefs about what we do or what we should do in particular social situations

prejudice

the tendency to dislike people because of their appearance or group memberships

discrimination

negative behaviors toward others based on prejudice

self-fulfilling prophecy

when our expectations about the personality characteristics of others lead us to behave in ways that make those beliefs come true

social identity

the positive emotions that we experience as a result of our group memberships

stereotype threat

concerns about confirming the expectation that they will not do well relative to individuals who belong to stereotypically high-performing groups

close relationships

long-term intimate and romantic relationships that we develop with another person

interpersonal attraction

what makes people like, and even love, each other

self-disclosure

tendency to communicate frequently, without fear of reprisal, and in an accepting and empathetic manner

proximity

the extent to which people are physically near us

mere exposure

the tendency to prefer stimuli that we have seen more frequently

commitment

feelings and actions that keep partners working together to maintain the relationship and is characterized by mutual expectations that the self and the partner will be responsive to each other's needs

Elaine Hatfield's theory of love

though relationships begin with passionate love (physical attraction), as love progresses it turns into a compassionate love (friendship)

causal attribution

the process of trying to determine the causes of people's behavior, with the goal of learning about their personalities

dispositional attribution

the source or cause of the behavior was due to characteristics that reside within the individual

situational attribution

behavior was caused primarily by the situation

self-serving attributions

judging the causes of our own behaviors in overly positive ways

fundamental attribution error (correspondence bias)

common tendency to overestimate the role of dispositional factors and overlook the impact of situations in judging others

attitude

our relatively enduring evaluations of people and things

just-world phenomenon

the attitude that people get what they deserve

self-monitoring

the tendency to regulate behavior to meet the demands of social situation

self-perception

when we use our own behavior as a guide to help us determine our own thoughts and feelings

cognitive dissonance

discomfort we experience when we behave in ways that we see as inappropriate