Psychology 2e Chapter 12

social psychology

how people affect each other, power of the situation

situationism

behaviors are determined more by situations than by personality traits

Dispositionism

holds that our behavior is determined by internal factors

internal factor

internal attribute of a person, such as personality traits or temperament

fundamental attribution error

the tendency for observers, when analyzing another's behavior, to underestimate the impact of the situation and to overestimate the impact of personal disposition

Individualistic culture

culture that focuses on individual achievement and autonomy

collectivist cultures

cultures in which the self is regarded as embedded in relationships, and harmony with one's group is prized above individual goals and wishes

actor-observer bias

the tendency to blame our actions on the situation and blame the actions of others on their personalities

attribution

the process of explaining one's own behavior and the behavior of others

self-serving bias

the tendency for people to take personal credit for success but blame failure on external factors

just-world hypothesis

the belief that people get what they deserve in life and deserve what they get

social role

the pattern of behavior that is expected of a person who is in a particular social position

social norm

a group's determination of socially acceptable behavior

script

person's knowledge/assumptions about the sequence of events in a specific setting

Zimbardo/stanford prison experiment

1971 study where students acted as guards or prisoners; showed how quickly people conform to roles and how situational power can lead to abusive behavior.

attitude

evaluation of a person, idea or object

cognitive disonance

discomfort that arises from having 2 or more inconsistent attitudes, behaviors or cognitions

justification of effort

value things that we put a lot of effort into

persuasion

process of changing our attitude toward something based on some form of communication

central route

cognitive route of persuasion based on the content and deeper aspects of an argument

peripheral route

cognitive route of persuasion that involves more superficial or secondary characteristics of an argument or an orator

foot-in-the-door technique

asking for a small commitment and, after gaining compliance, asking for a bigger commitment

confederate

a person that is aware of the experiment and works with the researcher

conformity

a change in a person's behavior to coincide more closely with a group standard

Asch effect

the influence of the group majority on an individual's judgement

normative social influence

people conform to the group norm to fit in, to feel good, and to be accepted by the group

informational social influence

people conform because they believe the group is competent and has the correct information, particularly when the task or situation is ambiguous

obedience

changing one's behavior at the command of an authority figure

groupthink

modification of the opinions of the members of the group to align with what they believe is the group consensus

group polarization

the strengthening of a group's prevailing opinion about a topic following group discussion about the topic

social loafing

a reduction in effort by individuals when they work in groups as compared to when they work by themselves

Deindividuation

group situation in which a person may feel a sense of anonymity and a resulting reduction in accountability and sense of self

prejudice

negative attitude and feeling toward an individual based on their membership in a social group

stereotype

a belief, positive or negative, about the characteristics of members of a group that is applied generally to most members of the group

discrimination

unjustifiable negative behavior toward a group and its members

racism

prejudice, discrimination, or antagonism directed against someone of a different race based on the belief that one's own race is superior.

sexism

the belief that one sex is innately superior to the other

ageism

Discrimination based on age

homophobia

dislike of or prejudice against homosexual people.

self-fulfilling prophecy

an expectation that causes you to act in ways that make that expectation come true.

confirmation bias

a tendency to search for information that supports our preconceptions and to ignore or distort contradictory evidence

in-group

a group that we identify ourselves as belonging to

out-group

any group with which an individual does not identify

in-group bias

tendency to favor individuals within our group over those from outside our group

scapegoating

Blaming an innocent person or a group for one's own troubles

aggression

physical or verbal behavior intended to hurt someone (many forms)

hostile aggression

(usually) impulsive aggression stemming from feelings of anger and aimed at inflicting pain or injury

instrumental aggression

motivated by the desire to obtain a concrete goal, doesn't necessarily involve the intent to hurt

bullying

Repeated, systematic efforts to inflict harm through physical, verbal, or social attack on a weaker person.

Cyberbullying

Bullying using technology, such as computers and mobile phones.

bystander effect

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

diffusion of responsibility

reduction in sense of responsibility often felt by individuals in a group; may be responsible for the bystander effect

prosocial behavior (altruism)

people's desire to help even if the costs outweigh the benefits

empathy

capacity to understand another person's perspective—to feel what he or she feels

homophily

tendency for people to form social networks, including friendships, marriage, business relationships, and many other types of relationships, with others who are similar

Reciprocity

give and take in relationships

self-disclosure

voluntary sharing of information about the self that another person is not likely to know

Robert Sternburg’s triangular theory of love

intimacy, passion, commitment

consummate love

complete form of love described by Sternberg’s Triangular theory of love

Companionate love

Intimacy and commitment are prominent features

romantic love

intimacy and passion are prominent features

social exchange theory

ratio of costs and benefits of forming relationships