Social Unit Psych

Dispositional attributions

Tendency to explain behaviors based off of characteristics. Ex: shes angry because shes a mean person

Situational attributions

Tendency to explain behaviors based off environmental factors. Ex: Maybe she had a bad day

Fundamental attribution error

Overemphasizing or underemphasizing behaviors. Ex: assuming a driver cut you off cause he’s a jerk

Foot-in-the-door phenomenon

Tactic where securing an agreement to a small request leads to securing an agreement to a larger request

door-in-the-face phenomenon

Tactic where a person makes a super large request with the hopes of rejection in order to achieve the smaller request

Cognitive dissonance

a mental discomfort where a person's beliefs conflict with their actions. Ex: smoking is bad but still doing it

When is obedience the highest?

When the authority figure is present in the room

Social facilitation

The presence of others enhances your ability on simple tasks, and hurts your ability on complex tasks

Social Loafing

Tendency to put in less work when you are in a group

Deindividuation

When individuals in a crowd lose their personal identity and self awareness

Bystander intervention

Notice, Interpret, assume responsibility, method, action

Attribution Theory

Explains how people interpret the causes of behavior by seeing it as either an external action or internal.

Normative social influence

Social pressure where they adopt everyday group norms in order to be liked. Ex: wear same style of clothes

Informational social influence

Following others because you believe that they know what is right better than you do

Group polarization

When being surrounded with like minded individuals causes your opinion to shift even more extreme

Groupthink

When no one has the guts to say anything and you are left with an irrational result. No one wants to disagree with the group

Norms

Unwritten shared rules that guide behavior within a group

Scapegoat theory

When someone directs their own frustrations at someone who is vulnerable

Just-World Phenomenon

Belief that people get what they deserve and evil actions are punished

Mere exposure effect

When you develop a preference for something just because it is familiar

Bystander effect

When individuals are less likely to offer help because there are others around. (Emergencies)

Social exchange theory

When people try to balance and maximize rewards and minimize costs

Reciprocity norm

The desire of people to return the favor and return gifts received from others

Superordinate goals

The goal is unattainable without mutual effort, so group work is required

Diffusion of responsibility

Less likely to take action because you assume someone else will (Non-emergencies)

Ingroup

Social group where an individual feels loyalty towards that group

Outgroup

When an individual feels like a foreigner towards a group

Social psychologist

Scientist who studies how thoughts and feelings are influenced by the presence of others

Self-serving bias

When an individual attributes success to internal factors, but failure with external factors. Ex: we won because of me, we lost because of my teammates

Self-Disclosure

Voluntary sharing of personal information with someone else

Self-fulfilling prophecy

When an initially false belief leads to behaviors that cause the expectation to be true. Ex: think the party will be boring, act shy, the party ends up being boring

Belief perseverance

When an individual holds on to their beliefs despite evidence that contradicts it

Conformity

The act of matching attitudes with a group to fit in

Obedience

When someone complies with orders from a perceived authoritarian figure

Prejudice

When someone feels hate or resentment towards a group

Discrimination

When a person acts out on their hate for a group by excluding