Psych Ch. 13- Social Psychology

Social psychology

Social psychology

Explains how thoughts, feelings, and behaviors are influenced by others

Social cognition

Focuses on the role of cognitive processes in social interactions

Person perception

Refers to the mental processes used to perceive the personality characteristics of others

Embodied cognition

States that bodily sensations influence person perception

Heuristics

Mental shortcuts that simplify decision-making by relying on core human abilities and simple computations

Availability heuristic

Making decisions based on easily recalled information, which may not always be accurate

Social categorization

Grouping people or things based on specific characteristics like age, race, or gender

Implicit personality theory

Assumptions about the relationship between personality traits and their influence on behavior

Attribution theory

Understanding others' behavior by attributing it to internal dispositions or external situations

Disposition attribution

Attributing behavior to personality traits or personal characteristics

Situational attribution

Attributing behavior to external factors like the environment

Fundamental attribution error

Tendency to attribute others' behavior to dispositional rather than situational factors

Actor observer bias

Tendency for attributions to change based on whether one is the actor or observer in a situation

Self-serving bias

Tendency to attribute successes to oneself and failures to external events

Attitude

Evaluative belief or opinion about something

Explicit attitudes

Conscious beliefs or opinions that can be reported to others

Implicit attitudes

Involuntary beliefs that can influence actions automatically

Theory of planned behavior

Behavior is determined by behavioral intentions influenced by attitudes, subjective norms, and perceived behavioral control

Self-perception theory

Inferring attitudes by observing one's own behaviors

Cognitive dissonance

Conflict between attitudes or between attitudes and behaviors, leading to discomfort

Persuasion

Deliberate effort to change attitudes, beliefs, or feelings

Affect polarization

Intense dislike for opposing party due to one-sided information

Elaboration likelihood model

Persuasive technique effectiveness based on listener's motivation

Compliance

Behavior change in response to a direct request

Foot-in-the-door technique

Small request followed by a larger one, utilizing cognitive dissonance

Door-in-the-face technique

Large request followed by a smaller, reasonable one

Lowball technique

Encouraging compliance through an attractive deal, then changing terms

Obedience

Complying with commands from an authority figure

Milgram experiments

Study showing willingness to follow commands under certain conditions

Conformity

Aligning behavior or thinking with a group standard

Normative social influence

Influence seeking approval and belonging to a group

Informational social influence

Influence from information provided by others

Suggestibility

Susceptibility to others' opinions, demonstrated by Asch

Social facilitation

Improved performance when observed, especially in easy tasks

Social loafing

Reduced effort in a group when individual contributions seem insignificant

Risky shift

Group decisions tend to be riskier than individual decisions

Group polarization

Group discussion leading to more extreme positions collectively

Groupthink

Uniform opinions in a group, hindering dissent

Deindividuation

Loss of personal identity and responsibility in a group setting

Social identity model of deindividuating effects

Behavior explanation considering group identity and norms

Stanford Prison Experiment

Controversial study on behavior in simulated prison environment

Prejudice

Negative attitude towards individuals or groups, justifying discrimination

Discrimination

Negative behavior towards a group based on their membership

Stereotype threat

Risk of confirming negative stereotypes affecting performance

Aggression

Any purposeful behavior intended to cause physical or psychological harm to others.

Indirect Aggression

Acts that don't directly involve the target of the aggression, such as starting rumors.

Dual-hormone hypothesis

High levels of testosterone but low levels of cortisol leading to aggressive tendencies.

Intimate partner violence

A pattern of coercive behaviors within an intimate or dating relationship.

Interpersonal attraction

The likelihood of being attracted to a person influenced by factors like proximity, exposure, symmetry, and similarity.

Passionate love

An intense longing for another person with physiological, cognitive, emotional, and behavioral components.

Compassionate love

Feelings of affection and intimacy towards another person, applicable in romantic relationships and close friendships.

Triangular theory of love

Love composed of passion, intimacy, and commitment, with consummate love having all three components.

WICS

Wisdom, intelligence, creativity synthesized, combined with love for a successful and satisfying relationship.

Prosocial behavior

Behavior aimed at helping others, carried out with the goal of benefiting others.

Altruism

Behavior aimed at helping others without concern for one's own safety or personal interest.

Reciprocal altruism

Altruistic acts done with the expectation of receiving altruism later or in return for previous help received.

Bystander effect

The phenomenon where the presence of more bystanders decreases the likelihood of someone receiving help in an emergency.

Diffusion of responsibility

The tendency for individuals to feel less responsible to act when others are present, assuming someone else will take action.