Social Influence and Group Dynamics

Flashcards covering key concepts in social influence, conformity, obedience, group dynamics, and attraction.

Conformity

A change in one’s behavior due to the real or imagined influence of others.

Informational Social Influence

Relying on others as a source of information to guide behavior, leading to conformity.

Private Acceptance

Conforming to others’ behavior out of a genuine belief that what they are saying or doing is right.

Normative Social Influence

Going along with what others do to be liked and accepted, leading to public conformity but not always private acceptance.

Public Compliance

Conforming to others' behavior publicly without necessarily believing in what they are saying or doing.

Asch's Line Test

An experiment demonstrating conformity where participants give incorrect answers due to group pressure.

Group Cohesion

The bonds that link members of a group together and promote a sense of belonging.

Minority Influence

The case where a minority of group members influences the behavior or beliefs of the majority.

Injunctive Norms

People’s perceptions of what behaviors are approved or disapproved by others.

Descriptive Norms

People’s perceptions of how people actually behave in given situations.

Boomerang Effect

When public service messages meant to decrease a behavior inadvertently increase it.

Foot in the Door Technique

A social influence strategy where agreeing to a small request makes individuals more likely to agree to a larger request later.

Door in the Face Technique

A social influence strategy where starting with a larger request that is likely to be refused makes it more likely to agree to a smaller request later.

Obedience to Authority

A change in behavior due to the direct influence of an authority figure.

Milgram Study

An experiment demonstrating obedience where participants delivered electric shocks to others under authority instruction.

Process Loss

Any aspect of group interaction that inhibits good problem solving.

Groupthink

A decision-making process where maintaining group cohesiveness is prioritized over realistic evaluation of facts.

Group Polarization

The tendency for groups to make decisions that are more extreme than the initial inclinations of their members.

Social Facilitation

Tendency for people to perform better on simple tasks in the presence of others and worse on complex tasks.

Social Loafing

The tendency to perform worse on simple tasks when individual performance cannot be measured in a group.

Deindividuation

The loosening of normal constraints on behavior when people cannot be identified.

Contingency Theory of Leadership

The idea that the effectiveness of a leader depends on how task or relationship-oriented the leader is and their control over the group.

Task-Oriented Leaders

Leaders focused on accomplishing tasks, effective in high and low control situations.

Relationship-Oriented Leaders

Leaders who prioritize relationships and the feelings of workers, effective in moderate control situations.

Social Dilemma

A conflict in which the most beneficial action for an individual will, if chosen by most people, harm everyone.

Prisoner's Dilemma

A situation where individuals must choose an option without knowing what the other is choosing, leading to potential conflict.

Propinquity Effect

The finding that more frequent interactions increase the likelihood of friendship.

Mere Exposure Effect

The phenomenon where increased exposure to a stimulus leads to increased liking.

Similarity in Attraction

The principle that people are more attracted to others with whom they share similar characteristics.

Reciprocal Liking

The tendency to be attracted to someone because that person is attracted to you.

Evolutionary Theory of Attraction

The idea that attraction is influenced by markers of good health and reproductive fitness.

Communal Relationships

Relationships where individuals give and receive according to each other’s needs.