human relationships (group behavior) vocabulary

ib sl psych 2027

confederate

an actor who participates in a psychological experiment pretending to be a subject but is actually working for the researcher

content analysis

a method used to analyze qualitative data in which the researcher looks for “themes” or trends that emerge from the data

covert observation

a type of participant observation in which the identity of the researcher, the nature of the research project, and the fact that participants are being observed are concealed from those who are being studied

cross-sectional design

comparing two or more groups on a particular variable at a specific time

opposite of a cross-sectional design

longitudinal design where the researcher measures change in an individual over time.

longitudinal study

research over a period of time using observations, interviews, or psychometric testing (similar to a repeated measures design in an experiment).

meta-analysis

pooling data from multiple studies of the same research question to arrive at one combined answer

method triangulation

using more than one method to gather data, such as interviews, observations, and questionnaires

participant observation

when a researcher joins a group in order to better observe and understand their behavior

prospective research

a study that attempts to find a correlation between two variables by collecting data early in the life of participants and then continuing to test them over a period of time to measure change and development

retrospective research

a study of an individual after an important change or development

acculturation

the process by which someone comes into contact with another culture and begins to adopt the norms and behaviors of that culture.

acculturation gaps

generational differences in acculturation and how this leads to conflict within the family.

acculturative stress

a reduction in the mental health and well-being of ethnic minorities that occurs during the process of adaptation to a new culture aka "culture shock."

assimilation

when an individual abandons their original culture and adopts the cultural behaviors and values of a new culture.

confirmation bias

when people tend to seek out or remember information that supports their currently held beliefs or expectations and ignore information that contradicts these beliefs.

cultural norm

a set of rules based on socially or culturally shared beliefs of how an individual ought to behave to be accepted within that group.

cultural dimension

the trends of behavior in a given culture which reflect the values of that culture.

conformity

a change of behavior as a result of real or imagined group pressure or norms

cognitive dissonance

argues that when we act in a way that contradicts our knowledge and/or beliefs, we experience dissonance.

surface culture

behaviors, customs, traditions and words of a culture that can easily be observed

deep culture

beliefs, values, thought processes, and assumptions of a culture that may be more easily understood by members of that culture but may be less accessible to members of other cultures

dispositional factors

individual characteristics that influence behavior and actions in a person such as personality or temperament

ecological fallacy

the assumption that two members from two different cultures must be different from one another, or that a single member of a culture will always demonstrate the dimensions which are the norm of that culture.

emic approach

looking at behaviors of a group from the perspective of one member of that group

enculturation

the process of adopting or internalizing the schemas of your culture

etic approach

typically taken within cross-cultural psychology where behavior is compared across specific cultures

foot-in-the-door technique

getting people to commit to something small, hoping to persuade them to agree to something larger

globalization

the process of interaction among people of different nations and cultures.

individualism vs. collectivism

the degree to which people are integrated into groups “i vs we”

in-group bias

favoring members of one’s in-group over out-group members

integration

when there is an interest in adopting the behaviors and values of a new culture, while still maintaining one’s original culture

low-balling

this technique involves making an attractive initial offer that a buyer will agree to, then raising the price slightly before a final purchase

marginalization

when it is not really possible to maintain one’s original culture, but because of exclusion or discrimination, it is not possible to assimilate into a new culture.

normative social influence

when a person conforms to be liked or accepted by members of a group

salience

when one is highly aware of one of their membership to a social group

self-efficacy

one’s belief in one’s ability to succeed accomplishing a task

self perception theory

suggests that our opinions and behaviors are determined by how we perceive ourselves as acting

social comparison

a drive within individuals to gain accurate self-evaluation by comparing oneself to other people

social cognitive learning theory

suggests that behavior is learned from the environment through the processes of modeling and reinforcement.

retention, attention, motivation, potential

conditions of social cognitive learning theory

social context

how someone reacts to something depending on their immediate social or physical environment

social identity theory

argues that we are not just one self but we have several social selves that correspond to group membership

stereotype

a social perception of an individual in terms of group membership or physical attributes