Psychology: Social Influence and Stress

This set of flashcards encompasses key concepts related to conformity, social influence, stress, and coping strategies in psychology.

Conformity

Changing one’s own behavior to more closely match the actions of others.

Normative Social Influence

The need to act in ways that we feel will let us be liked and accepted by others.

Informational Social Influence

Taking cues for how to behave from other people when in ambiguous situations.

Groupthink

The practice of thinking or making decisions as a group, often leading to irrational outcomes.

Social Facilitation

The tendency for people to perform differently when in the presence of others.

Social Loafing

The tendency for individuals to put forth less effort when working in a group.

Deindividuation

The lessening of personal identity and responsibility in a group context.

Obedience

Changing one’s behavior in response to a direct order from an authority figure.

Foot-in-the-Door Technique

Requesting a small favor first and then asking for a larger one later.

Door-in-the-Face Technique

Making a large request that is likely to be rejected followed by a smaller request.

Lowball Technique

Once a commitment is made, the cost of that commitment is increased.

Cognitive Dissonance

The mental discomfort experienced when holding two or more contradictory beliefs.

Attribution Theory

A theory of how people explain their own and others’ behavior.

Situational Cause

Assuming behavior is a result of external factors.

Dispositional Cause

Assuming behavior is a result of internal personality traits.

Prejudice

An unsupported negative stereotyped attitude about the members of a particular social group.

Discrimination

Behaviorally treating members of a particular social group differently based on prejudicial attitudes.

Social Cognitive Theory

A theory that emphasizes the role of observational learning in the development of prejudice.

Realistic Conflict Theory

A theory that explains how prejudice arises from competition for limited resources.

Self-Fulfilling Prophecy

The phenomenon where one’s expectations about another person can lead to that person's behavior conforming to those expectations.

Impression Formation

The process of forming an overall impression of someone based on initial knowledge.

Fundamental Attribution Error

The tendency to overemphasize personal traits and underestimate situational factors when evaluating others' behaviors.

Coping Strategies

Actions to master, tolerate, or reduce the effects of stressors.

Emotion-focused Coping

Strategies aimed at reducing the negative emotional responses associated with stress.

Problem-focused Coping

Strategies aimed at directly addressing and solving the source of stress.

Social Support System

Network of people that provides support in times of stress, enhancing coping abilities.

Tend-and-Befriend

A behavioral response to stress where individuals seek social alliances for protection.