Psych 240 Exam 5

Social exchange theory

Human interactions are transactional; they aim to maximize rewards and minimize costs.

Altruism

A motive to help others with regard for self-interest.

Egoism

Responding to one’s own distress by helping to relieve that distress.

Reciprocity norm

Expectation that people will help those who help them.

Social-responsibility norm

The expectation that people will help those in need.

Reciprocity anxiety

Feeling bad when others help you without the expectation of repayment.

Social capital

Networks, relationships, and norms of trust and reciprocity.

Kin selection

Evolution selects altruism towards close relatives, enhancing survival of shared genes.

Empathy

The ability to understand and share another person’s feelings.

Bystander effect

People are less likely to help a victim when other people are present.

Darley and Latané’s helping decision tree

A series of steps needed for an individual to decide to help someone in need.

Illusion of transparency

Belief that our emotions are more evident to others than they actually are.

Darley and Batson's study (1973)

Being in a hurry significantly reduces the likelihood of helping others.

Overjustification effect

An external reward decreases a person’s intrinsic motivation.

Private guilt

Internal discomfort when one believes they have violated their own moral standards.

Public guilt

Discomfort based on how others perceive one's actions.

Pluralistic ignorance

Misinterpreting others' behavior and assuming no one thinks a situation is an emergency.

Social dilemma

A situation where self-interest is opposed to the collective good.

Zero-sum game

A scenario in which one person's gain is another person's loss.

Equitable relationship

A relationship where both partners feel they are giving equally.

Peace

A condition characterized by low levels of hostility and beneficial relations.

Social trap

Conflicting parties pursue their self-interest, leading to detrimental outcomes.

Prisoner’s dilemma

A scenario where two suspects must decide whether to confess or remain silent.

Tragedy of the commons

When individuals consume more than their fair share of a resource.

Fundamental attribution error

The tendency to explain others' behavior dispositionally while explaining our own situationally.

Misperception

Distorted views of each other held by conflicting parties.

Mirror-image perception

Conflicting groups view each other in similar, negative ways.

Conflict

Circumstances that cause increased hostility among groups.

Realistic conflict theory

The theory that conflicts arise from competition between groups for limited resources.

Perceived injustice

An individual's belief that they have been treated unfairly.

Illusion

Belief that the enemy's leader is evil while one's own side is righteous.

Tension

An emotional state resulting from a lack of rational thinking.

Contact

Increased proximity can foster positive relationships and reduce anxiety.

Cooperation

Working together towards common goals breeds unity.

Communication

The exchange of information helps in resolving conflicts.

Bargaining

Direct negotiations aimed at reaching an agreement.

Mediation

Involvement of a neutral third party to facilitate communication.

Trust

A crucial factor that influences cooperation and conflict resolution.

Clinical psychology

The study, assessment, and treatment of psychological difficulties.

Invisible gorillas

A phenomenon that illustrates errors in human perception.

Illusory correlations

Expecting a correlation between two events leads to perceiving one.

Depression

A mental state characterized by negative thoughts and magnified bad experiences.

Depressive realism

The concept that mild depression leads to more accurate self-judgments.

Loneliness

A feeling that our social relationships lack the desired meaning.

Anxiety and shyness

Conditions of being self-conscious and worried about others' perceptions.

Hassles

The burden of too many obligations leading to stress.

Uplifts

Positive experiences that improve mood and well-being.

Contact hypothesis

Intergroup contact under certain conditions fosters empathy and improves attitudes.

Osgood's strategy (1980)

A method for de-escalating conflict through changing perceptions.

Shifting perceptions

The process of reframing conflict to aid resolution.

Jigsaw classroom

An educational method that reduces prejudice by fostering cooperation among diverse groups.

Brodt and Zimbardo's study (1981)

Research indicating that stress increases vulnerability to illness.