Social Psychology

social psychology

study of causes and consequences of sociality

aggression

behavior whose purpose is to harm another

frustration aggression hypothesis

aggression tends to be displayed when an animal’s goal is being blocked

proactive aggression

planned and purposeful aggression

reactive aggression

aggression that is spontaneous and in response to a negative affective state

cooperation

behavior by two or more individuals that leads to mutual benefit

group

collection of people who have something in common that distinguishes them from others

common knowledge effect

group discussion tends to focus on info that all members share

group polarization

tendency for groups to make decisions that are more extreme than any member would have made alone

group think

tendency for groups to reach consensus in order to facilitate interpersonal harmony

deindiviuation

immersion in a group causes people to become less concerned with their personal values

diffusion of responsibility

individuals feel diminished responsibility for their actions when in a group

social loafing

tendency for people to exert less effort when they are in a social group

bystander intervention

people are less likely to help in an emergency situation if more bystanders are present

altruism

intentional behavior that benefits another at a potential cost to oneself

kin selection

process by which evolution selects for individuals who cooperate with their relatives

reciprocal altruism

behavior that benefits another with expectation that those benefits will be returned in the future

mere exposure effect

tendency for liking of a stimulus to increase with the frequency of exposure to that stimulus

homophily

tendency for people to like others who are similar to themselves in attractiveness and personality

social influence

ability to change or direct another person’s behavior

reactance

unpleasant feeling that arises when people feel they are being coerced

norms

customary standards for behavior that are widely shared by members of a culture

normative influence

using another person’s behavior to provide information about what is appropriate

passionate love

feelings of euphoria, intimacy, and intense sexual attraction

companionate love

affection, trust, and concern for a partner’s well being

comparison level of alternatives

the cost benefit ratio that a person believes he or she could attain in another relationship

stereotyping

process of drawing inferences about individuals based on their category membership

behavioral confirmation

tendency of targets to behave as observers expect them to behave

stereotype threat

target’s fear of confirming the observer’s stereotypes

perceptual confirmation

tendency of observers to see what they expect to see

subtyping

tendency of observers to think of targets who disconfirm stereotypes as exceptions to the rule

attribution

inferences about the causes of people’s behavior

dispositional attributions

when we believe that a person’s behavior was caused by an enduring tendency to think, feel, or act in a particular way

correspondence bias

making a dispositional attribution when we should instead make a situational attribution

actor observer effect

tendency to make situational attributions for our own behaviors while making dispositional attributions for the identical behavior of others

norm of reciprocity

unwritten rule that people should benefit those who have benefited them

door in the face technique

influence strategy that involves getting someone to accept a small request by first getting them to refuse a large request

conformity

tendency to do what others do and it results in part from normative influence

obedience

tendency to do what authorities tell us to do

attitude

enduring positive or negative evaluation of a stimulus

belief

enduring piece of knowledge about a stimulus

persuassion

when a person’s attitudes or beliefs are influenced by communication from another person

systematic persuasion

process by which attitudes or beliefs are changed by appeals to a reason

heuristic persuasion

process by which attitudes or beliefs are changed by appeals to habit or emotion

foot in the door

technique that involves making a small request and then following it up with a larger request

cognitive dissonance

unpleasant state that arises when a person recognizes the inconsistency of his or her actions, attitudes, or beliefs