Social Psych Quiz 6

Social Exchange Theory

the idea that helping is guided by maximizing rewards and minimizing costs; human interactions function like reciprocal transactions

Norm of Reciprocity

the social rule that helping others usually leads to receiving help in return and builds cooperation

Matching Law

the tendency to allocate time and effort to options based on how rewarding they have been in the past

Social Responsibility

the expectation that people should help those in need, especially those unable to reciprocate

Kin Selection

helping relatives because doing so increases the survival and reproduction of shared genes

Group Selection

helping behaviors that evolve because groups with more cooperation survive and reproduce more successfully

Bystander Effect

the reduced likelihood of helping when others are present due to diffusion of responsibility, ambiguity, or distraction

Moral Exclusion

perceiving certain individuals or groups as outside one's moral concern, making mistreatment seem acceptable

Situational Factors (Helping)

external circumstances that influence helping such as time pressure, presence of others, similarity, and clarity of emergency

Dispositional Factors (Helping)

personal traits such as agreeableness, gender, SES, and faith that influence helping behavior

Social Dilemma

a situation where individual self-interest conflicts with collective well-being, leading everyone to be worse off if all act selfishly

Conflict

incompatibility of actions or goals that creates tension, hostility, or aggression

Competition

pursuit of mutually exclusive goals that increases ingroup loyalty and outgroup hostility

Zero-Sum Game

a conflict in which one party's gain is exactly equal to the other party's loss

Mirror-Image Perception

when opposing groups view each other in opposite stereotyped ways (we are good, they are bad)

Tragedy of the Commons

when individuals overuse a shared resource, causing it to become depleted for everyone

Robber's Cave Study

a study showing that intergroup competition creates hostility and prejudice, reduced only through superordinate goals

Peace

relationships characterized by low tension, low hostility, and mutually beneficial interactions

Bargaining

direct negotiation between conflicting parties to reach a resolution

Conciliation

gestures of goodwill or tension reduction (such as GRIT) used to restore trust between conflicted parties

Contact

interaction that reduces prejudice when it involves equal status, cooperation, and shared goals

Mediation

when a neutral third party facilitates communication and offers suggestions to resolve a conflict

Perspective-Taking (Cognitive)

understanding another person's thoughts or mental viewpoint

Perspective-Taking (Emotional)

understanding and sharing another person's emotional state