social psychology - the scientific

study of how we think about,

influence, and relate to one another.

attribution theory - the theory that

we explain someone’s behavior by

crediting either the situation or the

person’s disposition.

fundamental attribution error - the theory that

we explain someone’s behavior by

crediting either the situation or the

person’s disposition.

Attitude - feelings, often

influenced by our beliefs, that

predispose us to respond in a

particular way to objects, people,

and events.

peripheral route persuasion - occurs when people are influenced

by incidental cues, such as a

speaker’s attractiveness.

central route persuasion - occurs

when interested people focus on

the arguments and respond with

favorable thoughts.

foot-in-the-door phenomenon - the tendency for people who have

first agreed to a small request to

comply later with a larger request.

Role - a set of expectations (norms)

about a social position, defining

how those in the position ought to

behave.

cognitive dissonance theory - the theory that we act to reduce

the discomfort (dissonance) we

feel when two of our thoughts

(cognitions) are inconsistent. For

example, when we become aware

that our attitudes and our actions

clash, we can reduce the resulting

dissonance by changing our

attitudes.

Conformity - adjusting our

behavior or thinking to coincide

with a group standard.

normative social influence - influence resulting from a person’s

desire to gain approval or avoid

disapproval.

informational social influence - influence resulting from one’s

willingness to accept others’

opinions about reality.

social facilitation - improved

performance on simple or well-learned tasks in the presence of

others.

social loafing - the tendency for

people in a group to exert less effort

when pooling their efforts toward

attaining a common goal than

when individually accountable.

Deindividuation - the loss of

self-awareness and self-restraint

occurring in group situations that

foster arousal and anonymity.

group polarization - the enhancement of a group’s

prevailing inclinations through

discussion within the group.

Groupthink - the mode of thinking

that occurs when the desire for

harmony in a decision-making

group overrides a realistic appraisal

of alternatives.

Culture - the enduring behaviors,

ideas, attitudes, values, and

traditions shared by a group of

people and transmitted from one

generation to the next.

Norm - an understood rule for

accepted and expected behavior.

Norms prescribe “proper” behavior.

Prejudice - an unjustifiable and

usually negative attitude toward a

group and its members. Prejudice

generally involves stereotyped beliefs,

negative feelings, and a predisposition

to discriminatory action.

Stereotype - a generalized

(sometimes accurate but often

overgeneralized) belief about a

group of people.

Discrimination - unjustifiable

negative behavior toward a group

and its members.

just-world phenomenon - unjustifiable

negative behavior toward a group

and its members.

Ingroup - unjustifiable

negative behavior toward a group

and its members.

Outgroup - unjustifiable

negative behavior toward a group

and its members.

ingroup bias - unjustifiable

negative behavior toward a group

and its members.

scapegoat theory - the theory that

prejudice offers an outlet for anger

by providing someone to blame.

other-race effect - the tendency

to recall faces of one’s own race

more accurately than faces of other

races. Also called the cross-race effect

or the own-race bias.

Aggression - any physical or verbal

behavior intended to hurt or destroy.

frustration-aggression principle - the principle that frustration—the

blocking of an attempt to achieve

some goal—creates anger, which

can generate aggression.

social script - culturally modeled

guide for how to act in various

situations.

mere exposure effect - the phenomenon that repeated

exposure to novel stimuli increases

liking of them.

passionate love - an aroused

state of intense positive absorption

in another, usually present at the

beginning of a love relationship.

companionate love - the deep

affectionate attachment we feel

for those with whom our lives are

intertwined.

Equity - a condition in which

people receive from a relationship

in proportion to what they give to it.

Self-disclosure - revealing intimate

aspects of oneself to others.

Altruism - unselfish regard for the

welfare of others.

bystander effect - the tendency

for any given bystander to be less

likely to give aid if other bystanders

are present.

social exchange theory - the theory that our social behavior

is an exchange process, the aim of

which is to maximize benefits and

minimize costs.

reciprocity norm - an expectation

that people will help, not hurt,

those who have helped them.

social-responsibility norm - an expectation that people will help

those needing their help.

Conflict - a perceived

incompatibility of actions, goals, or

ideas.

social trap - a situation in which

the conflicting parties, by each

rationally pursuing their self-

interest rather than the good of the

group, become caught in mutually

destructive behavior.

mirror-image perceptions - mutual views often held by

conflicting people, as when each

side sees itself as ethical and

peaceful and views the other side as

evil and aggressive.

self-fulfilling prophecy - a belief

that leads to its own fulfillment.

superordinate goals - shared

goals that override differences

among people and require their

cooperation.

GRIT - Graduated and Reciprocated

Initiatives in Tension-Reduction—a

strategy designed to decrease

international tensions.

Philip Zimbardo - Stanford psychologist (1972) app: Prison experiment

Leon Festinger - social psycholgist (1919-1989) app: cognitive dissonance

Solomon Asch - gestalt psychologist (1907-1996) app: conformity

Stanley Milgram - student of solomon asch (1933-1984) app: shocks experiment