Unit 4 flashcards

  • attribution theory: A theory that explains how individuals pinpoint the causes of their own and others' behavior.

    • dispositional attribution: Attributing behavior to internal traits or personality.

    • Situational attribution: Attributing behavior to context or situational factors

    • fundamental attribution error: Overemphasizing personal traits while underemphasizing situational factors when explaining others' behaviors.

    • actor/observer effect: The tendency to attribute our own actions to external factors while attributing others' actions to internal factors.

  • self-serving bias: Attributing positive events to oneself and negative events to external factors.

  • downward social comparison: Comparing oneself to others who are worse off to feel better about oneself. Can lead to gratitude or scorn.

  • upward social comparison: Comparing oneself to others who are better off. Can lead to low self-esteem or motivation.

  • explanatory style: How people explain the events and situations in their lives.

    • optimistic explanatory style: Tendency to attribute positive events to internal causes and negative events to external causes.

    • pessimistic explanatory style: Tendency to attribute negative events to internal causes and positive events to external causes.

  • external locus of control: Belief that external factors control one's life.

  • internal locus of control: Belief that one controls their own destiny.

  • mere exposure effect: Increased liking of something due to repeated exposure to it.

  • relative deprivation: Feeling deprived when comparing oneself to others who are better off.

  • self-fulfilling prophecy: A belief that leads to its own fulfillment.

  • Belief perseverance: Maintaining a belief even after it has been disproven.

  • Cognitive dissonance: Discomfort from holding conflicting thoughts or beliefs.

  • Confirmation bias: Favoring information that confirms one's existing beliefs.

  • Discrimination: Unjust treatment based on group membership.

  • Ethnocentrism: Belief in the superiority of one's own ethnic group.

  • Implicit attitudes: Unconscious beliefs and feelings.

  • Ingroup: A group to which one belongs and identifies with.

  • Ingroup bias: Preference for one's own group over others.

  • Just-world phenomenon: Belief that the world is just and people get what they deserve.

  • Outgroup: A group to which one does not belong.

  • Outgroup homogeneity bias: Perception that members of an outgroup are more similar to each other than they really are.

  • Prejudice: Preconceived opinion not based on reason or experience.

  • Stereotype: Oversimplified idea of a particular type of person or thing.

  • Altruism: Selfless concern for the well-being of others.

  • Bystander effect: Individuals are less likely to help in an emergency when others are present.

  • Collectivism: Prioritizing the group over individual goals.

  • Conformity: Adjusting behavior to align with group norms. Ex: Asch conformity (lines)

    • Informational social influence: Conforming because one believes others are correct.

    • Normative social influence: Conforming to gain approval or avoid disapproval.

  • Deindividuation: Loss of self-awareness in groups.

  • Diffusion of responsibility: Reduced feeling of responsibility when others are present.

  • Door-in-the-face technique: Making a large request that will likely be refused to increase the chance of agreeing to a smaller request.

  • Elaboration likelihood model: Theory of persuasion that proposes two routes, central and peripheral.

    • Peripheral route: Persuasion based on superficial cues.

    • Central route: Persuasion based on the content and logic of the message.

  • False consensus effect: Overestimating how much others agree with one's own beliefs.

  • Foot-in-the-door technique: Starting with a small request to increase the chance of agreeing to a larger request.

  • Group polarization: Tendency of group discussion to strengthen the dominant positions held by individual group members.

  • Groupthink: Desire for harmony in a group results in irrational decision-making.

  • Halo effect: the tendency for positive impressions of a person, company, country, brand, or product in one area to positively influence one's opinion or feelings. Individualism: Prioritizing individual goals over group goals.

  • (I/O) psychology: Industrial and organizational psychology, focusing on workplace behavior.

  • Multiculturalism: Coexistence of diverse cultures.

  • Obedience: Complying with instructions from an authority figure.

  • Persuasion: Changing attitudes or behavior through argument or plea.

  • Prosocial behavior: Actions intended to benefit others.

  • role: Expected behavior of an individual in a social position.

  • Social debt: Obligations to others within a society.

  • Social facilitation: Improved performance in the presence of others.

  • Social loafing: Exerting less effort in a group than when working alone.