FINAL UNIT

attribution theory - we can credit or blame the behavior to the person’s internal, stable (dispositional), enduring traits, or we can attribute it to the external situation

fundamental attribution error - the tendency for observers, when analyzing others’ behavior, to underestimate the impact of the situation and overestimate the impact of personal disposition

attitudes - feelings, often influenced by our beliefs, that predispose us to respond in a particular way to objects, people, and events

peripheral route persuasion - attention-getting cues to trigger emotion-based snap judgments

central route persuasion - when people are influenced by arguments and respond with favorable thoughts

foot in the door phenomenon - tendency for people who have first agreed to a small request to comply later with a larger request

role - norms about a social position

norms - understood rules for accepted and expected behavior

social contagion - tendency to go with their group

conformity - adjusting our behavior or thinking to coincide with a group standard because of real or imagined pressure to fit in

stanford prison theory - male college students volunteered to spend time in a simulated prison, recalled after 6 days, guards became tyrannical and prisoners broke down and rebelled

cognitive dissonance theory - we act to reduce the discomfort we feel when two of our thoughts/thoughts and behaviors are inconsistent 

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-earned 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 - enduring behaviors, ideas, attitudes, values, and traditions shared by a group of people and transmitted from one generation to the next

prejudice - an unjustifiable attitude toward a group and its members, generally involving stereotypical beliefs, negative feelings, and a predisposition to discriminatory action

prejudice - negative belief, often supported by stereotypes

discrimination - negative behavior

ethnocentrism - assuming the superiority of one’s ethnic group

just-world phenomenon - the common idea that good is rewarded and evil is punished

scapegoating - theory that prejudice offers an outlet for anger by providing someone to blame

availability heuristic - problem-solving method in which people estimate the likelihood of events based on how fast they come to mind

aggression - any physical or verbal behavior intended to harm someone, whether done out of hostility or as a calculated means to an end

frustration-agression principle - frustration creates anger, which can spark aggression

social script - a 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

schachter-singer two-factor theory - our physical reactions and our thoughts together create emotion, emotions have two ingredients: physical arousal and cognitive appraisal

equity - a condition in which people receive from a relationship in proportion to what they give to it

self-disclosure - act of revealing intimate aspects of ourselves to others

altruism - unselfish regard for the welfare of others

bystander effect - the tendency for any nearby person to be less likely to give aid if other bystanders are present

social-exchange theory - 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 - the expectation that we should help those who need our help

social trap - situation in which the conflicting parties, by each 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