Chapter 20 Psychology Vocabulary

reciprocity

in interpersonal relationships, the tendency to return feelings and attitudes that are expressed about us

sales resistance

the ability to refuse a request or sales pitch

two-sided argument

a method of discrediting an opponent by presenting his or her argument and then refuting it

cognitive anchor

a persistent belief that develops early in life and shapes the way a person sees and interprets the world

scapegoat

a person or group unfairly blamed for the problems of others

attitude

an enduring belief about people, places, or objects that evokes certain feelings and influences behavior

prejudice

an unjustifiable, and usually negative, attitude toward a person or group

persuasion

the attempt to influence people's attitudes and choices through argument, entreaty, or explanation

self-serving bias

the tendency to view one's successes as stemming from internal factors and one's failures as stemming from external factors

matching hypothesis

the view that people tend to choose other people similar to themselves in attractiveness and attitudes in the formation of interpersonal relationships

social perception

the ways in which people form and modify their impressions of others

central route

a method of persuasion that uses evidence and logical arguments to influence people

commitment

a pledge or promise between two people to share a life together

cognitive evaluation

a process in which a person forms beliefs based on evidence from many sources

emotional appeal

a type of persuasive communication that influences behavior on the basis of feelings rather than on an analysis of the issues

triangular model of love

according to the psychologist Robert J. Sternberg, the components of love, which include passion, intimacy, and commitment

attraction

in social psychology, an attitude of liking (positive attraction) or disliking (negative attraction)

intimacy

feelings of closeness and concern for another person

passion

an aroused state of intense desire for another person

fundamental attribution error

a bias in social perception characterized by the tendency to assume that others generally act on the basis of their dispositions, even when there is evidence suggesting the importance of their situations

peripheral route

a method of persuasion characterized by an emphasis on factors other than the message itself

attribution theory

the suggestion that there is a tendency to explain a person's behavior in terms of the situation or the person's personality

actor-observer bias

the tendency to attribute one's own behavior to situational factors but to attribute the behavior of others to dispositional factors

discrimination

(1) in classical conditioning, the ability to distinguish the conditioned stimulus from other stimuli that are similar (2) unfair treatment of a person or group based on prejudice

primary effect

(1) the tendency to recall the initial item or items in a series; (2) the tendency to form opinions of others based on first impressions

recency effect

(1) the tendency to recall the last item in a series; (2) the tendency for people to change their opinions of others based on recent interactions