Social Psychology

Social Norms

A group's expectations regarding what is appropriate and acceptable for its members' attitudes and behaviors.

Social loafing

A decrease in performance being in a group.

script

A cluster of knowledge about the sequences of events and actions expected to occur in a particular setting.

Asch effect

A form of conformity in which a group majority influences individual judgments.

Cognitive dissonance

A highly motivating state in which people have conflicting cognition, especially when their voluntary actions conflict with their attitudes.

Discrimination

A negative action taken against an individual as a result of his or her group membership.

Prejudice

A negative attitude toward an individual as a result of his or her group membership.

Mutual interdependence

A shared sense that individuals or groups need each other in order to achieve common goals.

Reward theory of attraction

A social-learning view that says we like best those who give us maximum rewards at minimum cost.

Romantic love

A temporary and highly emotional condition based on infatuation and sexual desire.

Triangular theory of love

A theory that describes various kinds of love in terms of three components: passion (erotic attraction), intimacy (sharing feelings and confidences), and commitment (dedication to putting this relationship first in one's life).

Self serving bias

An attribution pattern in which one takes credit for success but denies responsibility for failure.

Groupthink

An excessive tendency to seek concurrence among group members.

Social facilitation

An increase in an individual's performance because of being in a group.

Scapegoating

Blaming an innocent person or a group for one's own troubles.

Diffusion of responsibility

Dilution or weakening of each group member's obligation to act when responsibility is perceived to be shared with all group members.

Deindividuation

Occurs when group members lose their sense of personal identity and responsibility and the group "assumes" responsibility for their behavior.

Social Role

One of several socially defined patterns of behavior that are expected of persons in a given setting or group.

Cohesiveness

Solidarity, loyalty, and a sense of group membership.

Violence and aggression

Terms that refer to behavior that is intended to cause harm.

Social Psychology

The branch of psychology that studies the effects of social variables and cognitions on individual behavior and social interactions.

Social Context

The combination of (a) people, (b) the activities and interactions among people, (c) the setting in which behavior occurs, and (d) the expectations and social norms governing behavior in that setting.

In-group

The group with which an individual identifies.

Similarity principle

The notion that people are attracted to those who are most similar to themselves.

Principle of proximity

The notion that people at work will make more friends among those who are nearby- with whom they have the most contact. Proximity means "nearness."

Social distance

The perceived difference or similarity between oneself and another person.

Matching hypothesis

The prediction that most people will find friends and mates that are perceived to be of about their same level of attractiveness.

conformity

The tendency for people to adopt the behaviors, attitudes, and opinions of other members of a group.

Fundamental attribution error (FAE)

The tendency to emphasize internal causes and ignore external pressures. The FAE is more common in individualistic cultures than in collectivist cultures.

Terrorism

The use of violent, unpredictable acts by a small group against a larger group for political, economic, or religious goals.

Situationism

The view that environmental conditions influence people's behavior as much as or more than their personal dispositions do.

Expectancy- value theory

Theory in social psychology that people decide whether to peruse a relationship by weighing the potential value of the relationship against their expectation of success in establishing the relationship.

Out- group

Those outside the group with which an individual identifies.

Group polarization

When individuals in a group have similar, though not identical, views, their opinions become more extreme.