Intro to Psychology Social Psychology
Group Think
Tendency for group members to try and change their beliefs (attitudes) so that they are similar to what they believe is the group's general opinion
Fundamental Attribution Error
Tendency to emphasize (overestimate) internal causes and ignore or underestimate the influence of external causes for a person's behavior
External Attribution
event or situation. Attribute behavior to environment
Internal Attribution
personality trait or mood. Attribute behavior to the person
Stanley Milgram
1963 study on obedience and authority.
Event Schema (Script)
Knowledge about sequences of events and actions expected to occur in particular settings
Altruism
Acting in a way that shows unselfish concern for the welfare of others
Group Polarization
Tendency for a group's dominant point of view to become stronger, more extreme with time.
Conformity
The tendency for people to adopt the behaviors, attitudes, and opinions of other members of a group
Social Norms
A group's expectations regarding what is appropriate and acceptable for its member's attitudes and behavior
Self-fulfilling prophecy
prediction that directly or indirectly causes itself to become true, by the very terms of the prophecy itself, due to positive feedback between belief and behavior. Example: Prison Experiment
Self-Serving Bias
Attributional pattern in which one takes credit for success but denies responsibility for failure
3 Components of Attitude
Cognitive, Affective, Behavioral
Obedience
Form of compliance that occurs when people respond to orders of an authority
Out-Group
those outside the individual's group
Stereotypes
Collection of beliefs and impressions about a group and its members
Solomon Asch
Conformity
Diffusion of Responsibility
Dilution or weakening of each group member's obligation to act when responsibility is perceived to be shared with group members
Bystander Problem
Reluctance to come to someone's aid when others are present
Attitude (Belief)
a hypothetical construct that represents an individual's degree of like or dislike for something
In-Group
the group with which an individual identifies
Festinger and Carlsmith
Attitude change and cognitive dissonance
Social Psychology
The branch of psychology that studies the effects of social variables and cognitions on individual behavior and social interactions
Situationalism
The view that environmental conditions influence people's behavior as much or more than their personal dispositions do
Prejudice
a negative attitude toward an individual based solely in a particular group
Attribution Theory
concerned with how individuals interpret events and how these interpretations relate to their subsequent behavior.
Cognitive Dissonance
highly motivating state in which people have conflicting cognitions, especially when their voluntary actions conflict with their attitudes