Unit 8 Social Psychology
outgroup
"them"—those perceived as different or apart form our ingroup
ingroup
"us"—people with whom we share a common identity
role
a set of explanations (norms) about a social position, defining how those in the position ought to behave
ethnocentrism
evaluation of other cultures according to preconceptions originating in the standards and customs of one's own culture
self-disclosure
revealing intimate aspects of oneself to others
Solomon Asch
Developed the line test to test for conformity- people conformed 33% of the time, the more people who choose a certain answer, the more likely people are to conform and choose the same (even if it's wrong)
GRIT
Graduated and Reciprocated Initiatives In Tension-Reduction—a strategy designed o decrease international tensions
Philip Zimbardo
Prison experiment (6 days - the guards became evil and by the end everyone thought it was a real prison), people taking on roles, fried grasshopper experiment
Leon Festinger
Proposed the cognitive dissonance theory, colt God not coming--summer book
Stanley Milgram
Student of Asch, shock experiments with the "teacher" and "learner", tested obedience (which varied based on circumstances in each experiment)
equity
a condition in which people receive from a relationship in proportion to what they give to it
stereotypes
a generalized (sometimes accurate but often overgeneralized) belief about a group of people
conflict
a perceived incompatibility of actions, goals, or ideas
social traps
a situation in which the conflicting parties, by each rationally pursuing their self-interest, become caught in mutually destructive behavior
conformity
adjusting one's behavior or thinking to coincide with a group standard
passionate love
an aroused state of intense positive absorption in another, usually present at the beginning of a love relationship
social-responsibility norm
an expectation that people will help those dependent upon them
reciprocity nrom
an expectation that people will help, not hurt those who have helped them
diffusion of responsibiity
an individual is more likely to help if he or she thinks he or she is alone
prejudice
an unjustifiable (and usually negative) attitude toward a group and its members. Prejudice generally involves stereotyped beliefs, negative feelings, and a predisposition to discriminatory action
aggression
any physical or verbal behavior intended to hurt or destroy
John Darley and Bibb Latane
experiments looking at diffusion of responsibility (seizure on the phone, smoke in room)
attitudes
feelings, often influenced by our beliefs, that predispose us to respond in a particular way to objects, people, and events
normative social influence
influence resulting form a person's desire to gain approval or avoid disapproval
informational social influence
influence resulting form one's willingness to accept other's opinions about reality
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
central route to persusasion
occurs when interest people focus on the arguments and respond with favorable thoughts
peripheral route to persuasion
occurs when people are influenced by incidental cues, such as a speaker's attractiveness
the psychology of attraction (3 characteristics)
proximity (geographical nearness), physical attractiveness (increases social opportunities and influences the way we are perceived), similarity (similarity of attitudes and interest greatly increase liking)
superordinate goals
shared goals that override differences among people and require their cooperation
social facilitation
stronger responses on simple or well-earned tasks in the presence of others
companionate love
the deep affectionate attachment we feel for those with whom our lives are intertwined
group polarization
the enhancement of a group's prevailing inclinations through discussion within the group
deindividuation
the loss of self-awareness and self-restraint occurring in group situations that foster arousal and anonymity
groupthink
the mode of thinking that occurs when the desire for harmony in a decision-making group overrides a realistic appraisal of alternatives
mere exposure effect
the phenomenon that repeated exposure to novel stimuli increases liking of them
frustration-aggression principle
the principle that frustration—the blocking of an attempt to achieve some goal—creates anger, which can generate aggression
bystander effect
the tendency for any given bystander to be less likely to give aid if other bystanders are present
fundamental attribution error
the tendency for observers, when analyzing another's behavior, to underestimate the impact of the situation and to overestimate the impact of personal disposition
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
just-world phenonmenon
the tendency for people to believe the world is just and that people therefore get what they deserve and deserve what they get
foot-in-the-door phenomenon
the tendency for people who have first agreed to a small request to comply later with a larger request
door-in-the-face phenomenon
the tendency for people who have first turned down a large request to comply later with a smaller request
ingroup bias
the tendency to favor our own group
other-race effect
the tendency to recall faces of one's own race more accurately than faces of other races. Also called the cross-race effect and the own-race bias
social exchange theory
the theory that our social behavior is an exchange process, the aim of which is to maximize benefits and minimize costs
scapegoat theory
the theory that prejudice offers an outlet for anger by providing someone to blame
cognitive dissonance theory
the theory that we act to reduce the discomfort (dissonance) we feel when two of our thoughts (cognitions) are inconsistent. For example, when our awareness of our attitudes and of our actions clash, we can reduce the resulting dissonance by changing our attitudes
attribution theory
the theory that we explain someone's behavior by crediting either the situation or the person's disposition
discrimination
unjustifiable negative behavior toward a group and its members
altruism
unselfish regard for the welfare of others
pluralistic ignorance
when majority of group privately rejects norm but incorrectly assume others accept it