Chapter 12: Social Interaction

Five Decision Points: Help or don't Help

1. Noticing 2.Defining an Emergency 3. Taking Responsibility 4.Planning a Course of Action 5. Taking Action

Scapegoat

A person or a group, typically from the out-group, who serves as a target for the frustrations and negative emotions of members of the in-group.

Stereotypes

A set of characteristics that people believe is shared by all members of a particular social category or group

Frustration

Aggressive behavior which occurs when a person is prevented from reaching a desired goal

Prejudice

An unsupported and often negative stereotyped attitude about the members of a particular social group

Jigsaw Classroom

Each member of a group has their own information that is needed to solve the problem; a situation is created in which the entire group must depend on one another to meet their shared goal.

Equal Status Contact

Eg. Robber's Cave experiment: 11-12 year old boys were forced into Equal Status Contact to overcome a situation together with neither group holding power of the other.

Altruism

Helping someone in trouble with no expectation of reward and often without fear for one's own safety

Diffusion of Responsibility

Occurring when a person fails to take responsibility for the actions or for inaction because of the presence of other people who are seen to share the responsibility

Realistic Conflict Theory Of Prejudice

Prejudice and discrimination will be increased between groups that are in conflict over a limited resource

Bystander Effect

Referring to the effect that the presence of other people has on the decision to help or not help, with help becoming less likely as the number of bystanders increases - Kitty Genovese case

Stanford Prison Experiment

Showed the influences that social roles can have on people (guards vs prisoners)

Out-Group

Social groups with whom a person does not identify

Prosocial Behavior

Socially desirable behavior that benefits others

Social Comparison

The comparison of oneself to others in ways that raise one's self-esteem

Stereotype Vulnerability

The effect that people's awareness of the stereotypes associated with their social group has on their behavior.

Social Identity Theory

The formation of a person's identity within a particular social group is explained by social categorization, social identity, and social comparison

Social Identity

The part of the self-concept including one's view of self as a member of a particular social category

Social Role

The pattern of behavior that is expected of a person who is in a particular social position

Self-fulfilling Prophecy

The tendency of one's expectations to affect one's behavior in such a way as to make the expectations moe likely to occur.

In-Group

Type of prejudice;social groups with whom a particular person identifies with

Social Cognitive Theory

Use of cognitive processes in relation to understanding the social world... prejudice is seen as an attitude that is formed as other attitudes are formed, through direct instruction, modeling, and other social influences on learning.

Agression

When one person hurts or tires to destroy another person deliberately, either with words or physical behavior

Discrimination

When prejudicial attitudes cause members of a particular social group to be treated differently than others in situations that call for equal treatment