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