Social psychology
scientific study of how we think about, influence, and relate to one another
Attribution theory
tendency to give a causal
... [Show More] explanation for someone's behavior, often by crediting either the situation or the person's disposition
fundamental attribution error
tendency for observers when analyzing another's behavior, to underestimate the impact of the situation and to overestimate the impact of personal disposition
attitude
belief and feeling that predisposes one to respond in a particular way to objects, people, and events
foot in the door phenomenon
tendency for people who have first agreed to a small request to comply later with a larger request
role
set of expectations about a social position
cognitive dissonance theory
we act to reduce the discomfort we feel when two of our cognitions are inconsistent
conformity
adjusting one's behavior or thinking to coincide with a group standard
normative social influence
results from a person's desire to gain approval or avoid disapproval
confederate
something that does not belong
informational social influence
influence resulting from one's willingness to accept others
social facilitation
improved performance of tasks in the presence of others
social loafing
tendency for people in a group to exert less effort when pooling their efforts toward attaining a common goal than when individually accountable
deindividuation
loss of self-awareness and self-restraint in group situations that foster arousal and anonymity (mob mentality)
group polarization
the most accepted ideas within the group are the strongest
groupthink
mode of thinking that occurs when the desire for harmony in a decision-making group overrides realistic appraisal of alternatives
Solomon Asch
Polish-born psychologist who conducted conformity experiments that showed the effects of social pressure, especially in use of propaganda in WWII by Hitler
prejudice
an unjustifiable attitude toward a group and its members
stereotype
a generalized belief about a group of people
ingroup
"us" - people with whom one shares a common identity
outgroup
"them" - those perceived as different or apart from one's ingroup
ingroup bias
tendency to favor one's own group
scapegoat theory
theory that prejudice proves an outlet for anger by providing someone to blame
just-world phenonmenon
tendency of people to believe the world is just, that people get what they deserve and deserve what they get
aggression
any physical or verbal behavior intended to hurt or destroy [Show Less]