social psychology
the scientific study of how we think about, influence, and relate to one another.
attribution theory
suggests how we explain someone's behavior�by crediting either the situation or the person's disposition.
self fulfilling prophesy
the tendency for a person to act a certain way because they are expected to or they expect themselves to
Rosenthal effect
self-fulfilling prophecy; tendency to behave according to expectations of others--biased observers can give signals/cues to subjects
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.
actor-observer phenomenon
actors tend to attribute the causes of their behavior to stimuli inherent in the situation, while observers tend to attribute behavior to stable dispositions of the actor (they study to pass test, stranger sees studying and thinks ambitious or studious)
attitude
feelings often based on our beliefs, which predispose us to respond in a particular way to objects, people, and events.
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
you start large and overwhelm someone, then go to a realistic request.
Philip Zimbardo
social psychology; Contributions: proved that peoples behavior depends to a large extent on the roles they are asked to play; Studies: Stanford Prison Study-studied power of social roles to influence people's behavior
Stanford prison experiment
Philip Zimbardo's study of the effect of roles on behavior. Participants were randomly assigned to play either prisoners or guards in a mock prison. The study was ended early because of the "guards'" role-induced cruelty.
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
Leon Festinger
Stanley Milgram is to obedience as _____ is to cognitive dissonance.
chameleon effect
Natural (unconscious) tendency to imitate other peoples speech, inflections & physical movements
conformity
adjusting one's behavior or thinking to coincide with a group standard.
Solomon Asch
conformity; showed that social pressure can make a person say something that is obviously incorrect ; in a famous study in which participants were shown cards with lines of different lengths and were asked to say which line matched the line on the first c
normative social influence
influence resulting from a person's desire to gain approval or avoid disapproval.
informational social influence
influence resulting from one's willingness to accept others' opinions about reality.
Stanley Milgram
obedience to authority; had participants administer what they believed were dangerous electrical shocks to other participants; wanted to see if Germans were an aberration or if all people were capable of committing evil actions
social facilitation
stronger responses on simple or well-learned tasks in the presence of others.
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.
deindividuation
the loss of self-awareness and self-restraint occurring in group situations that foster arousal and anonymity.
group polarization
the enhancement of a group's prevailing inclinations through discussion within the group. (Myers Psychology 8e p. 740)
groupthink
the mode of thinking that occurs when the desire for harmony in a decision-making group overrides a realistic appraisal of alternatives. (Myers Psychology 8e p. 740)
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. (Myers Psychology 8e p. 743)
stereotype
a generalized (sometimes accurate but often overgeneralized) belief about a group of people. (Myers Psychology 8e p. 743)
discrimination
unjustifiable negative behavior toward a group or its members. (Myers Psychology 8e p. 743)
ingroup
us"�people with whom one shares a common identity. (Myers Psychology 8e p. 746)
outgroup
them"�those perceived as different or apart from one's ingroup. (Myers Psychology 8e p. 746)
ingroup bias
the tendency to favor one's own group. (Myers Psychology 8e p. 746)
scapegoat theory
the theory that prejudice offers an outlet for anger by providing someone to blame. (Myers Psychology 8e p. 747)
just-world phenomenon
the tendency of people to believe the world is just and that people therefore get what they deserve and deserve what they get. (Myers Psychology 8e p. 748)
aggression
any physical or verbal behavior intended to hurt or destroy. (Myers Psychology 8e p. 749)
frustration-aggression principle
the principle that frustration�the blocking of an attempt to achieve some goal�creates anger, which can generate aggression. (Myers Psychology 8e p. 751)
conflict
a perceived incompatibility of actions, goals, or ideas
social trap
a situation in which the conflicting parties, by each rationally pursuing their self-interest, become caught in mutually destructive behavior. (Myers Psychology 8e p. 756)
mere exposure effect
the phenomenon that repeated exposure to novel stimuli increases liking of them. (Myers Psychology 8e p. 759)
passionate love
an aroused state of intense positive absorption in another, usually present at the beginning of a love relationship. (Myers Psychology 8e p. 763)
companionate love
the deep affectionate attachment we feel for those with whom our lives are intertwined. (Myers Psychology 8e p. 763)
equity
a condition in which people receive from a relationship in proportion to what they give to it. (Myers Psychology 8e p. 764)
self-disclosure
revealing intimate aspects of oneself to others. (Myers Psychology 8e p. 764)
altruism
unselfish regard for the welfare of others. (Myers Psychology 8e p. 765)
bystander effect
the tendency for any given bystander to be less likely to give aid if other bystanders are present. (Myers Psychology 8e p. 766)
diffusion of responsibility
theory for why bystander effect occurs - each individual bystander thinks someone else will get involved. the more people, the less likely we help
social exchange theory
the theory that our social behavior is an exchange process, the aim of which is to maximize benefits and minimize costs. (Myers Psychology 8e p. 766)
reciprocity norm
an expectation that people will help, not hurt, those who have helped them. (Myers Psychology 8e p. 766)
social responsibility norm
an expectation that people will help those dependent upon them. (Myers Psychology 8e p. 767)
superordinate goals
shared goals that override differences among people and require their cooperation. (Myers Psychology 8e p. 767)
GRIT
Graduated and Reciprocated Initiatives in Tension-Reduction, strategy designed to decrease international tensions. (Myers Psychology 8e p. 769)
peripheral route to persuasion
occurs when people are influenced by incidental cues, such as a speaker's attractiveness. (Myers Psychology 9e p. 676)
central route to persuasion
occurs when interested people focus on the arguments and respond with favorable thoughts. (Myers Psychology 9e p. 676)
Kurt Lewin
A German refugee who escaped Nazi oppression. He designed an experiment to investigate the effects of different leadership styles on group functions. He wanted to find out if people were more productive under 3 different styles 1. autocratic, 2. laizssez-
ethnocentrism
tendency to view one's own culture and group as superior to all other cultures and groups