Social Psychology
Scientific study of how we think about, influence, and relate to one another.
Attribution Theory
The theory that we explain someone's behavior by crediting either the situation or the person's disposition.
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.
Attitude
Feelings, often influenced by our beliefs, that 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.
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
Conformity
Adjusting one's behavior or thinking to coincide with a group standard.
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.
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.
Groupthink
The mode of thinking that occurs when the desire for harmony in a decision-making group overrides a realistic appraisal of alternatives.
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.
Discrimination
Unjustifiable negative behavior toward a group or its members.
Ingroup/Outgroup
Us"-people with whom we share a common identity/ "Them"-those perceived as different or apart from our ingroup.