Chapter 12: Social Psychology

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social psychology

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the study of how people think about, influence and relate to other people

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stereotype

Back 2

a generalization about a group's characteristics that does not consider any variations from one individual to another.

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attribution theory

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theory that views people as motivated to discover the underlying causes of behavior as part of their effort to make sense of the behavior.

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fundamental attribution error

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the tendency for observers to overestimate the importance of internal traits and underestimate the importance of external situations when they seek explanations of an actor's behavior.

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false consensus effect

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overestimation of the degree to which everybody else thinks or acts the way we do, stemming from the use of our own outlook or situation to predict that of others.

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positive illusions

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positive views of oneself that are not necessarily deeply rooted in reality

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self-serving bias

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the tendency to take credit for one's successes and to deny responsibility for one's failures

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self-objectification

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the tendency to see oneself primarily as an object in the eyes of others

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stereotype threat

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an individual's fast-acting, self-fulfilling fear of being judged on the basis of a negative stereotype about his or her group.

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social comparison

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the process by which individuals evaluate their thoughts, feelings, behaviors, and abilities in relation to other people

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attitudes

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opinions and beliefs about other people, objects and ideas

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cognitive dissonance

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a concept developed by Festinger; and individual's psychological discomfort caused by two inconsistent thoughts

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self-perception theory

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Bem's theory about the connection between attitudes and behavior; stresses that the individuals make inferences about their attitudes by perceiving their behavior.

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elaboration likelihood model

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theory identifying two ways by which a communication can be persuasive-a central route and a peripheral route

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altruism

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an unselfish interest in helping someone else

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egoism

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Giving to another person to ensure reciprocity; to gain self-esteem; to present oneself as powerful, competent or caring; or to avoid social and self- censure for failing to live up to society's expectations

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empathy

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a feeling of oneness with the emotional state of another person

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bystander effect

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the tendency of an individual who observes an emergency to help less when other people are present than when the observer is alone

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conformity

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change is a person's behavior to coincide more closely with a group standard

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confederate

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a person who is given a role to play in a study so that social context can be manipulated

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informational social influence

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the influence other people have on us because we want to be right

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normative social influence

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the influence that other people have on us because we want them to like and approve of us.

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obedience

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behavior that complies with the explicit demands of the individual in authority

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deindivduation

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the reduction of personal identity and erosion of the sense of personal responsibility that can arise when one is a part of a group

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social cognition

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imitative behavior involving the spread of behavior, emotions, and ideas.

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social facilitation

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improvement in an individual's performance because of the presence of others

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social loafing

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each person's tendency to exert less effort in a group because of the reduced accountability for individual's effort

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risky shift

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the tendency for a group decision to be riskier than the average decision made by individual group members

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group polarization effect

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the solidification and further strengthening of an individual's position as a consequence of a group decision

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groupthink

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group members' impaired decision making and avoidance of realistic appraisal to maintain group harmony,

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social identity

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the way individuals define themselves in terms of their group members

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social identity theory

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tajfel's theory that social identities are crucial part's of the individual's self-image and a valuable source of positive feelings about themselves

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ethnocentrism

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the tendency to favor one's own ethnic group over other ethnic groups

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prejudice

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an unjustified negative attitude toward an individual's membership in a group

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discrimination

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an unjustified negative or harmful action toward a member of a group simply because he or she is not a member of that group

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mere exposure effect

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the outcome that the more we encounter someone or something (a person, a word, and image) the more likely we are to start liking the person or thing even if we do not realize we have seen it before.

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romantic love

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also called passionate love, the type of love that has strong components of sexuality and infatuation and infatuation and often predominates the early part of a love relationships.

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affectionate love

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also called compassionate love; the type of love that occurs when the individuals desire to have a person near and have a deep, caring affection for the person.

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social exchange theory

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a theory based on the notion of social relationships as involving an exchange of goods, the objective of which is to minimize costs and maximize benefits

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investment model

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a model emphasizing the ways that commitment, investment, and the availability of attractive alternative partners predict satisfaction and stability in relationships

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social support

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information and feedback from others that one is loved and cared for, esteemed and valued, and included in a network of communication and mutual obligation