Psych Ch 13

social psychologists

scientific study of how we think about, influence, relate to one another, social influences explain why a person will act differently in different situations

attribution theory

theory we can explain someones behavior by crediting either situation or persons disposition (ex. one person is quiet while another is loud because of their enduring disposition)

fundamental attribution error

tendency for observers, when analyzing behavior, to underestimate impact of situation and overestimate impact of personal disposition (ex. quiet person in class may be loud at a party)

attitude

feelings, often influenced by beliefs, predispose us to respond in particular way to objects, people, events, attitudes affect actions and vice versa, can move from negative to positive (ex. if we believe someone is threatening, we feel fear and anger, act defensive)

peripheral route persuasion

occurs when people influenced by incidental cues, thoughtless change in attitude (ex. believe a trusted politician that declares climate change is a hoax, perfume ads)

central route persuasion

occurs when interested people focus on arguments and respond with favorable thoughts, more durable because they are more thoughtful and less superficial, usually in long form info (ex. climate scientists present evidence of climate change)

foot in the door phenomenon

tendency for people who have first agreed to small request to comply later with a larger request, over a long time (ex. ask someone for a small amount of money at first, then larger sum)

door in the face phenomenon

first make a large request, knowing they’ll say no, then ask for less (ex. ask for a $1,000 from a friend, then ask for only $100 when they say no)

role

set of expectations (norms) about social position, define how those in position ought to behave, roles affect attitudes

cognitive dissonance theory

we act to reduce discomfort (dissonance) we feel when two thoughts (cognitive) are inconsistent, “if I chose to do it, I must believe in it”, (ex. when become aware of attitudes and actions clashing, reduce dissonance by changing attitude)

chameleon effect

humans take on emotional tones of those around us, natural mimics, imitate others expressions, postures, voice-tones (Chartrand and Bargh)

mood linkage

sharing of moods (ex. feel happier around happy people vs. depressed people)

conformity

adjusting behavior/thinking to coincide with group standard, likely to conform when feel incompetent in group with at least 3, everyone else agrees, you admire group status, you haven’t made a prior commitment to a response, you know others with observe behaviors, or from culture that strongly encourages respect for social standards

normative social influence

influence resulting from persons desires to gain approval/avoid disapproval, need to follow social norms to belong

informational social influence

influence resulting from ones willingness to accept others opinions about reality in order to be correct, occurs when we don’t have enough information

social facilitation

improved performance on simple or well-learned tasks in presence of others, perform worse when observed for tougher tasks, become aroused when observed, strengthens most likely response

social loafing

tendency for people in groups to exert less effort when pooling efforts towards attaining common goal than when individually accountable in group, worry less about what others think, group members view individual contributions as dispensable, may free ride on others efforts (ex. group tug of war)

deindividuation

loss of self-awareness and self-restraint occurring in group situations that foster arousal and anonymity (ex. “give a man a mask and he will show you his true face”)

group polarization

enhancement of groups prevailing inclinations through discussion within group, like minded people connect and amplify, echo chambers, (ex. high-prejudice students become more prejudice when talking about racial issues, low-prejudice students become less prejudice when talking)

group think

mode of thinking that occurs when desire for harmony in decision-making group overrides realistic appraisal of alternatives, value unity more

minority influence

power of one/two individuals to sway majorities, hold firmly to position, majority privately develop sympathy

prejudice

unjustifiable (usually negative) attitude towards group and members, generally involve stereotyped beliefs, negative feelings, predisposition to discriminatory action, grow from attitudes and actions

stereotype

generalized belief about group of people, sometimes accurate, often overgeneralized

discrimination

unjustifiable negative behavior toward group and members

just-world phenomenon

tendency for people believe world is just and people therefore get what they deserve and deserve what they get

ingroup

“us” people with whom we share common identity

outgroup

“them” those perceived as different/apart from ingroup

ingroup bias

tendency to favor your own group

scapegoat theory

theory that prejudice offers outlet for anger by providing someone to blame (ex. blaming Arab-Americans for 9/11)

outgroup homogeneity

overestimate homogeneity of others groups, “they” seem to look/act similar, “we” are more diverse

other-race effect (cross-race effect/own-race bias)

tendency to recall faces of ones own race more accurately than faces of other races, get better at recognizing faces of other group with effort and experience

aggression

any act intended to harm someone physically/emotionally

frustration-aggression principle

principle that frustration creates anger. generates aggression

social script

culturally modeled guide for how to act in various situations

mere exposure effect

phenomenon that repeated exposure to novel stimuli increase liking of them

reward theory of attraction

we like those whose behavior rewarding to us, when people live/work in close proximity, requires less time and effort to develop friendship and benefits, associating with attractive people can be socially rewarding, people share views and reward by validating beliefs

passionate love

aroused state of intense positive absorption in another, usually present at beginning of new love relationship, arousal from excitement of new relationship and finding them attractive

companionate love

deep affectionate attachment we feel for those with whom lives intertwined, oxytocin supports feelings of trust, calmness, and bonding with mate

equity

condition in which people receive from relationship in proportion to what they give it

explicit prejudice

conscious negative attitude towards a group (ex. “I hate old people”)

implicit prejudice

negative attitude towards a group that you aren’t consciously aware of (ex. social inequalities)

self disclosure

act of revealing intimate aspects of oneself to others

altruism

unselfish regard for welfare of others

bystander effect

tendency for any given bystander to be less likely to give aid if other bystanders are present

social exchange theory

theory that social behavior is an exchange process, aim of which to maximize benefits and minimize costs (ex. break up with someone because leaving them is more advantageous than staying)

reciprocity norm

expectation people will help, not hurt, those who helped them

social responsibility norm

expectation people will help those in need of their help

conflict

perceived incompatibility of actions, goals, ideas

social traps

situation where conflicting parties become caught up in mutually destructive behavior by pursuing self interest rather than good of group

mirror image perceptions

mutual views are often held by conflicting people, as when each side sees itself as ethical and peaceful and views other side as evil aggressive

self-fulfilling prophecy

belief that leads to its own fulfillment

superordinate goals

shared goals that overrides differences among people and require cooperation

Graduated and Reciprocated Initiatives in Tension-Reduction (GRIT)

strategy designed to decrease international tensions