 | Term | Definition |
| |
Actor-Observer Bias |
Refers to the tendency of an individual to regard situations in which he or she is involved as caused by external factors, and to regard situations he or she observes as caused by the actions of those involved. |
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Aggression |
Any physical or verbal behavior intended to hurt or destroy. |
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Altruism |
Unselfish regard for the welfare of others. |
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Attitude |
A belief and feeling that predisposes one to respond in a particular way to objects, people, and events. |
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Attribution |
Judgments about the causes of outcomes. |
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Attribution Theory |
The theory that we tend to give a causal explanation for someone's behavior, often by crediting either the situation or the person's disposition. |
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Bystander Effect |
The tendency for any given person to be less likely to give aid if other persons are present. |
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Cognitive Dissonance Theory |
The theory that we act to reduce the discomfort we feel when two of our thoughts are inconsistent. |
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Companionate Love |
The deep affectionate attachment we feel for those with whom our lives are intertwined. |
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Conflict |
A perceived incompatibility of actions, goals, or ideas. |
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Conformity |
Adjusting one's behavior or thinking to coincide with a group standard. |
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Culture |
The enduring behaviors, ideas, attitudes, and traditions shared by a large group of people and transmitted from one generation to the next. |
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Deindividuation |
The loss of self-awareness and self-restraint occurring in group situations that foster arousal and anonymity. |
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Diffusion of Responsibility |
In emergency situations, the larger the number of bystanders, the less responsibility any one bystander feels to help. |
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Discrimination |
(social behavior) - In social relations, taking action against a group of people because of stereotyped beliefs and feelings of prejudice. |
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Equity |
A condition in which people receive from a relationship in proportion to what they give to it. |
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Facial Feedback Hypothesis |
States that facial movement could influence emotional experience. |
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Foot-in-the-door Phenomenon |
The tendency for people who have first agreed to a small request to comply later with a larger request. |
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Frustration-aggression Principle |
The principle that frustration -the blocking of an attempt to achieve some goal- creates anger, which can generate aggression. |
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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. |
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Gender Identity |
One's sense of being male or female. |
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Gender Role |
A set of expected behaviors for males and females. |
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Gender Schema Theory |
The theory that children learn from their cultures a concept of what it means to be a male and female and that they adjust their behavior accordingly. |
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Gender-typing |
The acquisition of a traditional masculine or feminine role. |
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GRIT |
Graduated and Reciprocated Initiatives in Tension-Reduction. A strategy designed to decrease international tensions. |
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Group Polarization |
The enhancement of a group's prevailing attitudes through discussion within the group. |
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Groupthink |
The mode of thinking that occurs when the desire for harmony in a decision-making group overrides a realistic appraisal of alternatives. |
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Informational Social Influence |
Influence resulting from one's willingness to accept other's opinions about reality. |
| |
Ingroup |
"Us" - People with whom one shares a common identity. |
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Ingroup Bias |
The tendency to favor one's own group. |
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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. |
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Memes |
Self-replicating ideas, fashions, and innovations passed from person to person. |
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Mere Exposure Effect |
The phenomenon that repeated exposure to novel stimuli increases liking of them. |
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Norm |
An understood rule for accepted and expected behavior. It prescribes "proper" behavior. |
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Normative Social Influence |
Influence resulting from a person's desire to gain approval or avoid disapproval. |
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Obedience |
Submissive compliance is the act of following orders from others. |
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Outgroup |
"Them" - Those perceived as different or apart from one's ingroup. |
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Passionate Love |
An aroused state of intense positive absorption in another, usually present at the beginning of a love relationship. |
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Personal Space |
The buffer zone we like to maintain around our bodies. |
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Prejudice |
An unjustifiable (and usually negative) attitude toward a group and its members. Generally involves stereotyped beliefs, negative feelings, and a predisposition to discriminatory action. |
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Role |
A set of expectations (norms) about a social position, defining how those in the position ought to behave. |
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Scapegoat Theory |
The theory that prejudice offers an outlet for anger by providing someone to blame. |
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Self Serving Bias |
A readiness to perceive oneself favorably. |
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Self-disclosure |
Revealing intimate aspects of oneself to others. |
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Self-fulfilling Prophecy |
A prediction made about some future behavior or event that modifies interactions so as to produce what is expected. |
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Social Exchange Theory |
The theory that our social behavior is an exchange process, the aim of which is to maximize benefits and minimize costs. |
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Social Facilitation |
Improved performance of tasks in the presence of others; occurs with simple or well-learned tasks but not with tasks that are difficult or not yet mastered. |
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Social Learning Theory |
The theory that we learn social behavior by observing and imitating and by being rewarded or punished. |
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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. |
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Social Norms |
The expectation a group has for its members regarding acceptable and appropriate attitudes and behaviors. |
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Social Phobia |
A persistent, irrational fear that arises in anticipation of a public situation in which an individual can be observed by others. |
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Social Psychology |
The scientific study of how we think about, influence, and relate to one another. |
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Social Trap |
A situation in which the conflicting parties, by each rationally pursuing their self-interest, become caught in mutually destructive behavior. |
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Stereotype |
A generalization (sometimes accurate but often overgeneralized) belief about a group of people. |
| |
Superordinate Goals |
Shared goals that override differences among people and require their cooperation. |
| Add or remove terms from this set |
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