 | Term | Definition |
| |
social psychology |
the scientific study of how we think about, influence, and relate to one another |
| |
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 |
| |
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 |
a belief and feeling that predisposes one 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 we feel when two of out thoughts are inconsistent |
| |
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 |
| |
informative social influence |
influence resulting from one's willingness to accept others' opinions about reality |
| |
social facilitation |
improved performance of tasts in the presence of others; occurs with simple or well-learned tasks but not with tasks that are difficult or not yet mastered |
| |
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 occuring in group situations that foster arousal and anonymity |
| |
group polarization |
the enhancement of a group's prevailing attitudes through discussion within a 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 attitude toward a group and its members |
| |
stereotype |
a generalized belief about a group of people |
| |
ingroup |
"us"- people with whom one shares a common identity |
| |
outgroup |
"them"- those perceived as different or apart from one's group |
| |
ingroup bias |
the tendency to favor one's ingroup |
| |
scapegoat theory |
the theory that prejudice offers an outlet for anger by providing someone to blame |
| |
just-worl phenomenon |
the tendency of people to believe the world is just and that people therefore will get what they deserve and deserve what they get |
| |
aggression |
any physical or verbal behavior intended to hurt or destroy |
| |
frustration-aggression principle |
the principle that frutration creates anger, which can generate aggression |
| |
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 |
| |
mere exposure effect |
the phenomenon that repeated exposure to novel stimuli increases liking of them |
| |
passionate love |
an aroused state of intense positive absorption in another, usually present at the beginning of a love relationship |
| |
companionate love |
the deep affectionate attachment we feel for those with whom our lives are intertwined |
| |
equity |
a condition in which people receive from a relationship in proportion to what they give to it |
| |
self-disclosure |
revealing intimate aspects of oneself to others |
| |
altruism |
unselfish regard for the welfare of others |
| |
bystander effect |
the tendency for any given bystander to be less likely to give aid if other bystanders are present |
| |
social exchange theory |
the theory that our social behavior is an exchange process, the aim of which is to maximize benefits and minimize costs |
| |
superordinate goals |
shared goals that override differences among people and require their cooperation |
| |
GRIT |
Graduated and Reciprocated Initiatives in Tension-Reduction - a strategy designed to decrease international tensions |
