Social Psychology Terms Flashcards

Questions and Answers

What is the definition of Informational Social Influence?

A theoretical model that posits two channels by which persuasive appeals lead to attitude change

Influence resulting from a person's desire to gain approval or avoid disapproval

The idea that if you do something for someone, they owe you something in return

Influence resulting from one's willingness to accept other's opinions about reality (correct)

What is Normative Social Influence?

Influence resulting from a person's desire to gain approval or avoid disapproval

What does the Elaboration Likelihood Model (ELM) propose?

A theoretical model that posits two channels by which persuasive appeals lead to attitude change: a central route and a peripheral route

What is Reciprocity?

The idea that if you do something for someone, they owe you something in return Signup and view all the answers

What is Scapegoat Theory?

The theory that prejudice offers an outlet for anger by providing someone to blame Signup and view all the answers

What does Ethnocentrism mean?

Belief in the superiority of one's own ethnic group Signup and view all the answers

Define Altruism.

The quality of unselfish concern for the welfare of others Signup and view all the answers

What is a Social Group?

A collection of people who interact with one another and have a certain feeling of unity Signup and view all the answers

What are Norms?

Rules and expectations by which a society guides the behavior of its members Signup and view all the answers

What are Roles in the context of a group?

The different positions in the group, each with its own set of norms Signup and view all the answers

What was the Latane & Darley Study about?

It demonstrated pluralistic ignorance where individuals are less likely to respond to emergencies when others are present. Signup and view all the answers

What did the Sherif Study reveal?

It showed how competition can create intergroup hostility, which can be reduced through cooperation on superordinate goals. Signup and view all the answers

What did the Rosenthal & Jacobson Study aim to test?

The existence of the Pygmalion Effect in schools Signup and view all the answers

What was the focus of the Zimbardo Study?

How people behave when they are asked to play roles, particularly as prison guards or prisoners Signup and view all the answers

Define Out-Group Homogeneity.

Tendency to view all individuals outside our group as highly similar Signup and view all the answers

What is In-Group Bias?

Tendency to favor individuals within our group over those from outside our group Signup and view all the answers

What are Dispositional Factors?

Personal factors of the individual being the main explanation for their behavior Signup and view all the answers

What are Situational Factors?

Environmental stimuli that affect a person's behavior Signup and view all the answers

What are Superordinate Goals?

Shared goals that override differences among people and require their cooperation Signup and view all the answers

What is the Frustration-Aggression Hypothesis?

Theory arguing that aggression is the natural reaction to frustration Signup and view all the answers

What does Attribution Theory suggest?

It suggests we tend to give a causal explanation for someone's behavior by crediting the situation or the person's disposition. Signup and view all the answers

Define Actor-Observer Bias.

The tendency to attribute other people's behavior to internal causes while attributing our own behavior to external causes Signup and view all the answers

What is the Central Route of Persuasion?

The speaker uses facts, figures, and other information to enable listeners to process information and think about their opinions Signup and view all the answers

What does the Peripheral Route of Persuasion involve?

Superficial factors used as distractors, leading to less stable change in attitudes Signup and view all the answers

Define Instrumental Aggression.

Aggression as a means to some goal other than causing pain Signup and view all the answers

What is Hostile Aggression?

Aggression stemming from feelings of anger and aimed at inflicting pain Signup and view all the answers

What is the False-Consensus Effect?

The tendency to overestimate the extent to which others share our beliefs and behaviors Signup and view all the answers

What did the Milgram Study investigate?

The tendency to obey authority figures, even to the point of causing harm to others Signup and view all the answers

What was the Asch Study about?

It demonstrated how participants conformed to incorrect answers given by others in a group setting. Signup and view all the answers

What was the conclusion of the Festinger Study?

That humans will convince themselves that a lie is true when not given sufficient justification for lying. Signup and view all the answers

Define Stereotypes.

Generalized beliefs about what members of an identifiable group are like Signup and view all the answers

What is Prejudice?

A negative attitude formed toward an individual or group without sufficient experience with them Signup and view all the answers

What does Discrimination refer to?

Unjustifiable negative behavior toward a group or its members Signup and view all the answers

What is the Just-World Phenomenon?

The tendency to believe the world is just and that people therefore get what they deserve Signup and view all the answers

What does Conformity mean?

Adjusting one's behavior or thinking to coincide with a group standard Signup and view all the answers

Define Compliance.

An act of doing as another wishes or yielding to a request or command Signup and view all the answers

What is the Foot-In-The-Door phenomenon?

A phenomenon where people who agree to a small request are more likely to later agree to a larger request Signup and view all the answers

What is Cognitive Dissonance?

An uncomfortable mental state due to conflicts between attitudes or between attitudes and behavior Signup and view all the answers

What is the Bystander Effect?

The tendency to not offer help when needed if others are present who do not offer help Signup and view all the answers

What does Door-In-The-Face refer to?

A request that will be surely turned down, only to be followed by a lesser request Signup and view all the answers

What is Social Loafing?

The tendency for people in a group to exert less effort when pooling their efforts toward a common goal Signup and view all the answers

Define Deindividuation.

The loss of self-awareness and self-restraint occurring in group situations that foster arousal and anonymity Signup and view all the answers

What is Social Facilitation?

Improved performance of tasks in the presence of others Signup and view all the answers

What is Group Polarization?

The enhancement of a group's prevailing attitudes through discussion within the group Signup and view all the answers

What does Groupthink refer to?

The mode of thinking that occurs when the desire for harmony in a decision-making group overrides a realistic appraisal of alternatives Signup and view all the answers

What is Diffusion of Responsibility?

Reduction in sense of responsibility often felt by individuals in a group Signup and view all the answers

Define Fundamental Attribution Error.

The tendency for observers, when analyzing another's behavior, to underestimate situational impacts and overestimate personal disposition Signup and view all the answers

What is Self-Serving Bias?

The tendency to assign oneself credit for successes but to blame failures on external forces Signup and view all the answers

What is a Self-Fulfilling Prophecy?

An expectation that causes you to act in ways that make that expectation come true Signup and view all the answers

What does the Mere Exposure Effect suggest?

That repeated exposure to novel stimuli increases liking of them Signup and view all the answers

Study Notes

Informational Social Influence: Acceptance of others' opinions about reality, influencing personal beliefs or behaviors.
Normative Social Influence: Desire for approval or to avoid disapproval leads to conformity to group norms.
Elaboration Likelihood Model (ELM): Persuasive appeals affect attitude change via two routes: central (logic-based) and peripheral (superficial cues).
Reciprocity: The principle that doing something for someone creates an obligation for them to return the favor.
Scapegoat Theory: Prejudice serves as an outlet for anger by providing a target for blame.
Ethnocentrism: Belief in the superiority of one’s own ethnic group over others.
Altruism: Unselfish concern for the welfare of others, characterized by selfless acts.
Social Group: A collection of individuals who interact and share a sense of unity.
Norms: Established rules and expectations that guide societal behavior.
Roles: Different positions within a group, each accompanied by specific norms.
Latane & Darley Study: Demonstrated pluralistic ignorance; individuals are less likely to respond to emergencies when others are passive.
Sherif Study: Showed that competition can foster intergroup hostility, which can be mitigated through cooperation on shared goals.
Rosenthal & Jacobson Study: Explored the Pygmalion Effect, finding that expectations influence student performance.
Zimbardo Study: Investigated how assigned roles (prison guards or prisoners) can impact behavior and social dynamics.
Out-Group Homogeneity: The tendency to perceive individuals from outside one's group as more similar than they might be.
In-Group Bias: Preferring members of one's own group over those from outside the group.
Dispositional Factors: Personal characteristics that are seen as the primary cause of an individual’s behavior.
Situational Factors: Environmental influences that can affect behavior.
Superordinate Goals: Goals that require cooperation among different groups and unify individuals towards a common end.
Frustration-Aggression Hypothesis: Argues that frustration often leads to aggressive behavior.
Attribution Theory: Framework for understanding how individuals explain causes of behavior, attributing it to either situational or dispositional factors.
Actor-Observer Bias: A cognitive bias where one's own behavior is attributed to external factors, while others' behaviors are attributed to internal characteristics.
Central Route of Persuasion: Involves presenting facts and evidence to appeal to a thoughtful audience, resulting in stable attitude change.
Peripheral Route of Persuasion: Uses superficial cues (like attractiveness) to persuade, leading to less stable attitude change.
Instrumental Aggression: Aggression as a means to achieve a goal, not primarily to cause pain.
Hostile Aggression: Aggression driven by anger aimed explicitly at inflicting harm.
False-Consensus Effect: The tendency to overestimate how much others agree with our beliefs and behaviors.
Milgram Study: Investigated obedience to authority, revealing people's willingness to inflict harm under authoritative commands.
Asch Study: Examined conformity, demonstrating that individuals often conform to incorrect group answers.
Festinger Study: Explored cognitive dissonance, showing that people may change beliefs to align with their actions when insufficient justification is provided.
Stereotypes: Generalized beliefs about groups that influence perceptions of individual members.
Prejudice: An unfavorable attitude toward a group or individual without adequate personal experience.
Discrimination: Negative behaviors directed at a group or its members, often unjustified.
Just-World Phenomenon: The belief that the world is just, leading to the perception that individuals get what they deserve.
Conformity: Adjusting attitudes or behaviors to align with group norms.
Compliance: Yielding to a request or command from others.
Foot-In-The-Door Technique: A strategy where a small request is followed by a larger request, often leading to compliance.
Cognitive Dissonance: Psychological discomfort arising from conflicting attitudes or behaviors.
Bystander Effect: The phenomenon where individuals are less likely to offer help in emergencies when others are present.
Door-In-The-Face Technique: A strategy where an initial large request is made, followed by a smaller, more reasonable request.
Social Loafing: The tendency for individuals to exert less effort in a group context compared to when they are accountable individually.
Deindividuation: Loss of self-awareness in group settings, leading to decreased personal accountability.
Social Facilitation: Improved performance of well-mastered tasks in the presence of others, with the opposite effect on difficult tasks.
Group Polarization: Discussion within a group can enhance the group's prevailing attitudes.
Groupthink: A mode of decision-making that prioritizes harmony over realistic assessments of alternatives.
Diffusion of Responsibility: Reduced personal responsibility experienced by individuals in a group, contributing to phenomena like the bystander effect.
Fundamental Attribution Error: The tendency to overestimate personal traits and underestimate situational factors in others' behaviors.
Self-Serving Bias: The tendency to attribute personal successes to internal factors while blaming failures on external circumstances.
Self-Fulfilling Prophecy: Expectations that cause individuals to act in ways that confirm those expectations.
Mere Exposure Effect: Increased liking of stimuli upon repeated exposure.

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Test your knowledge of key terms in social psychology with this flashcard quiz. Each card presents a concept and its definition, helping you to better understand informational and normative social influence, as well as the Elaboration Likelihood Model. Ideal for students and enthusiasts of psychology.