Social Psychology

The branch of psychology that studies how people think, feel, and behave in social situations

Social influence

The study of the effects of situational factors and other people on an individual’s behavior

Person perception

The mental processes we use to form judgments and draw conclusions about the characteristics and motives of others

Social norms

The “rules,” or expectations, for appropriate behavior in a particular social situation

Attribution

The mental process of inferring the causes of people’s behavior, including one’s own. Also refers to the explanation made for a particular behavior

Fundamental attribution error

The tendency to attribute the behavior of others to internal, personal characteristics, while ignoring or underestimating the effects of external, situational factors; an attribution bias that is common in individualistic cultures

Blaming the victim

The tendency to blame an innocent victim of misfortune for having somehow caused the problem or for not having taken steps to avoid it or prevent it

Just-world hypothesis

The assumption that the world is fair and hence, people get what they deserve and deserve what they get

Actor-observer discrepancy

The tendency to attribute one’s own behavior to external, situational causes, while attributing the behavior of others to internal, personal causes; especially likely to occur with regard to behaviors that lead to negative outcomes

Self-serving bias

The tendency to attribute successful outcomes of one’s own behavior to internal causes and unsuccessful outcomes to external, situational causes

Attitude

A learned tendency to evaluate some object, person, or issue in a particular way; such evaluations may be positive, negative, or ambivalent

Cognitive dissonance

An unpleasant state of psychological tension or arousal (dissonance) that occurs when two thoughts or perceptions (cognitions) are inconsistent; typically results from the awareness that attitudes and behavior are in conflict

Prejudice

A negative attitude toward people who belong to a specific social group

Stereotype

A cluster of characteristics that are associated with all members of a special social group, often including qualities that are unrelated to the objective criteria that define the group

In-group

A social group to which one belo ngs

Out-group

A social group to which one does not belong

Out-group homogeneity effect

The tendency to see members of out-groups as very similar to one another

In-group bias

The tendency to judge the behavior of in-group members favorably and out-group members unfavorably

Ethnocentrism

The belief that one;s own culture or ethnic group is superior to all others and the related tendency to use one;s own culture as a standard by which to judge other cultures

Social influence

The study of the effects of situational factors and other people on an individual’s behavior

Conformity

The tendency to adjust one’s behavior attitudes, or beliefs to group norms in response to real or imagines group pressure

Normative social influence

Behavior that is motivated by the desire to gain social acceptance and approval

Informational social influence

Behavior that is motivated by the desire to be correct

Obedience

The performance of an action in response to the direct orders of an authority or person of higher status

Altruism

Helping another person with no expectation of personal reward or benefit

Prosocial behavior

Any behavior that helps another, whether the underlying motive is self-serving or selfless

Bystander effect

The phenomenon in which the greater the number of people present, the less likely each individual is to help someone in distress

Diffusion of responsibility

The phenomenon in which the presence of other people makes it less likely that any individual will help someone in distress because the obligation to intervene is shared among all the onlookers

Social loafing

The tendency to expend less effort on a task when it is a group effort

Social facilitation

The tendency for the presence of other people to enhance individual performance

Deindividution

The reduction of self-awareness and inhibitions that can occur when a person is part of a group whose members feel anonymous

Persuasion

The deliberate attempt to influence the attitudes or behavior of another person in a situation in which that person has some freedom of choice

Solomon Asch (1907-1996)

American social psychologist who is best known for his pioneering studies of conformity

John M. Darley (b. 1938)

Contemporary American social psychologist who, along with co-researcher Bibb Latane, is best known for his pioneering studies of bystander intervention in emergency situations

Bibb Latane (b.1937)

Contemporary American social psychologist wh, along with co-researcher John Darley, is best known for his pioneering studies of bystander intervention in emergency situations

Stanley Milgram (1933-1984)

American social psychologist who is best known for his controversial series of studies investigating destructive obedience to an authority

Muzafer Sherif (1906-1988)

American social psychologist who is best known for his Robbers Cave experiments to study prejudice, conflict resolution, and group processes