Chapter 13 Social Psychology Key Terms Psych Final Study Guide Social Psychology study of how people influence others behavior beliefs and attitudes Internal Personal Disposition Attribution Attribution process of assigning causes to behavior External Situational Attribution Fundamental Attribution Error tendency to overestimate the impact of dispositional influences on other people s behavior Social Influence Conformity tendency of people to alter their behavior as a result of group pressure Obedience adherence to instructions from those of higher authority Destructive Obedience Cognitive Dissonance unpleasant mental experience of tension resulting from two conflicting thoughts or beliefs Social Validation Persuasion Consistency Reciprocation Liking Authority Foot in the Door Technique persuasive technique involving making a small Scarcity request before making a bigger one Door in the Face Technique persuasive technique involving making an unreasonably large request before making the small request we re hoping to have granted Lowball Technique persuasive technique in which the seller of a product starts by quoting a low sales price and then mentions all of the add on costs once the customer has agreed to purchase the product Prosocial Behavior Altruism helping other for unselfish reasons Bysander Apathy Bystander Effect Pluralistic Ignorance error of assuming that no one in a group perceives things as we do presence of others Diffusion of Responsibility reduction in feelings of personal responsibility in the Need to Belong Theory we humans have a biologically based need for interpersonal connections Social Comparison Theory theory that we seek to evaluate our abilities and beliefs by comparing them with those of others Social Contagion Mass Hysteria outbreak of irrational behavior that is spread by social contagion Social Facilitation enhancement of performance brought about by the presence of others Social Disruption Deindividuation tendency of people to engage in uncharacteristic behavior when they are stripped of their usual identities Stanford Prison Study Groupthink emphasis on group unanimity at the expense of critical thinking Group Polarization tendency of group discussion to strengthen the dominant positions held by individual group members Cult group of individuals who exhibit intense and unquestioning devotion to a single cause Inoculation Effect approach to convincing people to change their minds about something by first introducing reason why the perspective might be correct and then debunking them Social Loafing phenomenon whereby individuals become less productive in groups Enlightenment Effect learning about psychological research can change real world behavior for the better Aggression behavior intended to harm others either verbally or physically Relational Aggression form of indirect aggression prevalent in girls involving spreading rumors gossiping and using nonverbal putdowns for the purpose of social manipulation Culture of Honor Attitude belief that includes an emotional component Self Monitoring personality trait that assesses the extent to which people s behavior reflects their true feelings and attitudes Recognition Heuristic Bandwagon Fallacy Self Perception Theory theory that we acquire our attitudes by observing our behaviors Impression Management Theory theory that we don t really change our attitudes but report that we have so our behaviors appear consistent with our attitudes But You Are Free Technique persuasive technique in which we convince someone to perform a favor for us by telling them that they are free not to do it Implicit Egotism Effect Prejudice the drawing of negative conclusions about a person group of people or situation prior to evaluating the evidence Stereotype a belief positive or negative about the characteristics of members of a group that is applied generally to most members of the group Illusory Correlation perception of a statistical association between two variables where none exists Ultimate Attribution Error assumption that behaviors among individual members of a group are due to their internal dispositions Adaptive Conservatism evolutionary principle that creates a predisposition toward distrusting anything or anyone unfamiliar or different In Group Bias tendency to favor individuals within our group over those from outside our group Out Group Homogeneity tendency to view all individuals outside our group as highly similar Discrimination negative behavior toward members of out groups Scapegoat Hypothesis claim that prejudice arises from a need to blame other groups for our misfortunes Just World Hypothesis claim that our attributions and behaviors are shaped by a deep seated assumption that the world is fair and all things happen for a reason Implicit Prejudice unfounded negative belief of which we re unaware regarding the characteristics of an out group Robber s Cave Study Jigsaw Classroom educational approach designed to minimize prejudice by requiring all children to make independent contributions to a shared project Consider how a social psychologist views the world Understand the difference between a dispositional and situational attribution o Dispositional influences enduring characteristics such as personality traits attitudes and intelligence o Situational influences we attribute too little of their behavior to what s going Objectives on around them Explain the fundamental attribution error o Tendency to overestimate the impact of dispositional influences on other people s behavior social influence Recognize the distinction between normative social influence and informational Consider factors that contribute to obedience in Milgram s studies o The greater the psychological distance between the teacher and experimenter the less obedience As the experimenter became more psychologically distant as when he gave instructions by telephone compliance plummeted o The greater the psychological distance between the teacher and learner the more the obedience When Milgram increased psychological distance between teacher and learner by having the teacher direct someone else to administer the shocks there was virtually complete compliance Explain the real world implications of Milram s studies o The power of authority figures is greater than almost anyone imagined o Obedience doesn t typically result from sadism Examine why cognitive dissonance occurs and explain how cognitive dissonance can be reduced o Cognitive