social thinking and social influence

Question 1

social psychology

Answer 1

the scientific study of how we think about, influence, and relate to one another.

Question 2

attribution theory

Answer 2

the theory that we explain someone’s behavior by crediting either the situation or the person’s disposition.

Question 3

fundametal atrribution error

Answer 3

the tendency for observers, when analyzing others’ behavior, to underestimate the impact of the situation and to overestimate the impact of personal disposition.

Question 4

attitude

Answer 4

feelings, often influenced by our beliefs, that predispose us to respond in a particular way to objects, people, and events.

Question 5

foot in the door phenomenon

Answer 5

the tendency for people who have first agreed to a small request to comply later with a larger request.

Question 6

role

Answer 6

a set of expectations (norms) about a social position, defining how those in the position ought to behave.

Question 7

cognitive dissonance theory

Answer 7

the theory that we act to reduce the discomfort (dissonance) we feel when two of our thoughts (cognitions) are inconsistent. For example, when we become aware that our attitudes and our actions clash, we can reduce the resulting dissonance by changing our attitudes.

Question 8

peripheral route persuasion

Answer 8

occurs when people are influenced by incidental cues, such as a speaker’s attractiveness.

Question 9

central route persuasion

Answer 9

occurs when interested people’s thinking is influenced by considering evidence and arguments

Question 10

norms

Answer 10

understood rules for accepted and expected behavior. Norms prescribe “proper” behavior

Question 11

culture

Answer 11

the enduring behaviors, ideas, attitudes, values, and traditions shared by a group of people and transmitted from one generation to the next

Question 12

tight culture

Answer 12

places with clearly defined and reliably imposed norms

Question 13

loose culture

Answer 13

places with flexible and informal norms.

Question 14

conformity

Answer 14

adjusting our behavior or thinking to coincide with a group standard.

Question 15

normative social influence

Answer 15

influence resulting from a person’s desire to gain approval or avoid disapproval.

Question 16

informational social influence

Answer 16

influence resulting from a person’s willingness to accept others’ opinions about reality.

Question 17

social facilitation

Answer 17

in the presence of others, improved performance on simple or well-learned tasks, and worsened performance on difficult tasks.

Question 18

social loafing

Answer 18

the tendency for people in a group to exert less effort when pooling their efforts toward attaining a common goal than when individually accountable.

Question 19

deindividuation

Answer 19

the loss of self-awareness and self-restraint occurring in group situations that foster arousal and anonymity

Question 20

group polarization

Answer 20

the enhancement of a group’s prevailing inclinations through discussion within the group

Question 21

groupthink

Answer 21

the modes of thinking that occurs whe the desire for harmony in a decision making group overrides a realistic appriasal of alternatives