week 6 Flashcards
social psychology
the subfield of psychology that explores the effects of the social world on the behavior and mental processes of individuals and groups
Social cognition
mental processes associated with people’s perceptions of and reactions to other people
Self-concept
the way one thinks of oneself
Self-esteem
the evaluations people make of their worth as human beings
Social comparison
using other people as a basis of comparison for evaluating oneself
Reference groups
categories of people with whom individuals compare themselves
Social identity
the beliefs we hold about the groups to which we belong
Social perception
the processes through which people interpret information about others, draw inferences about them, and develop mental representations of them
Schemas
generalizations about categories of objects, places, events, and people
Self-fulfilling prophesy
a process in which an initial impression causes us to bring out behavior in another that confirms the impression
Attribution
the process of explaining the causes of people’s behavior, including our own
Fundamental attribution error
a bias toward attributing the behavior of others to internal factors
Actor-observer effect
the tendency to attribute other people’s behavior to internal causes while attributing one’s own behavior to external causes
Self-serving bias
the tendency to attribute one’s successes to internal characteristics while blaming one’s failures on external causes
Attitude
a tendency toward a particular cognitive, emotional, or behavioral reaction to objects in one’s environment
Elaboration likelihood model
a model of attitude change suggesting that people can change their attitudes through a central route (by considering an argument’s content) or through a peripheral route (by relying on irrelevant persuasion cues)
Cognitive dissonance theory
a theory that attitude change is driven by efforts to reduce tension caused by inconsistencies between attitudes and behaviors
Stereotypes
false assumptions that all members of some group share the same characteristics
Prejudice
a positive or negative attitude toward people in certain groups
Social discrimination
differential treatment of people in certain groups: the behavioral component of prejudice
Contact hypothesis
the idea that stereotypes and prejudice toward a group will diminish as contact with the group increases
Matching hypothesis
the notion that people are most likely to form committed relationships with those who are similar to themselves in physical attractiveness
Social norms
learned, socially-based rules that prescribe what people should or should not do in various situations
Deindividuation
a psychological state occurring in group members that results in loss of individuality and a tendency to do things not normally done when alone
