Social Psychology

helping others without concern for personal benefits

way of thinking about a person, idea, or object that is based on personal evaluations and beliefs

causal explanation for events or behaviors

phenomenon in which a person is unlikely to give aid if other people are present but not intervening

direct route to attitude or behavior change based on logic, data, and facts

psychological discomfort arising from having two or more inconsistent attitudes or behaviors

type of social influence involving a change in thoughts, feelings, or behaviors in an effort to fit in with a group

loss of self-awareness in groups

tendency for people to take less responsibility for their individual behavior when others are present

unfair treatment of people based solely on their social group

idea that people's behavior is motivated by self-serving interests

idea that blocked progress toward a goal creates frustration, which then promotes aggressive behavior

tendency to overestimate the role of personal factors in other people's behavior and to underestimate the role of situational factors

ability of group discussion to shift individuals to positions that are more extreme than their initial opinions

decision-making process in which pressure to align with the group consensus discourages critical thinking and leads to flawed reasoning

tendency for people to form friendships, romantic relationships, and business partnerships with those who are similar to themselves

assessment used to uncover unconscious biases about certain people or groups

negative attitudes, stereotypes, and behaviors toward members of a group that occur mostly outside of a person's conscious awareness

tendency to positively attribute behaviors to one's in-group and negatively attribute behaviors to an out-group

developing resistance to persuasion through repeated exposure to arguments that challenge one's beliefs

hypothesis stating that people deserve what they get and get what they deserve

tendency for people to develop a preference for people and things that are familiar

belief that all members of an out-group are similar

indirect route to attitude or behavior change based on a large number of superficial arguments

preconceived negative attitude or belief toward a person or group that is not based on evidence or experience

describes the tendency for in-group members to blame people outside their in-group for their frustrations or disappointments

theory that people are inclined to maximize rewards and minimize costs in relationships

phenomenon in which people perform better in front of an audience than when alone

phenomenon in which people working in a group put forth less effort than they would if working alone

expected behaviors, actions, and consequences for a specific situation