Unit 4: Comprehensive Guide to Social Psychology

Attribution Theory

A theory that explains how we attribute the behavior of others to either situational or dispositional factors.

Situational Attribution

Attributing behavior to external factors or situations.

Dispositional Attribution

Attributing behavior to internal factors or personality traits.

Fundamental Attribution Error (FAE)

The tendency to overestimate the influence of personality and underestimate the influence of situations when analyzing others' behavior.

Self-Serving Bias

The tendency to attribute our successes to our own efforts and our failures to external factors.

False Consensus Effect

The tendency to overestimate the extent to which others share our beliefs and behaviors.

Just-World Phenomenon

The belief that the world is fair and that people get what they deserve.

Central Route to Persuasion

A path to persuasion that involves deep processing of information based on logic and evidence.

Peripheral Route to Persuasion

A path to persuasion that involves superficial cues, such as attractiveness of the speaker.

Foot-in-the-Door Phenomenon

The tendency to comply with a larger request after agreeing to a small request.

Door-in-the-Face Phenomenon

The strategy of starting with a large request and then scaling down to a smaller request.

Cognitive Dissonance Theory

The theory that we experience discomfort when our thoughts or actions are inconsistent, which we can resolve by changing our attitudes.

Conformity

The adjustment of behavior or thoughts to align with group standards.

Normative Social Influence

Influence that leads us to conform to be accepted or to avoid disapproval from a group.

Informational Social Influence

Influence that leads us to accept others' opinions about reality assuming they have more information.

Obedience

Complying with instructions or commands from an authority figure.

Social Facilitation

Improved performance on simple tasks in the presence of others.

Social Impairment

Worse performance on difficult tasks in the presence of others.

Social Loafing

The tendency for individuals to put forth less effort when working in a group.

Deindividuation

Loss of self-awareness and self-restraint in group situations that foster arousal and anonymity.

Group Polarization

The enhancement of a group's prevailing attitudes through discussion within the group.

Groupthink

The mode of thinking that occurs when the desire for harmony in a decision-making group overrides realistic appraisal of alternatives.

Prejudice

An unjustifiable negative attitude toward a group and its members.

Discrimination

Unjustifiable negative behavior towards a group and its members.

Scapegoat Theory

The theory that prejudice offers an outlet for anger by providing someone to blame.