Social Psychology Final Review

Also known as the Fundamental Attribution Error. The tendency to over-value personality-based explanations for the observed behaviors of others while under-valuing situational explanations for those behaviors.

Basing our judgments on information that seems to represent, or match, what we expect will happen

The tendency to make judgments of the frequency or likelihood that an event occurring on the basis of the ease in which it can be retrieved from memory.

A pattern imposed on complex reality or experience to assist in explaining it, mediate perception, or guide response.

“A mode of thinking that people engage in when they are deeply involved in a cohesive in-group, when the members' strivings for unanimity override their motivation to realistically appraise alternative courses of action”

A prediction declared as truth when it is actually false may sufficiently influence people, either through fear or logical confusion, so that their reactions ultimately fulfill the once-false prediction.

Thinking about what might have been given one minor adjustment.

The tendency to be both motivated and capable of presenting ourselves to others

The feeling, based on our personal accomplishments or failures, that we are successful in setting and meeting the goals that we have set for ourselves. Learned Helplessness is the opposite of a high level of this.

The tendency to present to others information about ourselves that make us look good.

When a social environment makes people work more efficiently and/or effectively. An example is a competitive environment in which the presence of others makes each person work harder in order to be the best. This could be in a race versus just running alone.

When a social environment is not conducive to the highest level of productivity, and in fact detracts from the amount of and quality of work accomplished in total.

A task that cannot be divided into individual tasks, and therefore one in which the whole group must work together, and any person that doesn't will jeopardize the success of the completion of such task.

Immersion in a group to the point at which the individual ceases to be seen as such.

Aka the two-factor theory of emotion. A theory in social psychology that views emotion as having two components (factors): physiological arousal and cognition. According to the theory, "cognitions are used to interpret the meaning of physiological reactions to outside events." Thought labels the arousal felt, thereby placing into an emotional category.