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Understanding Psychology Book Cover Image
Understanding Psychology, 6/e
Robert S. Feldman, University of Massachusetts, Amherst

Social Psychology


aggression  The intentional infliction of injury or harm on another person
altruism  Helping behavior that is beneficial to others but clearly requires self-sacrificealtruism (134.0K)
assumed-similarity bias  The tendency to think of people as being similar to oneself, even when meeting them for the first time
attitudes  Learned predispositions to respond in a favorable or unfavorable manner to a particular person, behavior, belief, or thing
attribution theory  The theory of personality that seeks to explain how we decide, on the basis of samples of an individual's behavior, what the specific causes of that person's behavior areattribution_theory (245.0K)
catharsis  The process of discharging built-up aggressive energycatharsis (98.0K)
central traits  The major traits considered in forming impressions of others
central-route processing  Message interpretation characterized by thoughtful consideration of the issues and arguments used to persuade
cognitive dissonance  The conflict that occurs when a person holds two attitudes or thoughts (referred to as cognitions) that contradict each othercognitive_dissonance (185.0K)
companionate love  The strong affection we have for those with whom our lives are deeply involved
compliance  Conforming behavior that occurs in response to direct social pressure
conformity  A change in behavior or attitudes brought about by a desire to follow the beliefs or standards of other people
diffusion of responsibility  The tendency for people to feel that responsibility for acting is shared, or diffused, among those present
discrimination  Negative behavior toward members of a particular group
dispositional causes (of behavior)  A perceived cause of behavior that is based on internal traits or personality factorsdispositional_causes (176.0K)
frustration  The thwarting or blocking of some ongoing, goal-directed behavior
fundamental attribution error  A tendency to attribute others' behavior to dispositional causes and the tendency to minimize the importance of situational causes
halo effect  A phenomenon in which an initial perception of a person as having positive traits produces the expectation that the person has other uniformly positive characteristics
industrial-organizational (I/O) psychology  The branch of psychology that focuses on work and job-related issues, including productivity, job satisfaction, decision making, and consumer behavior
interpersonal attraction (or close relationships)  Positive feelings for others; liking and loving
obedience  Conforming behavior in reaction to the commands of others
passionate (or romantic) love  A state of intense absorption in someone that includes intense physiological arousal, psychological interest, and caring for the needs of another
peripheral-route processing  Message interpretation characterized by consideration of the source and related general information rather than of the message itselfperipheral-route (214.0K)
prejudice  The negative (or positive) evaluations of groups and their members
prosocial behavior  Helping behavior
psychology  The scientific study of behavior and mental processes.
reciprocity-of-liking effect  A tendency to like those who like us
schemas  Sets of cognitions about people and social experiences
situational causes (of behavior)  A perceived cause of behavior that is based on environmental factors
social cognition  The processes that underlie our understanding of the social world
social influence  The process by which the actions of an individual or group affect the behavior of others
social psychology  The study of how people's thoughts, feelings, and actions are affected by others
social supporter  A person who shares an unpopular opinion or attitude of another group member, thereby encouraging non-conformity
status  Social rank within a group
stereotypes  Generalized beliefs and expectations about social groups and their members