The scientific study of how a person’s thoughts, feelings and behavior are influenced by the real, imagined, or implied presence of others
Social Influence
The process through which the real or implied presence of others can directly or indirectly influence the thoughts, feelings and behavior of an individual
Conformity
Changing one’s own behavior to match that of other people. Conformity can be dangerous but is not always bad
Groupthink
A kind of thinking that occurs when people place more importance on maintaining group cohesiveness than on assessing the facts -Invulnerability
-Rationalization
-Pressure
-Stereotyping
Consumer Psychology
Devoted to figuring out how to get people to buy things
Foot-in-the-Door Technique
Small request followed by a larger request
Door-in-the-Face Technique
Large request followed by a smaller request
-Norm of Reciprocity: Free address labels in requests for charitable donations, creates an obligation
Lowball Technique
Raising the cost of a commitment after the commitment has been made
That’s-Not-All Technique
But wait! There’s more!
-Billy Mays was the classic TV salesperson, often seen utilizing the That’s-Not-All Technique
Obedience
Changing one’s behavior at the command of an authority figure
Attribution
The process of explaining one’s own behavior and the behavior of others
Attribution Theory
The theory of how people make attributions
-Situational causes (external)
-Dispositional causes (internal)
The Fundamental Attribution Error (FAE)
The tendency to overestimate the influence of internal factors while underestimating external factors
-Actor-Observer Bias: the tendency to explain our own behavior with situational (external) attributions
Prejudice
A negative attitude held by a person about the members of a particular social group
Discrimination
Treating people differently because of prejudice
The Realistic-Conflict Theory
Prejudice and discrimination arise between groups who are fighting over a common resource
Interpersonal Attraction
Liking or having the desire for a relationship with another person
-Physical attractiveness
-Proximity is physical or geographical nearness
-Similarity
-Opposites attract: Complementary qualities
-Reciprocity of Liking: We like people who like us