Psychology Ch 12

The scientific study of how a person’s thoughts, feelings and behavior are influenced by the real, imagined, or implied presence of others

The process through which the real or implied presence of others can directly or indirectly influence the thoughts, feelings and behavior of an individual

Changing one’s own behavior to match that of other people. Conformity can be dangerous but is not always bad

• A kind of thinking that occurs when people place more importance on maintaining group cohesiveness than on assessing the facts -Invulnerability
• -Rationalization
• -Pressure
• -Stereotyping

Devoted to figuring out how to get people to buy things

Small request followed by a larger request

• Large request followed by a smaller request
• -Norm of Reciprocity: Free address labels in requests for charitable donations, creates an obligation

Raising the cost of a commitment after the commitment has been made

• But wait! There’s more!
• -Billy Mays was the classic TV salesperson, often seen utilizing the That’s-Not-All Technique

Changing one’s behavior at the command of an authority figure

The process of explaining one’s own behavior and the behavior of others

• The theory of how people make attributions
• -Situational causes (external)
• -Dispositional causes (internal)

• 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

A negative attitude held by a person about the members of a particular social group

Treating people differently because of prejudice

Prejudice and discrimination arise between groups who are fighting over a common resource

• 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