Chapter 13 Vocab

Actor-Observer Bias- Emphasizing dispositional attributions to explain the behavior of others

while emphasizing situational attributions to explain our own behavior
Aggression- The conscious intent to harm another
Attitude- Positive or negative evaluations that predispose behavior toward an object, person, or
situation
Attribution- A judgment about the cause of a person’s behavior
Bystander Intervention- The study of situational variables related to helping a stranger, most
notably the decreased likelihood of helping as the number of bystanders increases
Cognitive Dissonance- The uncomfortable state that occurs when behavior and attitudes do not
match and that can be resolved through attitude change
Compliance- Agreement with a request from a person with no perceived authority
Conformity- Matching behavior and appearance to perceived social norms
Correspondence Bias- The tendency to view behavior as the result of disposition even when the
behavior can be explained by the situation in which it occurs
Deindividuation- Immersion of an individual within a group, leading to anonymity
Discrimination- Unfair behavior based on stereotyping and prejudice
Dispositional Attribution- A judgment assigning the cause of a person’s behavior to personal
qualities or characteristics
Door in The Face- A persuasive technique in which compliance with a target request is preceded
by a large, unreasonable request
Elaboration Likelihood Model (ELM)- A model that predicts responses to persuasive messages
by distinguishing between the central and the peripheral routes to persuasion
Foot in The Door- A persuasive technique in which compliance with a small request is followed
by compliance with a larger request that might otherwise have been rejected
Fundamental Attribution Error- A failure to consider situational variables while making an
attribution, leading to an overestimation of dispositional contributions when observing the
behavior of others
Group Polarization- The intensifying of an attitude following discussion
Groupthink- A type of flawed decision making in which a group does not question its decisions
critically
Just-World Belief- The assumption that good things happen to good people and bad things
happen to bad people
Mere Exposure Effect- Repeated exposure increases liking
Obedience- Compliance with a request from an authority figure
Persuasion- A change in attitudes in response to information provided by another person
Prejudice- A prejudgment, usually negative, of another person on the basis of membership in a
group
Self-Serving Bias- Attributing success to dispositional factors while attrib-uting failure to
situational factors
Situational Attribution- A judgment assigning the cause of a person’s behavior to the
environment
Social Facilitation- A situation in which the presence of other people changes performance
Social Loafing- Reduced motivation and effort shown by individuals working in a group
Social Norms- Usually unwritten or unspoken rules for behavior in social settings
Stereotype- A simplified set of traits associated with membership in a group or category