KEYTERMS
alternative despite reasons
CHAPTER 4: BEHAVIOR AND ATTITUDES
attitude
Beliefs and feelings related to a
person or an event (often rooted
in one’s beliefs, and exhibited in
one’s feelings and intended
behavior).
implicit association
test (IAT)
A computer-driven assessment
of implicit attitudes. The test
uses reaction times to measure
people’s automatic associations
between attitude objects and
evaluative words. Easier
pairings (and faster responses)
are taken to indicate stronger
unconscious associations.
role
A set of norms that defines how
people in a given social position
ought to behave.
Killing Begets Killing
Students who believed they
killed several bugs by dropping
them in this apparent killing
machine, later killed more
bugs during a self-paced killing
period. (In reality, no bugs
were harmed.)
cognitive dissonance
Tension that arises when one is
simultaneously aware of two
inconsistent cognitions. For
example, dissonance may occur
when we realize that we have,
with little justification, acted
contrary to our attitudes or
made a decision favoring one
refocusing or by doing good
favoring another.
selective exposure
The tendency to seek
information and media that
agree with one’s views and to
avoid dissonant information.
insufficient justification
Reduction of dissonance by
internally justifying one’s
behavior when external
justification is “insufficient.”
self-perception theory
The theory that when we are
unsure of our attitudes, we infer
them much as would someone
observing us—by looking at our
behavior and the circumstances
under which it occurs.
facial feedback effect
The tendency of facial
expressions to trigger
corresponding feelings such as
fear, anger, or happiness.
over justification effect
The result of bribing people to
do what they already like doing;
they may then see their actions
as externally controlled rather
than intrinsically appealing.
self-affirmation theory
A theory that (a) people often
experience a self-image threat
after engaging in an undesirable
behavior; and (b) they can
compensate by affirming
another aspect of the self.
Threaten people’s self-concept
in one domain, and they will
compensate either by
deeds in some other domain.
CHAPTER 5: GENES, CULTURE AND GENDER
natural selection
The evolutionary process by
which heritable traits that best
enable organisms to survive and
reproduce in particular
environments are passed to
ensuing generations.
evolutionary psychology
The study of the evolution of
cognition and behavior using
principles of natural selection.
epigenetics
A field of research exploring the
expression of genes across
different environments.
norms
Standards for accepted and
expected behavior. Norms
prescribe “proper” behavior. (In
a different sense of the word,
norms also describe what most
others do—what is normal.)
personal space
The buffer zone we like to
maintain around our bodies. Its
size depends on our familiarity
with whomever is near us.
gender
In psychology, the characteristics,
whether biological or socially
influenced, by which people
define male and female.
empathy
The vicarious experience of
another’s feelings; putting
oneself in another’s shoes.
aggression
Physical or verbal behavior
intended to hurt someone. In
laboratory experiments, this
might mean delivering electric
shocks or saying something
likely to hurt another’s feelings.
androgynous
From andro (man) 1 gyn
(woman)—thus mixing both
masculine and feminine
characteristics.
gender role
A set of behavior expectations
(norms) for males and females.
interaction
A relationship in which the
effect of one factor (such as
biology) depends on another
factor (such as environment).
CHAPTER 6: CONFORMITY AND OBEDIENCE
conformity
A change in behavior or belief
as the result of real or imagined
group pressure.
acceptance
Conformity that involves both
acting and believing in accord
with social pressure.
compliance
Conformity that involves publicly
acting in accord with an implied
or explicit request while
privately disagreeing.
obedience
A type of compliance involving
acting in accord with a direct
order or command.
autokinetic phenomenon
Self (auto) motion (kinetic).
The apparent movement of a
stationary point of light in
the dark.
mass hysteria
Suggestibility to problems that
spreads throughout a large
group of people.
cohesiveness
A “we feeling”; the extent to
which members of a group are
bound together, such as by
attraction to one another.
normative influence
Conformity based on a person’s
desire to fulfill others’
expectations, often to gain
acceptance.
informational influence
Conformity occurring when
people accept evidence about
reality provided by other
people.
reactance
A motive to protect or restore
one’s sense of freedom.
Reactance arises when
someone threatens our freedom
of action.