the scientific study of how we think about, influence, and relate to one another

Adjusting one's behavior or thinking to coincide with a group standard.

conformity occurring when people accept evidence about reality provided by other people

conformity based on a person's desire to fulfill others' expectations, often to gain acceptance

expected standards of conduct, which influence behavior

Conducted famous conformity experiment that required subjects to match lines.

A form of compliance that occurs when people follow direct commands, usually from someone in a position of authority

obedience to authority; had participants administer what they believed were dangerous electrical shocks to other participants; wanted to see if Germans were an aberration or if all people were capable of committing evil actions

Philip Zimbardo's study of the effect of roles on behavior. Participants were randomly assigned to play either prisoners or guards in a mock prison. The study was ended early because of the "guards'" role-induced cruelty.

1933-present; Field: social psychology; Contributions: proved that peoples behavior depends to a large extent on the roles they are asked to play; Studies: Stanford Prison Study-studied power of social roles to influence people's behavior

A kind of speaking or writing that is intended to influence people's actions.

occurs when interested people focus on the arguments and respond with favorable thoughts

occurs when people are influenced by incidental cues, such as a speaker's attractiveness

focuses on the effects related to mood, emotions, feelings, memories, and behavior

asking for a small commitment and, after gaining compliance, asking for a bigger commitment

asking for a large commitment and being refused and then asking for a smaller commitment

authority, honesty, likability

the right to use power

intimacy alone

the obligation to return in kind what another has done for us

A situation in which unlimited wants exceed the limited resources available to fulfill those wants

Positive influence created when someone finds out that others are doing something.

religious groups that are small, secretive, and highly controlling of members and have a charismatic leader

a strictly organized group that has a charismatic leader, uses deceptive means to recruit members and retains them through manipulative strategies that negate freedom of choice

Religiously based, very high intensity controlling groups that have caused or are liable to cause loss of life among their membership or the general public

group based on the radical political ideals of a specific charismatic leader

1. Revolve around racist ideology

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Cults that systematically use violence and fear to attain political or ideological goals

A person who is dominant, self-confident, convinced of the moral righteousness of his or her beliefs, and able to arouse a sense of excitement and adventure in followers.

liking or having the desire for a relationship with another person

tendency of an interviewer to allow positive characteristics of a client to influence the assessments of the client's behavior and statements

the tendency to develop relationships with people who are approximately as attractive as we are

(n.) nearness, closeness

the tendency for liking to increase with the frequency of exposure

in Erikson's theory, the ability to form close, loving relationships; a primary developmental task in late adolescence and early adulthood

strong feeling or emotion

a promise or pledge to do something

the tendency for any given bystander to be less likely to give aid if other bystanders are present

a social group toward which a person feels a sense of competition or opposition

preconceived opinion that is not based on reason or actual experience

unjustifiable negative behavior toward a group and its members

The idea that stereotypes and prejudice toward a group will diminish as contact with the group increases.