Social Psychology Vocabulary

the study of how our thoughts, feelings, perceptions, and behaviors are influenced by interactions with others

• social psychology
• social cognition
• physical proximity
• stimulation value

focuses on how we perceive, store, and retrieve information about social interactions

• social cognition
• physical proximity
• stimulation value
• utility value

the distance of one person to another person

• physical proximity
• stimulation value
• utility value
• ego-support value

the ability of a person to interest you in or to expose you to new ideas and experiences

• stimulation value
• utility value
• ego-support value
• complementarity

the ability of a person to help another achieve his or her goals

• utility value
• ego-support value
• complementarity
• primacy effect

the ability of a person to provide another person with sympathy, encouragement, adn approval

• ego-support value
• complementarity
• primacy effect
• stereotypes

the attraction that often develops between opposite types of people because of the ability of one to supply what the other lacks

• complementarity
• primacy effect
• stereotypes
• attribution theory

the tendency to form opinions about others based on first impressions

• primacy effect
• stereotypes
• attribution theory
• fundamental attribution error

a set of assumptions about people in a given category summarizing our experience and beliefs about groups of people

• stereotypes
• attribution theory
• fundamental attribution error
• actor-observer bias

a collection of principles based on our explanations of the causes of events, other people's behavior

• attribution theory
• fundamental attribution error
• actor-observer bias
• self-serving bias