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UNIT 6
Attribution Theory: People are motivated to understand the causes of their own and others' behavior.
Attribution theory describes how people make these attributions, which can be either internal (due to personal factors) or external (due to situational factors).
The fundamental attribution error is the tendency to overestimate internal attributions and underestimate external attributions when explaining others' behavior.
Self-serving bias is the tendency to attribute positive outcomes to internal factors and negative outcomes to external factors when explaining our own behavior.
Groupthink: Groupthink is a phenomenon that occurs when a group of people are highly cohesive and have a strong desire for consensus.
This can lead to the suppression of dissenting opinions and a lack of critical thinking.
Groupthink can have negative consequences, such as poor decision-making and unethical behavior.
Cognitive Dissonance: Cognitive dissonance is the uncomfortable state that people experience when they hold two or more contradictory beliefs.
This discomfort motivates people to reduce dissonance by changing their attitudes or behaviors.
For example, if someone smokes but knows that smoking is bad for their health, they may experience cognitive dissonance. They may reduce this dissonance by quitting smoking or by rationalizing their behavior (e.g., "I only smoke a few cigarettes a day").
Discrimination: Discrimination is a form of prejudice that involves treating someone negatively based on their perceived membership in a category.
Discrimination can be overt (e.g., refusing to hire someone because of their race) or subtle (e.g., microaggressions).
Discrimination can have negative consequences for both the individual and society.
Social influence: How people's thoughts, feelings, and behaviors are influenced by others.
Conformity: The tendency to change one's behavior or beliefs in order to fit in with a group.
Obedience: The tendency to follow the orders of an authority figure, even when those orders are unethical.
Aggression: The intentional infliction of harm on another person.
Altruism: The selfless concern for the welfare of others.
"Social psychology is the study of how individuals think, feel, and behave in a social context."
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"Attribution theory is concerned with how people explain the causes of their own and others' behavior."
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"Cognitive dissonance is an uncomfortable state that motivates people to change their attitudes or behaviors."
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"Discrimination is a serious problem that can have negative consequences for both the individual and society."
Some critics argue that Aronson's focus on individual behavior ignores the role of social structures and power dynamics.
Others criticize his use of laboratory experiments, claiming they fail to capture the complexity of real-world social interactions.
The Social Animal has had a profound influence on the field of social psychology. It is one of the most widely cited books in the discipline.
Aronson's research on attribution theory, groupthink, and self-serving bias has shaped our understanding of human behavior.
The book has also been widely used as a textbook and has influenced generations of social psychologists.
The Social Animal was one of the first textbooks to cover the entire field of social psychology.
Aronson conducted a classic experiment on groupthink during a President Ke
Aronson was an early advocate for the use of social psychology to address social problems such as prejudice and discrimination.
WORDLIST:
attribution theory – теория aтрибуции
tendency to overestimate – тенденция переоценивaть
underestimate – недооценивaть
self-serving bias – эгоцентрическое смещение
negative outcomes – негaтивные результaты
highly cohesive – сплочённый
strong desire for consensus – сильное стремление к консенсусу
suppression of dissenting opinions – подaвление инaкомыслия
negative consequences – негaтивные последствия
cognitive dissonance – когнитивный диссонaнс
when they hold two or more contradictory beliefs – когдa они придерживaются двух или более противоречивых убеждений
form of prejudice – формa предубеждения
overt – открытый
subtle – тонкий
conformity – конформизм
obedience – послушaние
intentional infliction of harm – преднaмеренное причинение вредa
selfless concern – бескорыстнaя зaботa
fail to capture the complexity – не могут уловить сложность
profound influence – глубокое влияние
entire field of social psychology – вся облaсть социaльной психологии
assassination simulation – имитaция убийствa
Exercise 7
Fill in the gaps with the correct words or phrases from the list below:
● profound influence
● Conformity
● self-serving bias
● form of prejudice
● entire field
● suppression of dissenting opinions
● cognitive dissonance
1. Elliot Aronson's book The Social Animal has had a __________ on the field of social psychology.
2. __________ is the tendency to attribute positive outcomes to internal factors and negative outcomes to external factors when explaining our own behavior.
3. __________ is a state of discomfort that people experience when they hold two or more contradictory beliefs.
4. Discrimination is a __________ that involves treating someone negatively based on their perceived membership in a category.
5. __________ is the tendency to change one's behavior or beliefs in order to fit in with a group.
6. __________ is the suppression of opinions that differ from the majority view within a group.
7. Aronson's book covers the __________ of social psychology, from attribution theory to aggression.