Page 455 - The Social Animal

Glossary 437

self-schemas: organized knowledge structures about ourselves, based on our
past experiences, that help us understand, explain, and predict our own be-
havior
self-serving bias: a tendency for individuals to make dispositional attribu-
tions for their successes and situational attributions for their failures

similarity: people tend to like and love others with similar opinions, atti-
tudes, values, and looks
social cognition: how people think about themselves and the social world;
more specifically, how people select, interpret, remember, and use social in-
formation to make judgments and decisions

social influence: the effect that people have upon the beliefs or behaviors of
others
social learning theory: the theory that we learn social behavior (e.g., ag-
gression) by observing others and imitating them
social psychology: the scientific study of the ways in which people’s
thoughts, feelings, and behaviors are influenced by the real or imagined pres-
ence of other people
stereotype: the simplistic generalization about a group of people—assigning
them identical characteristics consistent with one’s prejudices
stereotype threat: the apprehension experienced by members of a minority
group that they might behave in a manner that confirms an existing cultural
stereotype; this usually results in reduced effectiveness in their performance
straight talk: a clear statement of a person’s feelings and concerns without
accusing, blaming, or judging the other person
testosterone: a male sex hormone associated with aggression
Thanatos: according to Freud, an instinctual drive toward death, leading to
aggressive actions
triangle of love: according to Sternberg, the three components of love: pas-
sion, intimacy, and commitment
ultimate attribution error: the tendency to make dispositional attributions
about an entire group of people consistent with our prejudice against that
group