Psychology · Ch 7 — Social Influence and Group Processes

Key Terms

Group: Two or more individuals who interact and share a common identity or goal.
Social facilitation: Improvement in performance on simple or well-learned tasks in the presence of others.
Social loafing: Reduction in individual effort when working in a group compared to working alone.
Deindividuation: Loss of self-awareness and personal responsibility in a group, often leading to impulsive behaviour.
Groupthink: A mode of thinking where the desire for group harmony overrides realistic appraisal of alternatives.
Group polarisation: The tendency for group discussion to strengthen the initial dominant attitude of members, making it more extreme.
Conformity: Yielding to group pressure or norms, even when no direct request is made.
Compliance: Overt agreement with a request from another person or group, without necessarily changing private beliefs.
Obedience: Following direct orders from an authority figure.
Minority influence: The process by which a small number of people persuade the majority to adopt their viewpoint, often through consistency and confidence.
Prosocial behaviour: Voluntary actions intended to benefit others, such as helping or sharing.
Bystander effect: The phenomenon where the presence of others reduces the likelihood of any one person helping in an emergency.
Diffusion of responsibility: The tendency for individuals to feel less personal responsibility to act when others are present. …