Chapter Nine: Behavior in Social and Cultural Context
Chapter Nine Glossary
INTRODUCTION
This interactive glossary contains definitions to the key terms in each chapter.
The "text" link will take you to the section of the interactive chapter
guide that explores that concept.
acculturation
The process by which members of groups that are minorities in a given society come
to identify with and feel part of the mainstream culture. text
attribution
theory
The theory that people are motivated to explain their own and others' behavior by
attributing causes of that behavior to a situation or disposition. text
collectivist
cultures
Cultures in which the self is regarded as embedded in relationships, and harmony
with one's group is prized above individual goals and wishes.
culture
A program of shared rules that govern the behavior of members of a community or society,
a
deindividuation
In groups or crowds, the loss of awareness of one's own individuality and the abdication
of mindful action. text
depersonalization
Treating another person without regard for their individuality as a human being.
diffusion
of responsibility
In organized or anonymous groups, the tendency of members to avoid taking responsibility
for actions or decisions, assuming that others will do so. text
entrapment
A gradual process in which individuals escalate their commitment to a course of action
to justify their investment of time, money, or effort. text
ethnic
identity
Having a close identification with one's own racial, religious, or ethnic group.
text
ethnocentrism
The belief that one's own ethnic group, nation, or religion is superior to all others.
text
fundamental
attribution error
The tendency, in explaining other people's behavior, to overestimate personality
factors and underestimate the influence of the situation. text
group
polarization
The tendency for a group's decision to be more extreme than its members' individual
decisions.
groupthink
In close-knit groups, the tendency for all members to think alike for the sake of
harmony and to suppress disagreement. text
high-context
cultures
Cultures in which people pay close attention to nonverbal forms of communication
and assume a shared context for their interactions, a common history and set of attitudes.
individualist
cultures
Cultures in which the self is regarded as autonomous, and individual goals and wishes
are prized above duty and relations with others.
just-world
hypothesis
The notion that many people need to believe that the world is fair and that justice
is served; that bad people are punished and good people rewarded. text
low-context
cultures
Cultures in which people do not take a shared context for granted, and instead emphasize
direct verbal communication.
monochronic cultures
Cultures in which time is organized sequentially; schedules and deadlines are valued
over people.
norms
(social)
Social conventions that regulate human life, including explicit laws and implicit
cultural standards. text
polychronic
cultures
Cultures in which time is organized horizontally; people tend to do several things
at once and value relationships over schedules.
role
A given social position that is governed by a set of norms for proper behavior. text
self-serving bias
The tendency, in explaining one's own behavior, to take credit for one's good actions
and rationalize one's mistakes. text
social
cognition
An area in social psychology concerned with social influences on thought, memory,
perception, and other cognitive processes. text
social
identity
The part of a person's self-concept that is based on his or her identification with
a nation, culture, or ethnic group or with gender or other roles in society. text
stereotype
A cognitive schema or a summary impression of a group, in which a person believes
that all members of the group share a common trait or traits (positive, negative,
or neutral). text
validity
effect
The tendency of people to believe that a statement is true or valid simply because
it has been repeated many times. text
