s

Subtyping Definition Subtyping refers to a process whereby people come to view individuals who don’t fit a stereotype as exceptions...

System Justification Definition System justification refers to a social psychological propensity to defend and bolster the status quo, that is,...

Lead has been used by mankind for more than 6,000 years because of its resistance to corrosion, its low melting...

Territoriality Definition Territoriality is a pattern of attitudes and behavior held by a person or group that is based on...

Token Effects Definition A token is the only person of his or her category, or one of very few persons,...

Learning is a relatively permanent change in behavior due to experience. As the individual interacts with the environment, certain events...

Betrayal Definition Betrayal refers to situations in which individuals (victims) believe that a relationship partner (a perpetrator) has harmed them...

Close Relationships Definition Why are we attracted to some people? How do people know they are in good relationships? Why...

Commitment Definition Commitment represents the motivation to stay in a relationship and to work at it. It is not surprising...

Communal Relationships Definition Communal relationships are those where an individual assumes responsibility for the welfare of his or her partner....

Companionate Love Definition Companionate love refers to a variety of love that is durable, fairly slow to develop, and characterized...

Complementarity Definition Do birds of a feather flock together? Do opposites attract? These questions have been examined extensively within the...

Dependence Regulation Definition Dependence regulation refers to people’s tendency to adjust how close they allow themselves to be to a...

Empathic Accuracy Definition Empathic accuracy refers to the degree to which people can accurately infer the specific content of other...

The defining characteristic of an exchange relationship is that benefits are given with the expectation of receiving a comparable benefit...

Forgiveness Definition Forgiveness refers to the act of decreasing negative feelings toward someone who has hurt or offended the self....

Curiosity about gossip seems to center on one question: What “counts” as gossip? Talking about who in Hollywood is heading...

Interpersonal Cognition Definition Interpersonal cognition is the set of mental processes by which people think about their interactions and relationships...

Intimacy Definition Per social psychologists, intimacy refers to a process of interaction in which social partners, as a result of...

Intimate Partner Violence Definition Intimate partner violence refers to the intentional use of aggressive behaviors that are enacted with the...

Love Definition Love is often thought of as an intense and positive emotion that can be experienced for a variety...

Marital Satisfaction Definition Marital satisfaction is a mental state that reflects the perceived benefits and costs of marriage to a...

Matching Hypothesis Definition The matching hypothesis refers to the proposition that people are attracted to and form relationships with individuals...

Mimicry Definition Mimicry refers to the unconscious and unintentional imitation of other people’s accents, speech patterns, postures, gestures, mannerisms, moods,...

Self-Presentation Definition Self-presentation refers to how people attempt to present themselves to control or shape how others (called the audience)...

Halo Effect Definition Halo effect refer to the widespread human tendency in impression formation to assume that once a person...

Attitude Formation Definition An attitude is a general and lasting positive or negative opinion or feeling about some person, object,...

Order Effects Definition Order effects refer to differences in research participants’ responses that result from the order (e.g., first, second,...

Hormones Definition A hormone is something produced in the body that circulates in the bloodstream and then influences the activity...