Alphabetical Glossary

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gain-loss effect
the finding that we like people the most if we feel we have gained in their estimation of us (i.e., if they initially disliked us but now like us) and that we dislike people the most if we feel we have lost their favor (i.e., if they initially liked us but now dislike us)

Gestalt psychology
a school of psychology stressing the importance of studying the subjective way in which an object appears in people's minds, rather than the objective, physical attributes of the object

global attribution
the belief that the cause of an event is due to factors that apply in a large number of situations (e.g., your intelligence, which will influence your performance in many areas), as opposed to the belief that the cause is specific and applies in only a limited number of situations (e.g., your music ability, which will affect your performance in music courses but not in other courses)

great person theory
the theory that certain key personality traits make a person a good leader, regardless of the nature of the situation facing the leader

group polarization
the tendency for groups to make decisions that are more extreme than the initial inclinations of its members

groupthink
a kind of thinking in which maintaining group cohesiveness and solidarity is more important than considering the facts in a realistic manner