behavioral confirmation

the process by which the actions of one person (the target) come to reinforce the expectations of another person (the perceiver) during the course of their social interaction. Behavioral confirmation processes are used to explain how expectations and beliefs, including stereotypes, come to affect reality. It is often considered a special case of the self-fulfilling prophecy or expectancy effect, but behavioral confirmation differs from these terms primarily in emphasizing that the target’s actual elicited behavior serves to confirm the perceiver’s initial beliefs. See also confirmation bias. [coined by Canadian-born U.S. psychologist Mark Snyder (1947– )]

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Psychology term of the day

November 23rd 2024

lysosome

n. see phagocytosis.