psychology unit 2 exam

define attribution

an evaluation made about the cause of behaviour and the process of making this evaluation through external and internal attributions

describe internal and external attributions

internal: occurs when we judge behaviour as being caused by something personal within an individual

external: occurs when we determine the cause of behaviour as resulting from situational factors occurring outside the individual

define an attitude

an evaluation a person makes about an object, person, group, event or issue

describe the tri-component model of attitudes

ABC is easy as FAB

• affective = feelings

affective component: the emotional reactions or feelings an individual has towards a person, place, object, event or issue

• behavioural = actions

behavioural component: the way in which an attitude is expressed through our actions

• cognitive = belief

cognitive component: refers to the beliefs we have about a person, object, place, event, or issue

define cognitive dissonance

the psychological tension that occurs in our thoughts, feelings, and/or behaviours do not align with one another, often occurs when often occurs when we act in a way that contradicts our beliefs

define stereotype

a collection of beliefs that we have about the people who belong to a particular group, regardless of individual differences among members of that group eg. all scientists wearing lab coats

define discrimination

behaviour (positive or negative) that is directed towards a social group and its members, can be direct or indirect

what is direct discrimination

being treated favourably than someone who is of a different social group in similar circumstances

what is indirect discrimination

when a requirement conditionor practice that appears to be fair actually discriminates against people of a particular social group

define prejudice 

holding a negative attitude towards the members of a group, based solely on their membership of that group, can be modern or old fashioned 

define old fashioned prejudice

open rejection of minority group members, views are obvious and recognised

define modern prejudice

subtle; hidden and expressed in ways more likely to be accepted within the majority group

what is stigma

is a feeling of shame or disgrace experiences by an individual for characteristic that differentiates them from others, there is self and social stigma

what is social stigma

largely characterised by negative stereotypes as they come to define people and prevent them from being seen as an individual, leading to widespread discrimination 

what is self stigma

a result of the internalisation of negative stereotypes and can lead to poor self efficiency and low self esteem

describe which factors contribute to developing prejudice 

• lack of education

• being opponents/having contrasting views

• stereotypes

describe the fundamental attribution error

refers to our tendency to explain other peoples behaviour in terms of internal factors, while ignoring possible external factors

describe factors that reduce prejudice

• intergroup contact

• superordinate goals and mutual interdependence

• equality of status

• education

explain what cognitive bias is and what are the cognitive biases

unconscious, systematic tendencies to interpret information in a way that is neither rational nor based on objective reality

• confirmation bias

• actor-observer bias

• self-serving bias

what is confirmation bias

looking for information that confirms your belief and ignoring anything that contradicts it

whats actor-observer bias

look at what happens to other people (usually negative) and connect it to external attributions and when positive it connects to positive attributes

what is self serving bias?

when we connect negative things to external attributes and positive things to internal attributes

define group, ingroup and outgroup

• group: a collection or two or more people who interact with each other, influence one anothers thoughts and behaviours, and who share a common purpose

• ingroup: a group that an individual belongs to or identifies with

• outgroup: a group that an individual does not belong or identifies with

what are some factors that influence individual behaviour 

• group norms: a standard, value or rule that outlines on appropriate behaviour or experience 

• social loafing: an individuals reduction in effort when work is performed in a group compared to individually, due to belief that others will put in effort

• culture: influences by cultural norms

role of power and status in a group

• status: importance of an individuals position in the group as percieved by members

• power: an individuals (or groups) ability to control or influence the thoughts, feelings or behaviour of another person (group)

• role within a group: a role is part that an individual plays in life that includes certain expectations of behaviour