AP PSYCHOLOGY: Unit 9 Flashcards

Actor-observer bias

the tendency to blame our actions on the situation and blame the actions of others on their personalities
-blaming friend for failing the math test but blaming poor testing format to justify yourself failing the english mcq

Altruism

unselfish concern for the welfare of others
-letting a friend borrow money and not requesting for money back

Asch's conformity study

a change in behavior or belief as the result of real or imagined group pressure
-all psych classmates choosing the same answer for a psych mcq review

Attitudes

feelings, often influenced by our beliefs, that predispose us to respond in a particular way to objects, people, and events
-responding angrily to a bully

Attribution theory

the theory that we explain someone's behavior by crediting either the situation or the person's disposition
-blaming sister for not taking the trash out even though it was your turn that day

Bystander effect

the tendency for any given bystander to be less likely to give aid if other bystanders are present
-doing nothing about a classmate choking when other classmates don't do anything either

Central route persuasion

occurs when interested people focus on the arguments and respond with favorable thoughts
-a company advertising a product with attractive facts and statistics

Cognitive dissonance theory

the theory that we act to reduce the discomfort we feel when two of our thoughts are inconsistent
-wanting to be healthy but not wanting to exercise

Deindividuation

the loss of self-awareness and self-restraint occurring in group situations that foster arousal and anonymity
-Screaming at a teacher after seeing that all your other classmates are screaming at the teacher

Elaboration likelihood model

theory identifying two ways to persuade: a central route and a peripheral route
-being persuaded because of facts vs being persuaded by the appearance of the advertiser

Foot-in-the-door phenomenon

the tendency for people who have first agreed to a small request to comply later with a larger request
-asking a friend for $5 then later asking that same friend for $20 dollars

Frustration-aggression principle

the principle that frustration- the blocking of an attempt to achieve some goal- creates anger which can generate aggression
-having a bad day at school and taking anger out on family members

Fundamental attribution error

the tendency for observers, when analyzing another's behavior, to underestimate the impact of the situation and to overestimate the impact of personal disposition
-blaming teacher for incorrectly scoring test when in reality the score you got was accurate

GRIT

Graduated and Reciprocated Initiatives in Tension-Reduction - a strategy designed to decrease international tensions
-signing a treaty with a different country

Group polarization

the enhancement of a group's prevailing inclinations through discussion within the group
-a group of white supremacists making a Youtube video of them saying racial slurs

Groupthink

the mode of thinking that occurs when the desire for harmony in a decision-making group overrides a realistic appraisal of alternatives
-giving up your idea in a group project to come to agreement

Halo effect

tendency of an interviewer to allow positive characteristics of a client to influence the assessments of the client's behavior and statements
-a boss recruiting an employee because she's attractive

Hostile Aggression

aggression stemming from feelings of anger and aimed at inflicting pain or injury
-slapping sibling in the face after they call you an insult

Information social influence

influence resulting from one's willingness to accept others' opinions about reality
-relying on stranger to navigate to destination by walking

Ingroup

"Us"—people with whom we share a common identity.
-African America group
-Women's group
-A group of teachers

Ingroup bias

the tendency to favor our own group
-Favoring women over men

Instrumental aggression

aggression as a means to some goal other than causing pain
-disciplining a child by taking their phone and yelling at them so that they could get their school work done

Just-world phenomenon

the tendency for people to believe the world is just and that people therefore get what they deserve and deserve what they get
-good things happen to good people
-bad things happen to bad people

Mere exposure effect

the phenomenon that repeated exposure to novel stimuli increases liking of them
-buying dawn dish soap because of ads that come up on your television

Milgram's obedience study

An experiment in which Stanley Milgram found that people will usually obey an authority, even if they might think what they are doing is wrong.
-obeying a boss that participates in fraud

Mirror image perception

mutual views often held by conflicting people, as when each side sees itself as ethical and peaceful and views the other side as evil and aggressive
-you seeing yourself as intelligent and another person seeing you as unintelligent

Normative social influence

influence resulting from a person's desire to gain approval or avoid disapproval
-wearing a certain outfit in order to gain approval of the "popular" group at school

Norms

rules and expectations by which a society guides the behavior of its members
-being kind to others in the classroom

Other-race effect

the tendency to recall faces of one's own race more accurately than faces of other races
-identifying an African-American better than identifying an Asian

Outgroup

a group that one does not belong to or identify with
-a man in a class full of women

Outward homogeneity

the tendency to assume that the members of other groups are very similar to each other, particularly in contrast to the assumed diversity of the membership of one's own group
-women thinking all men are cheaters

Peripheral route persuasion

occurs when people are influenced by incidental cues, such as a speaker's attractiveness
-seeing that you could win a million dollar prize changes your work ethic in trivia questions

Reciprocity norm

an expectation that people will help, not hurt, those who have helped them
-helping someone with math that has helped you with english

Reward theory of attraction

the theory that we like those whose behavior is rewarding to us or whom we associate with rewarding events
-admiring someone at a wedding
-liking cool aunt who gives you money every time she visits

Scapegoat theory

the theory that prejudice offers an outlet for anger by providing someone to blame
-blaming the poor for being poor

Self-fulfilling prophecy

a belief that leads to its own fulfillment
-thinking you'll do bad on the test and failing

Social exchange theory

the theory that our social behavior is an exchange process, the aim of which is to maximize benefits and minimize costs
-going on a date because the pros outweigh the cons

Social facilitation

stronger responses on simple or well-learned tasks in the presence of others
-singing in front of a large amount of people

Social inhibition

The tendency to perform complex or difficult tasks more poorly in the presence of others
-being unable to answer math problem correctly because crush sits next to you

Social loafing

the tendency for people in a group to exert less effort when pooling their efforts toward attaining a common goal than when individually accountable
-putting less effort in a group project because there are people who will do all the work

Social responsibility norm

an expectation that people will help those dependent upon them
-feeling responsible to help someone who is struggling in class

Social scripts

culturally modeled guide for how to act in various situations
-exerting empathy when a person is sad in class instead of exerting happiness/joy

Social trap/prisoner's dilemma

a situation in which the conflicting parties, by each rationally pursuing their self-interest, become caught in mutually destructive behavior
-being in a room full of substance abusers

Stanford prison experiment

Philip Zimbardo's study of the effect of roles on behavior. Participants were randomly assigned to play either prisoners or guards in a mock prison. The study was ended early because of the "guards'" role-induced cruelty.
-acting out the anger a teacher has after realizing her students did not behave for the substitute that was there previously

Superordinate goals

shared goals that override differences among people and require their cooperation
-thinking to play volleyball even though you don't have the same physical capacity as the other players

Companionate attraction

a strong attraction than friendship, but without intimacy
-having a best friend/soulmate

Passionate attraction

Intimate and physical, but doesn't have commitment or longevity unless it evolves
-physical arousal and cognitive appraisal

Consummate attraction

A type of attraction that has elements of the other types. Passion, intimacy, and commitment.
-having intimacy, passion, and commitment to a long-term relationship