AP Psych - Social Psychology

Prosocial

Voluntary action intended to help, support, or benefit others or society

Attribution Theory

Explains how people determine the causes of behavior by attributing them to either internal dispositions or external situations

Dispositional Attribution

Explaining a person’s behavior by attributing it to internal characteristics such as personality traits, motivation, or ability rather than external situational factors

Situation Attribution

The process of assigning the cause of a person’s behavior to external factors rather than their internal factors

Explanatory Style

Interpreting good and bad events in ways that are pessimistic or optimistic

Optimistic

Cognitive tendency to expect positive outcomes and maintain a hopeful outlook

Pessimistic

Where a person habitually expects negative outcomes

Fundamental Attribution Error

The tendency for observers to underestimate the impact of the situation and overestimate the impact of personal disposition

Person Perception

How we form impressions of ourselves and others, including attributions of behavior

Social Comparison

When we evaluate others and ourselves

Actor/Observer Bias

Own Behavior: We are sensitive to how behavior changes with the situation

People’s Behavior: Attributing them to the person or the situation

Stereotype

A generalized, often oversimplified belief or expectation about a particular group of people

Prejudice

Usually negative attitude toward a group and its members

Discrimination

Unjustifiable negative behavior toward a group or its members

Cognitive Load

The total amount of mental effort or “brainpower” being used in your working memory at any given time

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

In-Group Bias

The tendency to favor our own group

Out-Group Homogeneity

Cognitive bias of viewing members of an outside group as all alike while perceiving members of your own group as unique and diverse

Ethnocentrism

The tendency to view or own ethnic/racial group as superior

Attitude

Feelings, often influenced by our beliefs, that predispose us to respond in a particular way to objects, people, and events

Halo Effect

Cognitive bias where our overall positive impression of a person, brand, or product influences how we feel and think about their specific, unrelated traits

Foot-in-the-door Phenomenon

The tendency for people who fave first agreed to a small request to comply later with a larger request

Door-in-the-face

Where a large, unreasonable request (likely to be denied) is made first, followed by a smaller, more reasonable request

Cognitive Dissonance Theory

Theory that we act to reduce the discomfort we feel when two of our thoughts are consistent

Persuasion

The process of changing a person’s attitudes, beliefs, or behaviors through communication

Elaboration Likelihood

Suggests that when we actively process a message (elaborate it), we more often retain it

Central Route Persuasion

Offers evidence and arguments that aim to trigger careful thinking

Peripheral Route Persuasion

Uses attention - getting cues to trigger, speedy, emotion based on judgments

Norms

A society’s understood rules for accepted and excepted behaviors - prescribe “proper” behavior in individual and social situations

Conformity

Adjusting our behavior/thinking to coinade with a group

Social Influence

How people change an individual’s behavior, attitudes, or beliefs

Normative Social Influence

Conforming to be liked or accepted

Informational Social Influence

Conforming because you believe others have accurate information

Obedience

Complying with an order/command

Social Facilitation

In the presence of others, improved performance on simple or well-learned tasks and worsened performance on difficult tasks

Social Loafing

The tendency for people in a group to exert less effort when pooling their efforts toward attaining a common goal then when individually accountable

Deindividuation

The loss of self-awareness and self-restraint occurring in group situations that foster arousal and anonymity

Group Polarization

The enhancement of a group’s prevailing inclinations through discussion within the group

Group Think

The mode of thinking that occurs when the desire for harmony in a decision-making group overrides a realistic appraisal of alternatives

Individualism

Cultural value/personal mindset prioritizing personal goals, independence, and self-expression over group harmony or collective needs

Collectivism

Cultural value prioritizing group needs, harmony, and solidarity over personal goals or independence

Multiculturalism

Viewpoint that recognizes, respects, and celebrates diverse cultural groups within a society, giving them equal statu

Mere Exposure Effect

Repeated exposure to a new stimulus increases your liking of it

Altruism

Unselfish regard for the welfare of others

Bystander Effect

The tendency for any given passer-byer to be less likely to give aid if other people are present

Diffusion of Responsibility

Individuals feel less personal accountability to act in an emergency or group situation when other people are present

Reciprocity Norm

Social rule that dictates we should return help, kindness, or favors to those who have helped us

Social Responsibility Norm

The expectation that people should help those who need assistance regardless of whether they will receive anything in return

Social Traps

Where individuals or groups pursue immediate, personal rewards - leads to long-term negative consequences for the entire group or society

Self-fulfilling Prophecy

The belief that that leads to its own fulfillment

Superordinate Goals

Shared high-priority

Industrial-Organizational Psychologist