AP Psych Quiz 4/2

Lawrence Kohlberg’s Morality Theory basics

moral reasoning progresses through distinct stages, moving from self-interest to understanding universal ethical principles

stages of moral development

avoiding punishment, self-interest, good boy attitude, law and order morality, social contrast, and principle

avoiding punishment

right and wrong is defined by what they get punished for. if you get told off for stealing then obviously stealing is bad.

self-interest

behavior driven by self-interest and rewards

good boy attitude

behavior driven by social approval

law and order morality

behavior driven by obeying authority and conforming to social order

social contrast

behavior driven by balance of social order and individual rights

principle

behavior driven by internal moral principles

preconventional level

avoiding punishment and self-interest

conventional level

good boy attitude and law & order morality

postconventional level

social contrast, principle

altruism

acting to help someone else at some cost to oneself

ex. sacrificing one’s life to save others, giving money to charity, or just holding the door open for a few seconds

self-serving bias

the tendency to attribute positive outcomes to our own actions (internal factors) while blaming negative outcomes on external factors.

ex. If you do well on a test, you might think, "I studied hard and I'm smart!" (internal attribution). If you do poorly, you might say, "The exam was unfair and too difficult!" (external attribution).

deindividuation

when people in a group lose their sense of self and act in ways they normally wouldn't.

ex. In a big crowd, someone might throw trash or behave badly because they feel anonymous and not personally responsible.

dehumanization

is the process of seeing and treating others as less than human, often leading to cruelty.

ex. In wartime, a group might call their enemies "monsters" or "vermin" to justify harming them.

decrease in sense of identity

suppressing personal beliefs and feeling disconnected from who you really are because of group pressure.

ex. In a discussion about politics, a normally vocal person might stay silent and agree with the majority opinion out of fear of conflict.

fundamental attribution error

is when we blame someone's behavior on who they are, instead of considering the situation they’re in.

ex. If someone is angry in a store, you might think, "They're just a mean person!" instead of thinking, "Maybe they had a bad day."

actor-observer effect

is when we see our own actions as influenced by the situation, but we see other people’s actions as reflecting their character.

ex. If you trip and fall, you might say, "I slipped on the uneven ground!" (focusing on the situation). But if you see someone else trip, you might think, "They're clumsy!" (focusing on their character).

central route of persuasion

is a method of convincing people by presenting strong arguments and evidence, leading to careful and thoughtful consideration.

peripheral route of persuasion

is convincing people using shortcuts, like emotions or attractiveness, rather than strong arguments.

internal (dispositional) attributions

attributions explain someone's behavior based on their personality or character.

external (situational) attributions

explain someone's behavior based on outside factors or circumstances.

what did Robbers cave experiment reveal about group conflict/resolution?

showed that intergroup conflict arises from competition but can be resolved through cooperation towards shared goals.

6 basic techniques of persuasion

reciprocation, contrast effects, foot-in-the-door, bait and switch, That’s not all!, and fear messages

reciprocation

involves giving something to someone with the expectation that they will feel obligated to return the favor.

contrast effects

refer to the influence of comparing two different items, making one appear better or worse than it actually is due to the comparison.

foot-in-the-door

involves starting with a small request to gain compliance, followed by a larger request.

bait and switch

a company advertises a low-priced item to attract customers but then pushes them to buy a more expensive item.

That’s not all!

involves making an initial offer and then adding extra features or bonuses to make the offer more appealing.

fear messages

persuasive communications that try to change people's attitudes or behaviors by showing them scary consequences of not taking action.

What attracts people to one another?

physical attraction, proximity, similarity

why does physical attraction matter?

may signal health and genetic fitness.

why does similarity matter?

fosters mutual understanding and effective communication.

why does proximity matter?

Being near someone provides more chances to meet and get to know each other.

Milgram experiment

tested how far people would go in obeying authority figures, even if it meant causing pain to others, by having participants administer electric shocks to someone who was actually not harmed.

Asch conformity experiment

demonstrated how individuals would conform to a group's incorrect answer about line lengths, even when the correct answer was clear, highlighting the influence of group pressure on decision-making.

Stanford prison experiment

investigated how individuals would conform to roles of authority and submission in a simulated prison environment, revealing the powerful effects of situational dynamics on behavior.