AP Psychology- Unit 4 Vocab

Personality Psychology

The study of individual differences in behavior patterns, thoughts, and emotions.

Social Psychology

The study of how individuals think, feel, and behave in social situations.

Person Perception

The process of forming impressions of others.

Attribution Theory

The theory that explains how individuals interpret and explain the causes of behavior.

Fundamental Attribution Error

The tendency to overemphasize internal factors and underestimate external factors when explaining others' behavior.

Actor-Observer Bias

The tendency to attribute one's behavior to external factors and others' behavior to internal factors.

Prejudice

Preconceived negative attitudes or beliefs about individuals based on their group membership.

Stereotype

A generalized belief about a group of people.

Discrimination

Unjust or prejudicial treatment of individuals based on their group membership.

Just-World Phenomenon

The belief that people get what they deserve and deserve what they get.

Social Identity

The part of an individual's self-concept that is derived from their group memberships.

Ingroup

A group to which an individual belongs and identifies with.

Outgroup

A group to which an individual does not belong or identify with.

Ingroup Bias

The tendency to favor one's own group over others.

Scapegoat Theory

Blaming a specific group for societal problems.

Other-Race Effect

The tendency to better recognize faces of one's own race.

Attitudes

Evaluative judgments about people, objects, or ideas.

Foot-in-the-Door Phenomenon

The tendency for people to be more likely to agree to a large request after agreeing to a small one.

Role

A set of expectations about a social position, defining how those in the position ought to behave.

Leon Festinger

A social psychologist known for his work on cognitive dissonance theory.

Cognitive Dissonance Theory

The theory that individuals experience discomfort when their beliefs or attitudes are inconsistent.

Persuasion

The process of changing attitudes or behaviors.

Peripheral Route Persuasion

Persuasion that occurs when people are influenced by incidental cues.

Central Route Persuasion

Persuasion that occurs when people are motivated to think about the message and are influenced by the strength of the arguments.

Norms

Rules or expectations for appropriate behavior within a group.

Solomon Asch

A social psychologist known for his conformity experiments.

Conformity

Adjusting one's behavior or thinking to match that of others in a group.

Normative Social Influence

Conforming to group norms to fit in and gain approval.

Informational Social Influence

Conforming to group behavior because of a desire to be correct.

Obedience

Compliance with commands from an authority figure.

Stanley Milgram

A social psychologist known for his controversial obedience experiments.

Social Facilitation

The tendency for people to perform better on simple tasks in the presence of others.

Social Loafing

The phenomenon where individuals exert less effort in a group setting compared to when working alone.

Deindividuation

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

Group Polarization

The tendency for group discussion to enhance group members' initial tendencies.

Groupthink

A mode of thinking that occurs when the desire for harmony in a group overrides a realistic appraisal of alternatives.

Culture

The enduring behaviors, ideas, attitudes, values, and traditions shared by a group of people.

Tight Culture

A culture with strong norms and low tolerance for deviant behavior.

Loose Culture

A culture with weaker norms and greater tolerance for diverse behavior.

Aggression

Behavior intended to harm others.

Frustration-Aggression Principle

The theory that frustration triggers a readiness to aggress.

Social Script

A culturally provided mental program that guides behavior in familiar situations.

Mere Exposure Effect

The phenomenon where people tend to develop a preference for things merely because they are familiar with them.

Passionate Love

An intense emotional state characterized by longing, desire, and excitement.

Companionate Love

A deep, affectionate attachment that develops over time in a long-term relationship.

Equity

A condition in which people receive from a relationship in proportion to what they give.

Self-Disclosure

Revealing personal information about oneself to others.

Altruism

Unselfish regard for the welfare of others.

John Darley and Bibb Latané

Social psychologists known for their research on bystander intervention and the bystander effect.

Bystander Effect

The phenomenon where individuals are less likely to help in an emergency when others are present.

Social Exchange Theory

The theory that our social behavior is an exchange process, aiming to maximize benefits and minimize costs.

Reciprocity Norm

An expectation that people will help those who have helped them.

Social-Responsibility Norm

An expectation that people will help those in need without expecting anything in return.

Conflict

A perceived incompatibility of actions, goals, or ideas.

Social Trap

A situation in which conflicting parties, by each rationally pursuing their self-interest, become caught in mutually destructive behavior.

Mirror-Image Perceptions

Mutual views held by conflicting people, where each side sees itself as ethical.

Self-Fulfilling Prophecy

A belief that leads to its own fulfillment.

Superordinate Goals

Shared goals that override differences among people and require their cooperation.

Grit

Perseverance and passion for long-term goals.

Personality

An individual's unique pattern of thoughts, feelings, and behaviors.

Psychodynamic Theories

Theories focusing on the role of unconscious processes in shaping behavior and personality.

Psychoanalysis

A therapeutic approach that aims to bring unconscious conflicts to conscious awareness.

Sigmund Freud

The founder of psychoanalysis, known for his theory of the unconscious mind.

Unconscious

The part of the mind containing thoughts and memories not consciously recognized.

Free Association

A psychoanalytic technique where individuals express their thoughts freely.

Id, Ego, Superego

The three components of Freud's structural model of the mind.

Defense Mechanisms

Unconscious strategies used to protect the ego from anxiety.

Repression

A defense mechanism that pushes painful thoughts into the unconscious.

Alfred Adler, Karen Horney, Carl Jung

Prominent figures in psychology who developed their own theories of personality.

Collective Unconscious

A shared reservoir of memories and symbols inherited from our ancestors.

Terror-Management Theory

Explores how humans cope with the fear of mortality.

Thematic Apperception Test (TAT)

A projective test where individuals interpret ambiguous pictures.

Rorschach Inkblot Test

A projective test using inkblots to reveal a person's thoughts and emotions.

Abraham Maslow

A humanistic psychologist known for his hierarchy of needs theory.

Humanistic Theories

Theories focusing on personal growth and self-actualization.

Self-Actualization

The realization of one's full potential.

Self-Transcendence

Connecting with something greater than oneself.

Carl Rogers

A humanistic psychologist known for client-centered therapy.

Unconditional Positive Regard

An attitude of acceptance and respect without judgment.

Self-Concept

How individuals perceive and evaluate themselves.

Trait

Stable characteristics that influence behavior.

Personality Inventory

A questionnaire used to evaluate an individual's personality traits.

Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory (MMPI)

A widely used personality assessment tool.

Empirically Derived Test

A test developed through research to ensure validity.

Robert McCrae and Paul Costa

Psychologists known for research on the Big Five personality factors.

Big Five Factors

Broad dimensions of personality capturing individual differences.

Social-Cognitive Perspective

Emphasizes the interaction between personal factors, environmental influences, and behavior.

Albert Bandura

A psychologist known for social learning theory and self-efficacy.

Behavioral Approach

Focuses on observable behaviors and the influence of the environment.

Reciprocal Determinism

The idea that behavior is influenced by personal, environmental, and cognitive factors.

William James

A philosopher and psychologist known for his contributions to functionalism.

Self

An individual's sense of personal identity and self-awareness.

Spotlight Effect

The tendency to overestimate how much others notice and evaluate us.

Self-Esteem

The subjective evaluation of one's self-worth.

Self-Efficacy

The belief in one's ability to succeed in specific situations.

Self-Serving Bias

The tendency to attribute success to internal factors and failure to external factors.

Narcissism

A personality trait characterized by grandiosity and lack of empathy.

Individualism

A cultural orientation that emphasizes personal goals over group interests.

Collectivism

A cultural orientation that prioritizes group harmony over individual needs.

Motivation

The internal drive that energizes and directs behavior towards goals.