psychology terminology

behaviourism

a systematic approach to understanding the behavior of humans and other animals that focuses on behaviours that can be observed. operates under the assumption that behaviour is often determined by environmental factors and external stimuli.

classical conditioning

a process wherein a neutral stimulus is paired with a discriminative stimulus to elicit a conditioned response (e.g. Pavlov’s dogs)

operant conditioning

a process during which behaviour is intentionally modified using positive reinforcement or negative reinforcement, paired with an initally neutral stimulus.

compliance

an obedient response made to an explicit or implicit request, more common when the request is made by someone percieved as having authority and prestige, or when others are also complying

normative social influence

the idea that people tend to comply if they feel that it will make them more liked and/or increase their sense of belonging

elaboration-likelihood model

the idea that when a person presents information to an audience, any audience member will process, evaluate, and come to a conclusion about (experience ‘elaboration’) how they feel about this information and whether it should be accepted, influenced by central factors or peripheral factors.

central route of processing

a pathway of processing that is based on the actual message - the audience will form their opinion or response based on the content of what is being said

peripheral route of processing

a pathway of processing that is based on factors other than the message - the audience will form their opinion or response based on their impression of the speaker, what they percieve as being the popular opinion, etc.

hovland-yale model

based on three pillars: credibility and likability of the source, the way the message is delivered (order of information, entertainment factor, etc), and the intelligence and open-mindedness of the audience.

two-sided messages

shows both sides of an argument, then explains why one is correct

one-sided messages

shows one side of an argument in comprehensive depth and detail

primacy effect

audiences tend to consider the information they hear first more important, and the persuaders who speak first more credible.

recency effect

audiences tend to focus more on the information they hear last, as it is the freshest in their memory and the final thing they are told.

repetition

repeating components of a message throughout the delivery, making it more likely to stick with the audience

framing

a specific, often tailored contextualisation of a message

sabido method

the designing of entertaining media (tv shows, films, etc) to push a message, usually to promote more positive social attitudes

prosocial media

media created to influence positive behaviour and social awareness in audiences, usually but not exclusively aimed at younger audiences.

emotional appeal

intended to cause the recipient of the information to experience feelings such as pity or joy, with the end goal of persuading an audience or individual to subscribe to a message, do something, or adopt a particular point of view

fear appeal

intended to cause the recipient of the information to experience fear, with the end goal of persuading an audience or individual to subscribe to a message, do something, or adopt a particular point of view

role model characters

can be positive or negative, and are rewarded or punished (directly or indirectly) for their respective behaviour

transitional characters

used as neutral stand-ins or representations of the audience. they go on a journey throughout the course of the narrative, often concluding with them adopting the attitudes or behaviour desired of the audience.

social cognitive theory

the idea that people acquire new behaviours and skills through the observation of others’ behaviour. therefore, modelling behaviour increases the likelihood that an audience will adopt it.