My only Hope

What is a heuristic?

A mental shortcut that speeds up decision making.

What is embodied cognition?

The study of how feeling an object can impact how one thinks of someone they are presented with after the stimulus.

What is the availability heuristic?

A mental shortcut that relies on information that is readily available.

What is implicit personality theory?

A shortcut assuming that someone will behave in a certain way related to one trait, generalizing one characteristic to their whole personality.

What is person perception?

The physical attractiveness of a person.

What is social categorization?

Categorizing people into groups based on shared characteristics.

How long does it take to form an impression about someone?

0.1 seconds.

What factors affect first impressions?

Social norms, facial features, aspects of the situation, physical characteristics, and pre-existing social categories.

What is the primacy effect?

The tendency to attend to and remember what is learned first.

What is stereotype threat?

A self-fulfilling fear about being judged on the basis of a negative stereotype about one's group.

What are the two types of attitudes?

Implicit (unconscious) and Explicit (conscious).

What are the three components of an attitude?

Affective (emotion), Behavioral (behavior), and Cognitive (thoughts).

What are the three main attributional biases?

Fundamental attribution error, Actor-Observer bias, and Self-Serving Bias.

What is actor-observer bias?

An observer gives internal trait explanations for an actor's behavior, while the actor gives external, situational explanations for their own behavior.

What is self-serving bias and what does it protect?

Taking credit for successes as internal causes and viewing failures as external causes; it protects self-esteem.

What is the fundamental attribution error?

Overestimating the importance of internal traits and underestimating the importance of external causes.

What is the difference between dispositional and situational attributions?

Dispositional attributes behavior to internal traits/abilities; situational attributes behavior to environmental constraints.

What does the theory of planned behavior state?

Behaviors are determined by intentions, which are influenced by attitude, subjective norms, and perceived control.

What is reciprocal determinism?

The belief that personality, cognitive factors, behavior, and environment are all interconnected.

What is the relationship between attitudes and behavior?

Bidirectional.

What is self-perception theory?

People infer their attitudes about topics by observing their own behavior.

What is cognitive dissonance and who coined the term?

An uncomfortable feeling caused by two dissonant thoughts (attitude not matching behavior); coined by Leon Festinger.

How can cognitive dissonance be resolved?

Changing your attitude to match your behavior or changing your behavior to match your attitude.

What is persuasion?

Trying to change someone's attitude and behavior.

What is the foot-in-the-door technique?

Starting with a small request and following with a larger request.

What is the door-in-the-face technique?

Starting with a big request, and if rejected, following with a smaller request.

What is the low-ball technique?

Telling people the benefits of a request but leaving out the fine print.

What is conformity?

Adjusting one's behavior to align with a group.

What is compliance?

Changing public behavior to agree with a direct request, though not necessarily private beliefs.

What are the two routes of persuasion?

Central Route (critical thinking) and Peripheral Route (emotional appeals/attractiveness).

What is the elaboration likelihood model?

A model suggesting the most effective persuasive technique depends on the motivation of the listener.

What is obedience?

Complying with a direct request from a person perceived to be in authority.

What brain structures are involved in aggression?

The amygdala and hypothalamus.

What is the frustration-aggression hypothesis?

If you are blocked from meeting your goals, you will become aggressive.

What is prosocial behavior?

Behaving in a helping way towards people around us.

What does research suggest about volunteering during old age?

It increases with age and is associated with living longer.

What factors influence the tendency to engage in kind acts?

Genetics, empathy, personality, and the balance of GABA and Glutamate in the brain.

Who is John Gottman and what does the 5:1 ratio refer to?

An American psychologist known for the '4 Horsemen of Love'; the 5:1 ratio suggests that 5 positive interactions to 1 negative interaction are necessary for a healthy relationship.

What are the four horsemen of love?

Criticism, Contempt, Defensiveness, and Stonewalling.

Which of the four horsemen is considered the most important?

Contempt, characterized by disdain and feeling superior to the other.

What is Sternberg's triangular theory of love?

The theory that complete love consists of three components: intimacy, passion, and commitment.

What are the types of love defined by the components of intimacy, passion, and commitment?

Romantic Love (intimacy + passion), Companionate Love (intimacy + commitment), Foolish Love (passion + commitment), and Complete Love (all three).

What physical factor contributes to the beauty of the face?

Facial symmetry.

What factors contribute to interpersonal attraction?

Proximity and similarity, including shared beliefs, interests, warmth, and trustworthiness.

What is deindividuation?

The loss of individual identity and personal responsibility that occurs when an individual is part of a group with increased anonymity.

What is social loafing?

The tendency for individuals in a group to exert less effort because they assume others will do the work.

What is groupthink?

A phenomenon where group members prioritize conformity, making dissent or disagreement almost impossible.

What is normative social influence?

The drive to conform to group norms to be liked, accepted, or to avoid social rejection.

What is informational social influence?

The tendency to conform to others' beliefs because you believe they possess accurate knowledge.

What is the difference between an implicit and explicit stereotype?

An implicit stereotype is an unconscious, automatic association, while an explicit stereotype is a consciously held belief.

What does Social Identity Theory suggest about prejudice?

People feel better about themselves when they favor their own groups.

What is the Scapegoat Theory of prejudice?

The idea that we discriminate against an outgroup to have someone to blame for our problems.

What does Realistic Conflict Theory say about prejudice?

Prejudice is directly related to competition over limited resources.

What does the 'Just World' theory imply?

The belief that people get what they deserve, meaning those who suffer or succeed in life deserve their outcomes.

How can intergroup conflict be reduced?

By establishing a common goal and creating equal-status contact between groups.

What was the importance of the black doll/white doll study?

It demonstrated that children internalized racial bias, which was used in the Supreme Court to argue that 'separate but equal' was inherently unequal.

What is altruism?

Unselfish interest in helping others.

What is reciprocal altruism?

Performing costly acts of help for non-relatives with the expectation of being rewarded later.

What is the bystander effect?

The tendency not to help someone in need when others are present due to diffusion of responsibility.

What did the Milgram Experiment demonstrate?

The extent to which people are willing to follow orders from an authority figure, even when it causes harm.

What did the Stanford Prison Experiment show?

How power and group roles can lead to deindividuation and abusive behavior.

What did the Asch Experiment show about conformity?

That humans are social creatures who will often conform to a group's incorrect judgment.

How is personality defined?

A pattern of enduring, distinctive thoughts, emotions, and behaviors that characterize how an individual adapts to the world.

What is the difference between nomothetic and idiographic approaches to personality?

Nomothetic looks for general laws that apply to all individuals, while idiographic focuses on unique configurations within a single individual.

What are the core assumptions of psychoanalytic theory?

Personality is driven by unconscious and conflicting motivations established through early childhood.

What are the three levels of consciousness according to Freud?

Conscious, Unconscious, and Preconscious minds.

What is fixation in the context of developmental stages?

Being stuck in a particular developmental stage due to unresolved conflicts.

What is the purpose of defense mechanisms?

Tools of the ego to reduce anxiety caused by the superego and the Id.

What is the function of the Id?

The entirely unconscious and innate part of personality that drives pleasure and needs.

What is the function of the Ego?

Strives to delay gratification until a socially acceptable way to meet needs is found.

What is the function of the Superego?

The moral compass that balances the Id by judging behavior and distinguishing right from wrong.

How did Neo-Freudians differ from original psychodynamic theorists?

They focused less on sexual drives and viewed humans more optimistically.

How did Karen Horney differ from Freud regarding personality?

She argued that sociocultural factors play a larger role than biological drives and rejected the concept of penis envy.

What is the hierarchy of needs proposed by Abraham Maslow?

Physiological needs, Safety, Love and Belongingness, Self-esteem, and Self-Actualization.

What does a 'bidirectional' relationship between personality, behavior, and environment mean?

They all influence and are influenced by each other.

What is self-actualization?

The motivation to develop one's full potential.

According to humanistic theory, why do individuals experience psychological difficulty?

There is a discrepancy between the 'ideal' self and the 'actual' self.

What is psychic determinism?

The belief that all psychological events are due to unconscious events.

What is unconditional positive regard?

Showing that someone truly cares and values another person no matter their behavior.

What is the collective unconscious?

A storehouse of memories made up of archetypes.

What are the three major components of personality according to Carl Rogers?

Organism, self, and conditions of worth.

What is a trait?

An enduring disposition that leads to characteristic patterns of behavior, emotions, and thoughts.

What are the five factors in the Big 5 model (OCEAN)?

Openness, Conscientiousness, Extraversion, Agreeableness, and Neuroticism.

What is the main criticism of trait theory by Walter Mischel?

Traits do not always predict behavior in single episodes, only overall trends.

What is the HEXACO model?

A personality model including Honest-Humility, Emotionality, Extraversion, Agreeableness, Conscientiousness, and Openness.

What is the Dark Triad?

A set of three personality traits: Narcissism, Psychopathy, and Machiavellianism.

What is heritability?

The percentage of phenotype associated with variation in genotype.

What is the difference between shared and non-shared environments?

Shared environments are experiences within the family; non-shared are experiences outside the family.

What is self-efficacy?

An individual's expectations of their own abilities.

What is the difference between internal and external locus of control?

Internal means believing you control outcomes; external means believing environmental factors control outcomes.

What is the difference between reliability and validity in testing?

Reliability is consistency of results; validity is the accuracy of results.

What is the Thematic Apperception Test (TAT)?

A test where participants create stories based on pictures of ambiguous environments.

What are the primary symptoms of Antisocial Personality Disorder?

Lack of guilt or remorse, impulsivity, irritability, recklessness, and irresponsibility.

What are the primary symptoms of Borderline Personality Disorder?

Instability in relationships, self-image, and emotions, and a fear of abandonment.