AP Psych Unit 4

conformity

process by which individuals change their behavior/feelings/thoughts to align with a group because of real/imagined pressure

normative social influence

influence to conform to expectations of others caused by desire to liked/be accepted

social norms

unwritten rules that dictate acceptable behaviors w/in society or groups and influence individuals’ actions and interactions

relative deprivation

feeling of dissatisfaction or injustice experienced when individuals compare themselves to others and see that they are worse off

upward social comparison

comparing oneself to someone who you feel is better, can hurt your self-esteem or motivate you

downward social comparison

comparing oneself to someone who you feel if worse, can foster complacency, or boost self-esteem

informational social influence

influence to accept information from others as evidence about reality, usually occurs where correct action/belief is uncertain

obedience

act of following direct commands, usually from authority, EVEN if the command is in contradiction to personal beliefs/morals

social facilitation

tendency for people to perform different when in the presence of other people, typically showing improved performance on simple tasks/well-practiced tasks and worse on complex/less-practied tasks

group polarization

when people in a group talk about an idea—>agreeing strongly making their opinion more extreme

groupthink

desire for harmony/conformity in group—>irrational/dysfunctional decision-making—>supression of dissenting opinions—>decrease in individual creativity and responsibility

bystander effect

phenomenon where individuals are less likely to offer a victim help where other people are present, the more bystanders the less likely an individual is likely to act

diffusion of responsibility

tendency for individuals to feel less responsible for taking action/helping in situations where others are present, leads to the decrease in likelihood of intervention

social loafing

tendency for individuals to exert less effort when working in a group vs. working alone

deindividuation

a psychological state where individuals lose self-awareness and sense of individuation in group settings, leads to impulsive and defiant behavior

attribution theory

explains how people decide whether someone’s behavior is caused by their personality or their situation

dispositional attributions

assuming person’s actions are due to personality NOT situation

situation attributions

assuming person’s actions are due to circumstances NOT personality

explanatory style

how a person explains the reasons behind events: either blaming themselves or outside factors

optimistic explanatory style

habit of explaining good things as likely to happen again and bad things as one-time events, set backs are because of external and unstable specific factors

pessimistic explanatory style

habit of explaining bad things as likely to happen again and good things as one time things

fundamental attribution error

tendency to blame people’s personality more than the situation

actor-observer bias

habit of blaming our own actions on the situations BUT blaming other people’s actions on their personality

self-serving bias

tendency to attribute one’s successes to personal characteristics and failures to external factors to boost self-esteem

internal locus of control

belief that one’s actions and decisions directly influence outcomes and events in life

external locus of control

belief that outcomes and events are determined by external forces/fate rather than one’s actions

altruism

selfless concern for well-being of others, leading to behavior that benefits others @ a personal cost

social responsibility norm

societal expectation that people should help others who need assistance w/o regard to future exchanges

stereotype

a generalized belief about a particular group of people esp if over simplified and NOT based on direct experience(decreases cog load to catagorize people w/o processing)

confirmation bias

tendency to search for/interpret/favor/recall info in a way that confirms one’s preexisting beliefs/hypotheses

belief perseverance

tendency to hold on to one’s beliefs even after they have been shown to be false, even if contradictory evidence is shown

self-fulfilling prophecy

when a belief about a situation/person leads to actions that make the belief come true

prejudice

unjust, esp neg attitudes toward a group and its members, gen involves neg emo stereotypes and beliefs, usually accompanies discriminatory actions

discrimination

unjustifiable behavior toward a group and its members

implicit attitudes

unconscious beliefs/feelings that influence people’s behaviors and perceptions w/o their awareness

just-world phenomenon

belief that world is fair, people rationalize justice/misfortune as deserved

out-group homogeneity bias

tendency to see members of an out group as more similar to each other than they really are and perceiving them as less varied than members of one’s group

in-group bias

tendency to favor and extend loyalty to members one’s own group over those in other groups, leads to preferential treatment and judgement

mere exposure effect

phenomenon where repeated exposure to a stimulus increases an individual’s preference for that stimulus

ethnocentrism

belief in the inherent superiority of one’s own ethnic group/culture esp accompanied with a feeling of contempt for other groups

collectivism

cultural value that emphasizes the importance of group/community OVER individual goals/desires prioritizes group cohesion and interdependence

multiculturalism

a view that promotes acknowledgement and respect of diverse cultural backgrounds and traditions, encouraging coexistence and values various cultural identities w/in a society

superordinate goals

shared goals that require individuals/groups, typically overriding smaller/individual conflicts; fostering collaborative efforts

social traps

situations in which individuals/groups pursue immediate rewards that later prove to have neg/catastrophic consequences for the larger community

persuasion

a process of influencing other’s attitudes, beliefs, or behaviors through communication. involves appeals to reason, emotion or authority

elaboration likelihood model

a theory that describes how people process persuasive messages

central route of persuasion

a method of persuasion that involves deeply engaging with content of message leads to careful analysis. results in more durable attitude changes

peripheral route of persuasion

method of persuasion that relies on superficial cues(ie: attractiveness/credibility of speaker) INSTEAD of content of the message, results in temporary attitude changes

halo effect

a cognitive bias where a positive impression in one area leads to a positive evaluation in other areas, influencing overall judgements about a person

foot-in-door technique

a persuasive strategy where agreements to a small, initial request increases the likelihood of compliance with a larger, subsequent request

door-in-face technique

a persuasion technique where a large initial request is made followed by a more reasonable request that is more likely to be accepted.

false consensus effect

cognitive bias where people overestimate how much others agree with their own beliefs, behaviors and attitudes

cognitive dissonance

psych discomfort experienced when simultaneously holding conflicting beliefs, attitudes, or behavior. leads to an alteration in belief/behavior to decrease discomfort

industrial-organizational(I/O) psychologists

psychologists who apply psych principles and research methods to the workplace to increase productivity, select employees for promotion, and enhance organization culture and structure