AP Psych: Social Thinking

Attribution

The process of explaining the causes of people's behavior, including one’s own, either by crediting internal or external situations.

Dispositional Attribution

Attributing behavior to a person’s disposition or personality.

Situational Attribution

Attributing behavior to the circumstances of the situation.

Fundamental Attribution Error

The tendency to attribute OTHER people’s behavior to their core character rather than to their situation.

Actor/Observer Bias

The tendency to attribute our own actions to external, situational causes.

Individual Persuasion

A process in which persuasion can occur through central routes (rational, evidence-based) or peripheral routes (appealing to desires and emotions).

Foot-in-the-Door Phenomenon

The tendency for people who agree to a small request to comply with a larger one.

Door-in-the-Face Phenomenon

Following an extravagant request with a reasonable one so the subject complies.

Cognitive Dissonance

The state of having inconsistent thoughts, beliefs, or attitudes, leading to the alteration of attitudes to reduce dissonance.

Stanford Prison Experiment

A psychological study conducted by Phillip Zimbardo demonstrating role playing and how it can change behavior.

Role Playing

The act of changing one’s behavior to assume or act out an adopted role.

Leon Festinger

Psychologist known for his theory of cognitive dissonance.