Psychology Midterm 3

social psychology

scientific study of how we feel about, think about, and behave toward the other people around us, and how those people influence our thoughts, feelings, and behavior

social cognition

the part of human thinking that helps us understand and predict the behavior or ourselves and other

social norms

the accepted beliefs about what we do or what we should do in particular social situations

stereotypes (cognition or thoughts)

a kind of schema, our tendency to attribute personality characteristics to people on the basis of their external appearance or their social group membership

baby-face overgeneralization

react positively when we look at babies

familiar-face overgeneralization

when strangers look like friends or family, our first impression tends to be positive

unit-face overgeneralization

influenced by the physical attractiveness of others

emotional-face overgeneralization

if our natural facial expression resembles as a happy face, the first impression is positive

prejudice (emotion)

the tendency to dislike people because of their appearance or group membership

discrimination (behavior)

negative behaviors towards other based on appearance or group membership

self-fulfilling prophecy

when our expectations about the personality characteristics of others lead us to behave toward those others in ways that make those beliefs come true.

ingroup

us

outgroup

them

social identity

the positive emotions that we experience as a result of our group memberships

public distance zone

distance farthest from us, where we keep strangers

social zone

formal relationships

personal zone

freinds

intimate zone

closest relationships

interpersonal attraction

what makes people like, and even love, each other

mere exposure effect

the tendency to prefer stimuli (including, but not limited to, people) that we have seen more frequently

attribution

the process of trying to determine the causes of people’s behavior

fundamental attribution error

the common tendency to overestimate the role of personal factors and overlooks the impact of situations in judging others

attitude

our relatively enduring evaluations of people and things

self-monitoring

the tendency to regulate behavior to meet the demands of social situations

self-perception

when we use our own behavior as a guide to help us determine our own thoughts and feelings

foot-in-the-door technique

a method of persuasion in which the person is first persuaded to accept a rather minor request and then asked for a larger one after that

cognitive dissonance

the discomfort we experience when our behavior does not align with our thought or beliefs

sunk cost fallacy

our tendency to keep pursuing a particular endeavor after we have made an investment of time, effort, or money

prosocial behavior

any behavior that we engage in that benefits others

reciprocal altruism

the principle that, if we help other people now, those others will help us or our offspring in the future

diffusion of responsibility

when we assume that others will take action and therefore we do not take action ourselves

aggression

behavior that is intended to harm another individual physically or psychologically

reactive aggression

response to a threat or frustrating event, with the goal being only to remove the provoking stimulus, amygdala

proactive aggression

a purposeful planned attack with an external or internal reward as a goal

catharsis

the mistaken belief that observing or engaging in less harmful aggressive actions will reduce the tendency to aggress later in a more harmful way

desensitization

the tendency over time to show weaker emotional responses to emotional stimuli

conformity

a change in beliefs or behavior that occurs as the result of the presence of the other people around us

obedience

compliance with the request or demand of a perceived authority

minority influence

a smaller number of individuals is able to influence the opinions or behaviors of the larger group

psychological reactance

a strong emotional reaction that leads people to resist pressures to conform

social facilitation

tendency to perform cognitively easy or well-practiced tasks better or faster in the presence of others

social inhibition

on more cognitively difficult or less practiced tasks, the presence of others tends to hamper our performance

social loafing

a group process loss that occurs when people do not work as hard in a group as they do when they are working alone

groupthink

occurs when group members, prioritizing group harmony, do not voice concerns about a decision being made, with the end result being a poor group decision

illusion of group productivity

the tendency for group members to overvalue the productivity of groups they work in

psychopathology/abnormal psychology

the scientific study of mental disorders, including theory, research diagnosis, and treatment

mental illness

health conditions involving changes in emotion, thinking, or behavior (or a combination of these). associated with distress and/or problems functioning in social, work, or family activities

bio-psycho-socio-cultural model of mental illness

a way of understanding disorder that assumes that disorder is caused by biological, psychological, social, and cultural factors. biological =influences on disorder that come from the functioning of the individual’s body. psychological= influences that come from the mind, patterns of negative thinking and stress responses. socio=social factors. cultural= cultural factors

comorbidity

occurs when people who are diagnosed with one psychological disorder are also simultaneously diagnosed with one or more additional psychological disorders

diagnostic and statistical manual of mental disorders (DSM)

a document that provides a common language and standard criteria fro the classification of psychological disorders. helpful for insurance

attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD)

a developmental behavior disorder characterized by problems with focus, difficulty maintaining attention, and inability to concentrate, in which symptoms start before 12 years of age

autism spectrum disorder (ASD)

a disorder of neural development characterized by impaired social interaction and communication and by restricted and repetitive behavior, and in which symptoms begin in childhood

anxiety

the nervousness or agitation that we sometimes experience, often about something that is going to happen

anxiety disorders

marked by irrational fears, often everyday objects and situations

generalized anxiety disorder (GAD)

excessive anxiety and worry about a range of events and activities accompanied by such symptoms as restlessness, fatigue, impaired concentration, irritability, muscle tension, and disturbed sleep

panic disorder

characterized by recurrent, unexpected panic attacks that are associated with (a) persistent concern about having another attack, (b) worry about the possible consequences of the attacks, (c) significant change in behavior related to the attacks, (d) a combination of any or all of these. shortness of breath, heart palpitations, trembling, dizziness, choking sensations, nausea, and an intense feeling of dread or impending doom

phobia

a specific fear of a certain object, situation, or activity

social phobia

an anxiety disorder that is characterized by extreme and persistent social anxiety or performance anxiety and that causes significant distress or prevents participation in everyday activities. the feared situation is most often avoided altogether or else it is endured with marked discomfort

agoraphobia

an anxiety about being in places or situations from which escape might be difficult or embarrassing, or in which help may not be available

obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD)

characterized by experiencing intrusive and repetitive thoughts or urges (obsessions) and engaging in repetitive behaviors (compulsions), often in an attempt to reduce these thoughts or urges

PTSD

people who survived a terrible ordeal, such as combat, torture, assault, imprisonment, abuse, natural disasters, or death of someone close to them

mood

the positive or negative feelings that are in the background of our everyday experiences

mood (or affective) disorder

a long-lasting emotional disturbance that affects all areas of one’s life

depressive disorders

negative mood and loss of interest or pleasure

• low mood

• changes in appetite

• sleep disturbance

• agitation

• fatigue

• difficulty concentrating

persistent depressive disorder (dysthymia)

characterized by mild, but chronic, depressive symptoms that last for at least 2 years

major depressive disorder (clinical depression)

a psychological disorder characterized by an all-encompassing low mood accompanied by low self-esteem and by loss of interest or pleasure in normally enjoyable activities

bipolar disorder

a psychological disorder characterized by swings in mood - from overly high to sad and hopeless and back again - with periods of near-normal mood in between

schizophrenia

a psychological disorder marked by delusions, hallucinations, loss of contact with reality, inappropriate affect, disorganized speech, and social withdrawal

psychosis

a psychological condition characterized by a loss of contact with reality

hallucinations

positive symptom of schizophrenia, imaginary sensations that occur in the absence of a real stimulus or that are gross distortions of real stimulus

delusions

schizophrenia, often highly personal idea or belief system, not endorsed by one’s culture or subculture, that is maintained with conviction in spite of irrationality or evidence to the contrary

personality disorder

a condition characterized by inflexible patterns of thinking, feeling, or relating to others that cause problems in personal, social, and work situations

borderline personality disorder

characterized by a prolonged disturbance of personality accompanied by mood swings, unstable personal relationships, identity problems, threats of self-destructive behavior, fears of abandonment, and impulsivity

antisocial personality disorder (APD)

a pervasive pattern of violating the rights of others that begins in childhood or early adolescence and continue into adulthood

intrapersonal factors

emotions, attitudes, self, social cognition

interpersonal factors

group processes, helping, harming, relationships

normative social influence

we just want to fit in, peer pressure

informational social influence

changing our behavior to match others and b/c you believe the others are correct

conformity

adjusting our behavior or thinking to a group standard

deindividuation

the more ppl there are, the more social arousal there is = decrease self-awareness, loss of normal inhibitions

proximity

familiarity, how geographically close you are to someone influences the opportunity to get to know them

emotion-focused coping

exercise, take a bath, meditate

problem-focused coping

working on managing time, ask for support, establish healthy boundaries, create a to do list

diathesis-stress model

mental health problems are more likely when vulnerability and stress interact, biological predisposition and early life experiences.

4 D’s

deviance, distress, dysfunction, danger

Generalized anxiety disorder risk factors

genetic predisposition, brain chemistry, family background, social influence, lifestyle factors

Generalized anxiety disorder treatment

medication, psychotherapy, self-help

social anxiety treatment

• prescription medications

• cognitive-behavior therapy

• acceptance and commitment therapy

• psychoanalysis

commorbidity

if you have one disorder, you are more likely to have another disorder

depression causes

• genetics

• brain chemistry imbalance

• poor nutrition

• physical health issue

• drugs

• stress

cognitive triad

ppl suffering from depression perceive themselves, their situations, and the future negatively

common treatment types for depression

• psychotherapy

• family or couple therapy

• hospitalization

• self-help strategies

• medications

bipolar disorder symptoms

mania

• talking excessively

• racing thoughts

• hostility

• less sleep

• delusions

Depression

• extreme fatigue

• prolonged sadness

• memory loss

• poor nutrition

bipolar 1

involves manic episodes

bipolar 2

involves less severe hypomanic episodes

bipolar disorder treatments

• psychological therapies

• alternative treatments

• lifestyle changes

• prescription medications

PTSD treatments

• psychotherapy

• medications

• alternative treatments (yoga)

• virtual reality exposure

• MDMA-assisted therapy

postive schizophrenia symptoms

• delusions

• hallucinations

• disorganized speech

negative schizophrenia symptoms

• flattened affect

• reduced speech

• lack of initiative

schizophrenia treatments

• patient compliance

• medications

• psychotherapy