Unit 4 - Social Psych, Personality, Motivation, and Emotion

Dispositional

Attributing others’ behavior to their internal qualities

Ex: She drove like that because she’s a bad person

Situational

Attributing someone’s behavior to external circumstances

Ex: I drove like that because I was rushing to pick my sister up

Explanatory Style

We develop patterns for how we explain things, either optimistic or pessimistic

Actor / Observer

We blame our actions on the situation, but others’ on personality

Fundamental Attribution Error

Overemphasize personality traits and underestimate situational factors when explaining someone else’s behavior

Self-Serving Bias

Explaining things in ways that support our own self-esteem

Locus of Control

Beliefs about whether we are in control of the outcomes of our lives

Locus of Control (Internal)

Ex: I did poorly on the test because I didn’t study

Locus of Control (External)

Ex: I did poorly on the test because the teacher hates me

Mere Exposure Effect

The more we’re exposed to a stimulus, the more we grow to like it

Self-Fulfilling Prophecy

People act in ways that confirm how they (and/or others) view them

Social Comparison

We evaluate in comparison to others, including a potential sense of relative deprivation

Stereotypes

Generalized concepts that reduce cognitive load but can lead to bias or discriminatory beliefs

Implicit Bias

Unconscious attitudes that affect our judgements without us realizing it

Belief Perseverance

Cognitive bias in which a belief continues even after its been proven to incorrect

Cognitive Dissonance

When our beliefs and actions are in conflict, we subtly and unconsciously adjust our actions to more closely match our beliefs

Social Norms

Expectations and roles for members of a society or community

Social Influence Theory

Pressure to behave or think in certain ways can be normative or informational

Normative

The desire to fit in, or to avoid conflict

Informational

Caving to social pressure because you assume the group must be right

Central Route

Involves careful and thoughtful consideration of the arguments presented

Peripheral Route

Relies on superficial cues, such as attractiveness or likability

Halo Effect

Where one positive trait leads people to assume other positive traits - is an example of the peripheral route

Foot-In-The-Door

Involves getting someone to agree to a small request first, which increases the likelihood of them agreeing to a larger request later

Door-In-The-Face

Involves making a large request that is expected to be refused, followed by a smaller, more reasonable request, which is more likely to be accepted

Conformity

Changing one’s behavior or thinking to match group norms or expectations

Ex: Asch measured this with his like matching experiment

Normative Conformity

Going along to be liked or accepted (peer pressure)

Informational Conformity

Going along because you think the group is right

Obedience

Following the orders or instructions of an authority figure

Ex: Milgram measured this in his shock generator experiment

Individualism

Focus on personal goals, freedom, autonomy, and independence

Collectivism

Focus on group goals, harmony, interdependence, loyalty, and duty

Group Think

Groups wanting cohesion ignore alternatives or dissenting ideas

Diffusion of Responsibility

People feel less personally responsible when in groups → can lead to social loafing

Social Loafing

Putting in less effort in groups

Group Polarization

Group discussions strengthen dominant views; talking with others who agree with you pushes your views towards extremes

Deindividuation

Loss of self-awareness and sense of personal responsibility in group settings, often leading to impulsive or deviant behavior

Social Trap

Conflict can arise when individual goals conflict with group interest

Superordinate Goals

Working on a common goal that requires cooperation can help reduce conflict

Social Reciprocity Norm

We help others and (in part, because) we expect others to also help us

Social Responsibility Norm

We health others because we have a moral responsibility to do so - regardless of whether we receive help

Bystander Effect

Individuals are less likely to help someone in need when others are present

Psychodynamic

Freud believed personality is shaped by the inner conflict between the Id, Ego, and Superego

Id

The primitive, instinctual part of the mind. Operates on the pleasure principle - seeks immediate gratifications

Ego

Rational, decision-making part. Operates on the reality principle - balances the id’s desires with the real world

Soperego

Moral conscience. Represents societal rules and ideals; strives for perfection and judges actions as right or wrong

Repression

An unconscious mechanism employed by the ego to keep disturbing or threatening thoughts from becoming conscious

Ex: During the Oedipus complex aggressive thoughts about the same sex parents are repressed

Denial

Involves blocking external events from awareness. If some situation is just too much to handle, the personal just refused to experience it

Ex: Smokers refusing to admit that smoking is bad for their health

Projection

Involves individuals attributing their own unacceptable thoughts, feels, and motives to another person

Ex: You might hate someone, but your superego tells you that isn’t okay. You ‘solve’ this by believing they hate you

Displacement

Satisfying an impulse with a substitutional object

Ex: Someone who’s frustrated by her boss may go home and kick her dog out of frustration

Regression

A movement back in psychological time when one faces stress

Ex: A child may begin to suck their thumb again if they need to spend time in the hospital

Sublimation

Satisfying an impulse with a substitute object in a good way

Ex: Sports are an example of putting our emotions into something constructive

Inkblot Tests

Complete ambiguous drawings that patients described

Thematic Apperception Test

Generated ambiguous photos to ask patient to analyze

Humanism

Stressed the importance of unconditional positive regard and the self-actualizing tendency, focusing its subjective research on the individuals Maslow thought had achieved their potential

Social-Cognitive Theory

We learn and behave by observing others, interacting with the environment, and experiencing consequences. Our environments affect us, but we often chose and affect those environments as well

Self-Concept

Our schema of ourselves affects our choices

Self-Efficacy

Belief in our ability to succeed; affects our choices and motivation

Self-Esteem

Overall evaluation of ourselves

Reciprocal Determinism

Personal factors, environmental factors, and behavioral factors all influence one another

Drive Reduction Theory

Certain behaviors help maintain homeostasis

Self-Determination Theory

People are motivated by intrinsic (internal) or extrinsic (external) motivations

Arousal Theory

People seek an optimal level of arousal when they behave

Incentive Theory

Explores the role of rewards (an extrinsic motivation) in motivating behavior

Instinct Theory

Instincts: Innate, typically fixed patterns of behavior in animals in response to certain stimuli. Humans do not seem to demonstrate instinctual behavior or mental processes

Approach-Approach

In this type of conflict, individuals must choose between 2 desirable options

Ex: Deciding between 2 appealing vacation destinations

Approach-Avoidance

This conflict involves a choice where an option has both desirable and undesirable aspects

Ex: A person might want to take a job but also worry about potential stress it could cause

Avoidance-Avoidance

This type of conflict presents a choice between 2 undesirable options

Ex: Deciding between 2 unpleasant tasks or situations

Sensation-Seeking Theory

Proposes that one’s level of need for varied or novel experiences is the basis of motivation

Display Rules

Social norms that dictate how and when emotions should be expressed in different contexts

Elicitors

Refers to stimuli or events that trigger or provoke specific emotions or responses