AP Psychology Unit 4a

Attribution

The process of explaining one's own behavior and the behavior of others.

Dispositional Attributions

Attributions that explain someone's behavior in terms of factors internal to the person, such as traits or preferences.

Situational Attributions

Explanations of people's behavior that refer to external events, such as the weather, luck, accidents, or other people's actions.

Explanatory Style

A person's characteristic way of explaining his experiences, affecting their vulnerability to depression.

Actor-Observer Bias

The tendency to blame our actions on the situation and blame the actions of others on their personalities.

Fundamental Attribution Error

The tendency for observers to underestimate the impact of the situation and to overestimate the impact of personal disposition.

Self-Serving Bias

The tendency for people to take personal credit for success but blame failure on external factors.

Mere Exposure Effect

The phenomenon that repeated exposure to novel stimuli increases liking of them.

Self-Fulfilling Prophecy

A belief that leads to its own fulfillment.

Social Comparison

Evaluating one's abilities and opinions by comparing oneself with others.

Relative Deprivation

The perception that one is worse off relative to those with whom one compares oneself.

Stereotype

A generalized belief about a group of people.

Cognitive Load

The amount of a person's cognitive resources needed to carry out a particular cognitive task.

Prejudice

Preconceived opinion that is not based on reason or actual experience.

Discrimination

Unjustifiable negative behavior toward a group and its members.

Implicit Attitudes

Attitudes that influence a person's feelings and behavior at an unconscious level.

Just-World Phenomenon

The tendency for people to believe the world is just and that people get what they deserve.

Out-Group Homogeneity Bias

Our tendency to see out-group members as being pretty much all alike.

In-Group Bias

The tendency to favor one's own group.

Ethnocentrism

Belief in the superiority of one's nation or ethnic group.

Belief Perseverance

Clinging to one's initial conceptions after the basis on which they were formed has been discredited.

Confirmation Bias

A tendency to search for information that supports our preconceptions and to ignore contradictory evidence.

Cognitive Dissonance

Inner tension experienced after recognizing inconsistency between behavior and values or opinions.

Social Norms

Expected standards of conduct, which influence behavior.

Social Influence Theory

Theory that powerful social influences can produce a state of hypnosis.

Normative Social Influence

Influence resulting from a person's desire to gain approval or avoid disapproval.

Informational Social Influence

Influence resulting from one's willingness to accept others' opinions about reality.

Persuasion

A kind of speaking or writing that is intended to influence people's actions.

Elaboration Likelihood Model

Model of persuasion stating that people will either elaborate on the persuasive message or not, affecting predictability of future actions.

Central Route of Persuasion

Occurs when interested people focus on the arguments and respond with favorable thoughts.

Peripheral Route Persuasion

Occurs when people are influenced by incidental cues, such as a speaker's attractiveness.

Halo Effect

Tendency of an interviewer to allow positive characteristics of a client to influence the assessments of the client's behavior and statements.

Foot-in-the-Door Technique

The tendency for people who have first agreed to a small request to comply later with a larger request.

Door-in-the-Face Technique

Asking for a large commitment and being refused, then asking for a smaller commitment.

Conformity

Adjusting one's behavior or thinking to coincide with a group standard.

Obedience

A form of compliance that occurs when people follow direct commands from someone in authority.

Culture

Beliefs, customs, and traditions of a specific group of people.

Collectivism

Giving priority to the goals of one's group and defining one's identity accordingly.

Individualism

Giving priority to one's own goals over group goals and defining one's identity in terms of personal attributes.

Multiculturalism

A condition in which ethnic groups exist separately and share equally in economic and political life.

Group Polarization

The enhancement of a group's prevailing inclinations through discussion within the group.

Groupthink

The mode of thinking that occurs when the desire for harmony in a decision-making group overrides a realistic appraisal of alternatives.

Diffusion of Responsibility

The tendency for individuals to feel diminished responsibility for their actions when surrounded by others.

Social Loafing

The tendency for people in a group to exert less effort toward a common goal than when individually accountable.

Deindividuation

The loss of self-awareness and self-restraint occurring in group situations that foster arousal and anonymity.

Social Facilitation

Stronger responses on simple or well-learned tasks in the presence of others.

False Consensus Effect

The tendency to overestimate the extent to which others share our beliefs and behaviors.

Social Trap

A situation where conflicting parties, by rationally pursuing self-interest, become caught in mutually destructive behavior.

Superordinate Goals

Shared goals that override differences among people and require their cooperation.

Industrial/Organizational Psychology

The application of psychological concepts and methods to optimizing human behavior in workplaces.

Prosocial Behavior

Positive, constructive, helpful behavior; the opposite of antisocial behavior.

Altruism

Unselfish regard for the welfare of others.

Social Responsibility Norm

An expectation that people will help those dependent upon them.

The Bystander Effect

The tendency for any given bystander to be less likely to give aid if other bystanders are present.

Reciprocity Norm

An expectation that people will help, not hurt, those who have helped them.