AP Psychology Social Psychology Review Guide

A set of 30 practice vocabulary flashcards covering key terms and concepts from the AP Psychology Social Psychology review guide.

Social Psychology

The scientific study of how we think about, influence, and relate to other people.

Attribution Theory

The theory (developed by Fritz Heider) that we tend to explain other people's behavior in terms of the situation or in terms of their dispositions (personality).

Fundamental Attribution Error

The tendency, when analyzing another person's behavior, to underestimate the importance of the situation and overestimate the importance of personal dispositions.

Foot-in-the-door Phenomenon

The tendency for people who agree to a small request to agree to a larger one later on.

Door-in-the-face Technique

The tendency for people who say no to a very large request to then say yes to a smaller, more modest request.

Cognitive Dissonance Theory

The theory that we act to reduce the discomfort (dissonance) we feel when 2 of our thoughts (cognitions) or a thought and an action are inconsistent.

Self-fulfilling Prophecy

Process by which our beliefs or attitudes about another person causes that person to behave in a way which only confirms our beliefs.

Central Route of Persuasion

A route of persuasion where a speaker uses facts, figures, and other information to enable listeners to carefully process the information and think about their opinions.

Peripheral Route of Persuasion

A route of persuasion where superficial information is used to distract the audience to win favorable approval of the product, and to increase sales.

Conformity

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

Normative Social Influence

Conforming to obtain approval or avoid disapproval (conforming simply to "fit in").

Informational Social Influence

Conforming because of a willingness to accept others' opinions about reality (conforming because we believe others "know more" than we do).

Obedience

Behavior in response to a command from another person, usually an authority figure.

Social Facilitation

Improved performance of tasks in the presence of others; occurs with simple or well-learned tasks but not with tasks that are difficult or not yet mastered.

Social Loafing

The tendency for people in a group to exert less effort when pooling their efforts.

Deindividuation

Due to a sense of anonymity and high arousal, a loss of self-restraint sometimes seen in a group (i.e., mob behavior).

Group Polarization

The enhancement of a group's prevailing attitudes following discussion within the group.

Groupthink

The form of unrealistic thinking that can occur in a cohesive group when a desire for harmony within the group overrides logical and realistic thinking.

Prejudice

An unjustifiable (and usually negative) attitude toward a group and its members, typically involving stereotyped beliefs, negative feelings, and a predisposition toward discriminatory behavior.

Stereotype

A generalized (sometimes accurate, but often overgeneralized) belief about a group of people.

Scapegoat Theory

The theory that prejudice offers an outlet for anger by providing someone to blame for your (or your society's) problems.

Ingroup

"Us"--the people with whom we share a common identity.

Outgroup

"Them"--those perceived as different or apart from one's ingroup.

Ingroup Bias

The tendency to favor one's own group.

Outgroup Homogeneity Bias

The perception that individuals in an outgroup are more similar (homogeneous) than they really are, as compared to members of one's ingroup.

The Just-World Phenomenon

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

Ethnocentrism

The belief that your race or ethnicity is superior; judging another culture by the values and standards of your own culture.

Frustration-aggression Principle

The principle that when an attempt to achieve a goal is blocked, frustration is created, which in turn creates anger that can generate aggression.

Mere-exposure Effect

The phenomenon that repeated exposure to a novel stimulus increases our "liking" of that stimulus.

The Halo Effect

A cognitive bias where a positive impression of someone in one area (like their appearance) influences our overall perception of them, leading us to assume they have other positive traits even without evidence.

Social Psychology

The scientific study of how we think about, influence, and relate to other people.

Attribution Theory

The theory by Fritz Heider that we tend to explain other people's behavior in terms of the situation or in terms of their dispositions (personality).

Fundamental Attribution Error

The tendency, when analyzing another person's behavior, to underestimate the importance of the situation and overestimate the importance of personal dispositions.

Foot-in-the-door Phenomenon

The tendency for people who agree to a small request to agree to a larger one later on.

Door-in-the-face Technique

The tendency for people who say no to a very large request to then say yes to a smaller, more modest request.

Cognitive Dissonance Theory

The theory that we act to reduce the discomfort (dissonance) we feel when 2 of our thoughts (cognitions) or a thought and an action are inconsistent.

Self-fulfilling Prophecy

Process by which our beliefs or attitudes about another person causes that person to behave in a way which only confirms our beliefs.

Central Route of Persuasion

Route of persuasion where a speaker uses facts, figures and other information to enable listeners to carefully process the information and think about their opinions.

Peripheral Route of Persuasion

Route of persuasion where superficial information is used to distract the audience to win favorable approval of the product, and to increase sales.

Conformity

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

Normative Social Influence

Conforming to obtain approval or avoid disapproval (conforming simply to 'fit in').

Informational Social Influence

Conforming because of a willingness to accept others' opinions about reality (conforming because we believe others 'know more' than we do).

Obedience

Behavior in response to a command from another person, usually an authority figure.

Social Facilitation

Improved performance of tasks in the presence of others; occurs with simple or well-learned tasks but not with tasks that are difficult or not yet mastered.

Social Loafing

The tendency for people in a group to exert less effort when pooling their efforts.

Deindividuation

Due to a sense of anonymity and high arousal, a loss of self-restraint sometimes seen in a group (i.e., mob behavior).

Group Polarization

The enhancement of a group's prevailing attitudes following discussion within the group.

Groupthink

The form of unrealistic thinking that can occur in a cohesive group when a desire for harmony within the group overrides logical and realistic thinking.

Prejudice

An unjustifiable (and usually negative) attitude toward a group and its members, typically involving stereotyped beliefs, negative feelings, and a predisposition toward discriminatory behavior.

Stereotype

A generalized (sometimes accurate, but often overgeneralized) belief about a group of people.

Scapegoat Theory

The theory that prejudice offers an outlet for anger by providing someone to blame for your (or your society's) problems.

Ingroup Bias

The tendency to favor one's own group.

Outgroup Homogeneity Bias

The perception that individuals in an outgroup are more similar (homogeneous) than they really are, as compared to members of one's ingroup.

The Just-World Phenomenon

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

Ethnocentrism

The belief that your race or ethnicity is superior; judging another culture by the values and standards of your own culture.

Frustration-aggression Principle

When an attempt to achieve a goal is blocked, frustration is created, which in turn creates anger, which can generate aggression.

Mere-exposure Effect

Repeated exposure to a novel stimulus increases our 'liking' of that stimulus.

The Halo Effect

A cognitive bias where a positive impression of someone in one area (like their appearance) influences our overall perception of them, leading us to assume they have other positive traits even without evidence.

Social Exchange Theory

The theory that the goal of our social behavior is to maximize benefits and minimize costs.

Bystander Effect

The tendency for a person to be less likely to give aid in an emergency if other bystanders are present (also known as Diffusion of Responsibility).

Social Psychology

The scientific study of how we think about, influence, and relate to other people.

Attribution Theory

The theory by Fritz Heider that we tend to explain other people's behavior in terms of the situation or in terms of their dispositions (personality).

Fundamental Attribution Error

The tendency, when analyzing another person's behavior, to underestimate the importance of the situation and overestimate the importance of personal dispositions.

Foot-in-the-door Phenomenon

The tendency for people who agree to a small request to agree to a larger one later on.

Door-in-the-face Technique

The tendency for people who say no to a very large request to then say yes to a smaller, more modest request.

Role Playing

The demonstration of strong effects from playing a role, as shown in Phillip Zimbardo's prison study where college students were assigned roles as prisoners or guards.

Cognitive Dissonance Theory

The theory that we act to reduce the discomfort (dissonance) we feel when two of our thoughts (cognitions) or a thought and an action are inconsistent.

Self-fulfilling Prophecy

Process by which our beliefs or attitudes about another person cause that person to behave in a way which only confirms our beliefs.

Central Route of Persuasion

Persuasion method where a speaker uses facts, figures, and other information to enable listeners to carefully process the information and think about their opinions.

Peripheral Route of Persuasion

Persuasion method where superficial information is used to distract the audience to win favorable approval of the product and to increase sales.

Conformity

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

Normative Social Influence

Conforming to obtain approval or avoid disapproval (conforming simply to "fit in").

Informational Social Influence

Conforming because of a willingness to accept others' opinions about reality (conforming because we believe others "know more" than we do).

Obedience

Behavior in response to a command from another person, usually an authority figure.

Social Facilitation

Improved performance of tasks in the presence of others; occurs with simple or well-learned tasks but not with tasks that are difficult or not yet mastered.

Social Loafing

The tendency for people in a group to exert less effort when pooling their efforts.

Deindividuation

A loss of self-restraint sometimes seen in a group due to a sense of anonymity and high arousal (i.e., mob behavior).

Group Polarization

The enhancement of a group's prevailing attitudes following discussion within the group.

Groupthink

The form of unrealistic thinking that can occur in a cohesive group when a desire for harmony within the group overrides logical and realistic thinking.

Prejudice

An unjustifiable (and usually negative) attitude toward a group and its members, typically involving stereotyped beliefs, negative feelings, and a predisposition toward discriminatory behavior.

Stereotype

A generalized (sometimes accurate, but often overgeneralized) belief about a group of people.

Scapegoat Theory

The theory that prejudice offers an outlet for anger by providing someone to blame for your (or your society's) problems.

Ingroup

"Us"—the people with whom we share a common identity.

Outgroup

"Them"—those perceived as different or apart from one's ingroup.

Ingroup Bias

The tendency to favor one's own group.

Outgroup Homogeneity Bias

The perception that individuals in an outgroup are more similar (homogeneous) than they really are, as compared to members of one's ingroup.

The Just-World Phenomenon

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

Ethnocentrism

The belief that your race or ethnicity is superior, involving judging another culture by the values and standards of your own culture.

Frustration-aggression Principle

The principle that when an attempt to achieve a goal is blocked, frustration is created, which in turn creates anger that can generate aggression.

Mere-exposure Effect

The phenomenon that repeated exposure to a novel stimulus increases our "liking" of that stimulus.