Unit 4: Social Psychology and Personality

Comprehensive vocabulary flashcards covering Topic 4.1 through 4.7 of the AP Psychology Social Psychology and Personality unit, including major theories, biases, social influences, and physiological factors of motivation.

Social Psychology

The study of how people and groups influence behavior and mental processes and vice versa.

AP Exam Weighting

The percentage of the total exam score that Unit 4 represents, which is $15-25\%$.

Attribution Theory

A theory that explores how people explain the causes of behavior and mental processes through attributions, explanatory styles, and biases.

Dispositional Attributions

Attributing a person's behavior to their internal personality traits or characteristics.

Situational Attributions

Attributing a person's behavior to external environmental or social factors.

Fundamental Attribution Error

The tendency to overestimate the influence of internal disposition and underestimate the influence of the situation when analyzing another's behavior.

Internal Locus of Control

The belief that an individual holds control over their own behavior and the outcomes of their life.

External Locus of Control

The belief that external forces, such as luck or others, determine behavior and life outcomes.

Mere Exposure Effect

A phenomenon where repeated exposure to a stimulus increases an individual's liking or preference for it.

Self-Fulfilling Prophecy

A process where a person's expectations about another lead that person to act in ways that confirm those expectations.

Relative Deprivation

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

Prejudice

An unjustifiable and usually negative attitude toward a specific group and its members.

Discrimination

Unjustifiable negative behavior or actions toward a group and its members.

Just-World Phenomenon

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

Out-Group Homogeneity Bias

The tendency to view members of an outgroup as more similar to one another than members of an ingroup.

Ethnocentrism

The belief in the inherent superiority of one's own ethnic group or culture.

Cognitive Dissonance

The mental discomfort experienced when holding two or more conflicting cognitions, leading to a change in attitude to resolve the tension.

Central Route Persuasion

A persuasion technique that focuses on the content and logic of the argument to influence attitudes.

Peripheral Route Persuasion

A persuasion technique influenced by incidental cues, such as a speaker's attractiveness or emotional appeal, rather than the core argument.

Foot-in-the-Door Technique

A compliance strategy where agreeing to a small initial request increases the likelihood of agreeing to a larger second request.

Group Polarization

The tendency for group discussion to strengthen the existing inclinations of group members, leading to more extreme positions.

Groupthink

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

Deindividuation

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

Social Loafing

The tendency for individuals in a group to exert less effort when pooling their efforts toward a common goal than when individually accountable.

Altruism

Unselfish regard for the welfare of others.

Bystander Effect

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

Psychoanalysis

Freud's theory of personality and therapeutic technique that attributes thoughts and actions to unconscious motives and conflicts.

Id

The part of the personality that consists of unconscious psychic energy and strives to satisfy basic sexual and aggressive drives according to the pleasure principle.

Ego

The largely conscious 'executive' part of personality that mediates between the demands of the id, superego, and reality.

Superego

The part of personality that represents internalized ideals and provides standards for judgment and future aspirations.

Unconditional Positive Regard

A caring, accepting, nonjudgmental attitude, which Carl Rogers believed would help people develop self-awareness and self-acceptance.

Reciprocal Determinism

The interacting influences of behavior, internal cognition, and environment as proposed by the social-cognitive perspective.

Self-Efficacy

An individual's belief in their capacity to execute behaviors necessary to produce specific performance attainments.

Big Five Theory

A trait theory of personality identifying five main factors: Agreeableness, Openness to Experience, Extraversion, Conscientiousness, and Emotional Stability.

Yerkes-Dodson Law

The principle that performance increases with arousal only up to a point, beyond which performance decreases.

Intrinsic Motivation

A desire to perform a behavior effectively for its own sake.

Extrinsic Motivation

A desire to perform a behavior to receive promised rewards or avoid threatened punishment.

Ghrelin

A hormone produced in the stomach that signals hunger to the brain.

Leptin

A hormone produced by fat cells that signals the brain to decrease hunger.

Glucose

The form of sugar that circulates in the blood and provides the major source of energy for body tissues.

Facial-Feedback Hypothesis

The tendency of facial muscle states to trigger corresponding feelings such as fear, anger, or happiness.

Display Rules

Cultural norms that govern how and when emotions should be expressed.