ap psych - topic 4.2

attitude formation & attitude change

stereotype

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

prejudice

an unjustifiable (& usually negative) attitude toward a group & its members, generally involving stereotypes beliefs, negative feelings, & a predisposition to discriminatory action

discrimination

unjustifiable negative behavior or toward a group & its members

implicit attitudes

unconscious evaluations or feelings toward something that occur automatically & without conscious awareness, often influencing behavior without the individual realizing it

just-world phenomenon

the tendency for people to believe the world is just & that people get what they deserve & deserve what they get

in-group bias

the tendency to favor our own group

out-group homogeneity bias

the tendency to assume that the members of other groups are very similar to each other

ethnocentrism

the tendency to judge other cultures based on the standards & values of one’s own culture

belief perseverance

the tendency for people to continue holding onto a belief even when presented with information that directly contradicts it

confirmation bias

the tendency to seek out, interpret, & favor information that confirms one's existing beliefs while ignoring or downplaying information that downplays those beliefs

cognitive dissonance

a psychological state of tension that occur when a persons's beliefs, values, or actions don't align

cognitive load

the amount of mental effort required to process information at a given time