PSYC 102 unit 3 definitions

Social psychology

how thoughts, feelings, and behaviors are influenced by others

Sense of self

unique sense of identity shaped by social, cultural, and psychological experiences

Social cognition

how we interpret the meaning of other people's behaviors

Social influence

how our behavior is affected by other people and different situations

Person perception

what we use to form judgments about other people

Halo effect

first impression can deceive our overall impression by creating a halo

Social Normal

the rules or expectations for appropriate behavior in social behavior

Social categorization

mental process of categorizing people into groups based on their shared characteristics

Explicit cognition (conscious)

people consciously focus on easily observable features

Implicit cognition (unconscious)

automatic process that influences perceptions, judgements, decisions, and reasoning

Implicit personality theory

assumption that people share traits and behaviors

Attribution

process of assuming the causes of other people's behavior as well as your own

Fundamental attribution error

tendency to attribute the behavior of others to internal, personal characteristics, while ignoring or underestimating the role of external, situational factors

Blaming the victim

tendency to blame an innocent victim for having somehow caused the problem or for not avoiding it

Hindsight bias

tendency to overestimate one's ability to have predicted the outcome of an event

Just-world hypothesis

assuming that the world is fair and that people get what they deserve

serving bias

people giving themselves credit for their successes (internal attributions) and blame their failures on external circumstances (external attributions)

Self effacing bias

blaming failure on internal, personal factors while attributing success to external, situational factors

Attitude

learned tendency to evaluate some object, person, or issue in a particular way that may be positive, negative or ambivalent (mixed feelings)

Affective

feelings or emotions

Behavior

actions

Cognitive

thoughts and conclusions

Cognitive dissonance

unpleasant state of psychological tension that occurs when 2 thoughts are inconsistent

Sour grapes rationalization

emphasize the negative features of the choice you rejected

Sweet lemons rationalization

emphasize the positive features of the choice you made

Persuasion

deliberate attempt to influence the attitudes and behavior of another person in a situation where the person has some freedom of choice

Rule of reciprocity

feeling obligated to return the favor if someone gives you something or does you a favor

Rule of commitment

once you make a public commitment there is a interpersonal pressure on you to stick with the commitment

Prejudice

negative attitudes toward people who belong to a specific social group

Stereotypes

assumption that people have certain characteristics based on their membership to the group

In-group (us)

the social group to which one belongs

In-group bias

tendency to make favorable attributions to members in your group

Ethnocentrism

your group is superior to others, type of in-group bias

Out-group (them)

social group that one doesn't belong

Out-group homogeneity effect

tendency to see members of the out-group as more similar to one another

Stereotype threat

being aware that your social group is associated with a particular stereotype can negatively impact your performance on tests or tasks that measure abilities thought to be associated with hat stereotype

Implicit attitudes

evaluations that are automatic and unintentional

Implicit association test (IAT)

measures the degree to which toy associate particular groups of people with specific characteristics or attributes

Conformity

changing opinions, judgement, or behavior so that it matches other people's

Normative social influence

subjects are strongly attracted to the group and want to be a member

Informational social influence

subjects are facing a unanimous majority of 4-5 people

Obedience

the performance of a behavior in response to a direct command

Altruism

i. helping another person with no expectation of personal benefit

Prosocial behavior

any behavior that helps another

Bystander effect

more people present, less likely to help someone in distress

Diffusion of responsibility

presence of other people makes it less likely that someone will help because the responsibility is shared amount everyone

Motivation

desire to behave socially acceptability and to appear correct

Aggression

verbal or physical behavior purposefully causing harm to others

Evolution

points to differences in parts of brain that regulates emotion

Biology

higher levels of testosterone is linked to aggression

Psychopathology

study of the origins, symptoms, and development of psych disorders

DSM5

describes the symptoms and diagnoses for different psych disorders

Anxiety

unpleasant emotional state with physical arousal and feelings of tension and worry

Anxiety disorders

category of disorders in which extreme anxiety is the main feature and causes significant disruptions in their functioning

GAD

anxiety disorder with excessive and persistent symptoms of anxiety that affect all parts of daily life; free floating anxiety

Panic attack

sudden episode of extreme anxiety that rapidly accelerates in intensity

Panic disorder

anxiety disorder in which person experiences frequent and unexpected panic attacks

Agoraphobia

fear of having a panic attack or other embarrassing symptoms in a public place where escape is impossible and help is unavailable

Phobia

persistent and irrational fear of a specific object, situation, or activity

Specific phobia

excessive, intense, and irrational fear of a specific object, situation, or activity that is actively avoided or endured with strong anxiety

Social anxiety disorder

chronic and consistent fear of being critically observed, judged, and then rejected by others in social settings

PTSD

triggered by exposure to a highly traumatic event

Obsessions

intrusive, repetitive, and unwanted thoughts

Compulsions

repeated behaviors (things you do or think of doing) that you feel drive to do

Major depressive disorder

Mood disorder characterized by extreme and steady feelings of sadness, worthlessness, and hopelessness

Bipolar disorder

mood disorder with periods of extreme depression alternating with periods of extreme happiness and excitement

Manic episode

sudden and quick emotional state with extreme happiness, excitement, physical; energy and rapid thoughts and speech

Bulimia nervosa

with binges of extreme overeating followed by self induced vomiting, misuse of laxatives, or other purging methods to prevent weight gain

Binge eating disorder

Binges without purging or other behaviors

Personality disorders

inflexible, unhealthy patterns of thoughts, emotions, and behaviors

Antisocial personality disorder

pattern of not caring about and violating the rights of other

Borderline personality disorder (BPD)

instability of relationships, self-image, and emotions and marked by impulsivity

Biosocial developmental theory

outcome of a unique combo of biological, psychological, and environmental factors

Dependent personality disorder

excessive need to be cared for, fears of separation characterize the relationship behavior of the person

Dissociative experience

a person's awareness, memory, and personal identity becomes separated to divided

Dissociative amnesia

partial or total inability to recall important info that is not due to a medical condition

Dissociative identity disorder (DID)

extensive memory disruptions for personal info along with the presence of 2 or more distinct identities within a single person

Schizophrenia

psychological disorder that involves severely distorted beliefs, perceptions, and thought processes

Delusions

falsely held belief that persists despite evidence contrary to the belief

Genetic factions

family, twin, and adoption studies

Psychotherapy

treatment of emotional, behavioral, and interpersonal problems

Biomedical therapies

use of medications, electroconvulsive therapy, or other medical treatments tot react the symptoms associated with psychological disorders

Psychoanalysis

a. type of psychotherapy originated by sigmund Freud used to uncover unconscious conflicts

Free association

patient spontaneously reports all thoughts, feelings, and mental images that arise, revealing unconscious thoughts and emotions

dream association

content of dreams is analyzed for symbolic/disguised wishes, meanings and motivations

Resistance

patient's unconscious attempts to block the revelation of repressed memories and conflicts

Transference

process where emotions and desires originally associated with a significant person in the patient's life, such as a parent are unconsciously transferred onto the psychoanalyst

Short term dynamic therapies

time-limited and have specific goals Where the therapist plays an active, more direct role

Interpersonal therapy

focuses on current relationships rather than the past

Humanistic therapy

Emphasizes human potential, self-awareness, and freedom of choicE

Behavior therapy

directly changing maladaptive behavior patterns by using basic learning principals and techniques

Counterconditioning

behavior therapy technique based on classical conditioning that involves modifying behavior by conditioning a new response that is incompatible with he previously learned responses

Cognitive therapies

focus on cognitive aspects of behavior

Rational-emotive behavior therapy

peoples difficulties are caused by their faulty expectations and irrational beliefs

ABC

Activating event occurs, Beliefs about the event Cause emotional consequences

Cognitive-behavioral therapy

Integrates cognitive and behavioral techniques and is based on the assumption that thoughts, moods, and behaviors are interrelated

Mindfulness based therapies

uses mindfulness-based interventions, therapies, or acceptance therapies

Exposure therapy

Person gradually and repeatedly relieves frightening experience under controlled condition to overcome fear and establish adaptive beliefs

Systematic desensitization

Phobic responses are reduced by pairing relaxation with a series of mental images or real-life situations that the person finds progressively more fear-provoking

Progressive relaxation

successfully relaxing one muscle group after another until a deep state of relaxation is achieved