AP Psychology Unit 9A: Social

attribution theory

attribution theory

theory that describes how people explain their own and others' behavior

fundamental attribution error

the tendency for observers, when analyzing another’s behavior, to underestimate the impact of the situation and to overestimate the impact of personal disposition

just world phenomenon

people get what they deserve

saliency bias

focusing on the most noticeable (salient) factors when explaining the causes of behavior

self-serving bias

tendency to credit oneself for positive consequences and avoid blame for negative consequences

dispositional vs. situational vs. self-serving

dispo - someone is blamed

situation - environment is blamed

self - someone avoids blame

… and … effect our behavior/social thinking

internal attitudes and external influences

compliance

changing one’s behavior as a result of someone directing/asking for the change

compliance: foot in the door

tendency for someone to comply with a big request after complying with a smaller one

compliance: door in the face

when a large request is made so that they will agree with a smaller request

compliance: lowballing

to induce someone to agree to something with a low ‘cost’ and then adding on to the original product

compliance: reciprocity

people are socialized into returning favors (favor for favor)

role

set of expectations about a social position

example of a role

stanford prison experiment

cognitive dissonance theory

an uncomfortable state of mind arising when our attitude and actions are inconsistent; we then seek to resolve/reduce dissonance by changing our attitude

persuasion: central route of persuasion

focuses on facts and the message in order to convince

(logos)

persuasion: peripheral route of persuasion

focuses on feelings in order to convince

(personality of speaker, how the message was delivered)

(ethos, pathos)

conformity

compliance with standards, rules, laws

norm

something that is usual, typical, standard

normative social influence

changing behavior to fit into the norms/gain approval/avoid disapproval

informational social influence

following the behavior of others because you think they are ‘right’

the asch effect

a form of conformity in which a group majority influences individual judgements

asch effect: 3 factors that influence conformity

1. size of the majority

2. presence of a partner

3. size of discrepancy between opinions

milgram’s obedience experiment

social facilitation

improved performance of tasks in the presence of others

social loafing

tendency for people in a group to exert less effort than when they are individual

deindividuation

loss of self-awareness and self-restraint in groups

(ie. internet trolling/negative comments when posting anonymously)

group polarization

tendency for members of a group discussing an issue to move toward a more extreme version of the positions they held before the discussion began

groupthink

when a group makes irrational/unrealistic decisions spurred by the urge to conform

self-fulfilling prophecy

one tends to behave in ways that reinforce beliefs and actions, thus causing them to come true

prejudice

negative/unjustifiable attitude toward a group

stereotype

overgeneralization about a group

ingroup vs. outgroup

i - people who share a common identity

o - those perceived as different from the ingroup

ingroup bias

tendency to favor one’s own group

scapegoat theory

theory that prejudice provides outlet for anger and blame

5 causes for discrimination

1. dissimilarity and social distance

2. economic competition

3. scapegoating

4. conformity to social norms

5. media stereotypes

halo effect

cognitive bias in which an someone’s overall impression of something/someone influences their thoughts about their character

(ie. assuming something good because they seem good)

aggression

any physical/verbal behavior intended to hurt/destroy

frustration-aggression principle

principle that frustration creates anger, which generates aggression

(ie. hot weather and crime rates)

social trap

a situation where conflicting groups each pursue their self-interest and end up in a mutually destructive behavior

we harm out collective well-being by pursuing personal interests

social relations: types

(+/+) approach-approach

(-/-) avoidance-avoidance

(+/-) approach-avoidance

4 sources of attraction

1. proximity

2. similarity

3. self-disclosure (trust)

4. physical attractiveness (average=beautiful, beautiful=unapproachable)

matching hypothesis

prediction that people will find friends/mates that are perceived to be about their same level of attractiveness

expectancy value theory

theory that people decide to pursue relationships based on the minimal risk of failure

(trying to find best chance at success)

5 forms of love

1. empty love (commitment)

2. infatuation (passion)

3. romantic love/passionate love (intimacy and passion)

4. companionate love (commitment and intimacy)

5. consummate love (commitment, intimacy, and passion)

equity

what people receive in proportion to what they give to it

self-disclosure

revealing intimate aspects of oneself to others

altruism

unselfish regard for welfare of others

bystander effect

tendency to be less likely to help when other bystanders are present

social exchange theory

theory that our social behavior is an exchange process (maximize benefits, minimize costs)

superordinate goals

shared goals override differences

prosocial behavior

behavior that is intended to help

antisocial behavior

behavior that is intended to hurt