Unit 4 AP Psych Vocab List

Dispositional Attribution

Assigning the cause of someone's behavior to their personality traits or characteristics.

Situational Attribution

Assigning the cause of someone's behavior to external factors or circumstances.

Optimistic explanatory style

The tendency to attribute positive events to internal, stable, and global factors.

Pessimistic explanatory style

The tendency to attribute negative events to internal, stable, and global factors.

Actor-observer bias

The tendency to attribute one's own actions to situational factors while attributing others' actions to dispositional factors.

Fundamental attribution error (FAE)

The tendency to overemphasize dispositional traits and downplay situational factors when explaining others' behaviors.

Self-serving bias

The tendency to attribute positive outcomes to oneself and negative outcomes to external factors.

External locus of control

The belief that external forces, rather than personal efforts, determine life's outcomes.

Internal locus of control

The belief that one has control over their own life and outcomes based on their actions.

Mere exposure effect

The phenomenon where people tend to develop a preference for things simply because they are familiar with them.

Self-fulfilling prophecy

A belief or expectation that leads to its own fulfillment.

Social comparison

The process of comparing oneself to others to evaluate personal abilities or opinions.

Relative deprivation

The perception that one is worse off compared to others, which can lead to feelings of dissatisfaction.

Stereotype

A generalized belief or expectation about a group of people, often linked to prejudice and discrimination.

Implicit attitudes

Unconscious beliefs or feelings that influence thoughts and behaviors.

Just-world phenomenon

The belief that the world is fair and that people get what they deserve.

Out-group homogeneity bias

The perception that members of an out-group are more similar to each other than they really are.

In-group bias

The tendency to favor members of one's own group over those from out-groups.

Ethnocentrism

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

Belief perseverance

The tendency to hold onto one's beliefs even when presented with contrary evidence.

Confirmation bias

The tendency to search for, interpret, and remember information in a way that confirms one’s preconceptions.

Cognitive dissonance

The mental discomfort experienced when holding two or more contradictory beliefs, values, or attitudes.

Social Norms

Expected standards of conduct within a society or group.

Normative Social Influence

The influence of other people that leads us to conform in order to be liked and accepted.

Informational Social Influence

The influence of others leading to conformity because we see them as a source of information.

Elaboration likelihood model

A theory explaining the two routes to persuasion: central and peripheral.

Central route to persuasion

A method of persuasion that involves logical reasoning and thoughtful consideration.

Peripheral route to persuasion

A method of persuasion that relies on superficial cues rather than logic.

Halo effect

The tendency for an impression created in one area to influence opinions in another area.

Foot-in-the-door technique

A persuasion technique involving getting a person to agree to a large request by first setting them up with a smaller request.

Door-in-the-face effect

A persuasion technique where a large request is followed by a smaller one.

Conformity

The act of matching beliefs or behaviors to group norms.

Obedience

Following instructions or directives from an authority figure.

Individualism

A social pattern that emphasizes individual rights and self-reliance.

Collectivism

A social pattern that emphasizes group goals, interconnectedness, and community.

Multiculturalism

The presence and acceptance of multiple cultural traditions within a single jurisdiction.

Group polarization

The tendency for group discussion to amplify the initial leanings of group members.

Groupthink

The practice of thinking or making decisions as a group, often resulting in irrational or dysfunctional outcomes.

Diffusion of Responsibility

A phenomenon where individuals are less likely to take action when others are present.

Social Loafing

The tendency to put forth less effort when working in a group than when working alone.

Deindividuation

The loss of self-awareness in groups, often leading to deviant behavior.

Social Facilitation

The tendency for people to perform better on simple tasks when in the presence of others.

False consensus effect

The tendency to overestimate how much others share our beliefs and behaviors.

Superordinate goals

Goals that require cooperation between different groups, fostering collaboration.

Social Trap

A situation where individuals or groups act in their own self-interest, leading to negative outcomes for the group.

Industrial-Organizational Psychology

The scientific study of human behavior in organizations and the workplace.

Altruism

Selfless concern for the well-being of others.

Social Responsibility Norm

The expectation that people will help those dependent upon them.

Social Reciprocity Norm

The expectation that people will respond favorably to each other by returning benefits for benefits.

Bystander Effect

The phenomenon where individuals are less likely to offer help to a victim when other people are present.

Psychodynamic perspective

An approach that emphasizes unconscious processes and childhood experiences.

Unconscious processes

Mental processes that occur without awareness or control.

Ego defense mechanisms

Psychological strategies used to protect oneself from anxiety or uncomfortable feelings.

Denial

Refusing to accept reality or truth.

Displacement

Redirecting emotions from a threatening target to a safer one.

Projection

Attributing one's own thoughts or feelings to someone else.

Rationalization

Justifying one’s behaviors and feelings with logical or plausible reasons.

Reaction formation

Behaving in a way that is opposite to one's feelings.

Regression

Returning to behaviors characteristic of an earlier stage of development.

Repression

Involuntarily blocking unpleasant feelings and experiences from conscious awareness.

Sublimation

Channeling socially unacceptable impulses into socially acceptable activities.

Projective tests

Psychological tests that ask subjects to respond to ambiguous stimuli, revealing hidden emotions.

Unconditional (positive) regard

Accepting and valuing a person without conditions, essential to healthy development.

Humanistic Perspective/psychology

An approach that emphasizes personal growth and the concept of self-actualization.

Self-actualizing tendency

The innate drive to realize one's full potential.

Social-cognitive theory

A theory that emphasizes the importance of observational learning and cognitive processes.

Reciprocal determinism

The concept that individual behavior is influenced by personal factors and the social environment.

Self-efficacy

One's belief in their own ability to succeed.

Self-esteem

One's overall sense of self-worth or personal value.

Self-concept

The perception of oneself as an individual.

Trait theories

Approaches to personality that focus on identifying and measuring individual personality characteristics.

Big 5 Theory of Personality (OCEAN)

A model that includes five broad dimensions of personality: Openness, Conscientiousness, Extraversion, Agreeableness, Neuroticism.

Personality inventories

Questionnaires designed to reveal aspects of an individual's personality.

Factor Analysis

A statistical method used to identify clusters of related items on tests.

Drive-reduction theory

The idea that physiological needs create an urge that motivates an organism to satisfy that need.

Homeostasis

The tendency to maintain a balanced internal state.

Arousal theory (optimal arousal)

The theory that performance is best at moderate levels of arousal.

Yerkes-Dodson Law

The principle that performance is related to arousal; moderate arousal leads to optimal performance.

Self-determination theory

A theory that emphasizes the role of intrinsic motivation in driving human behavior.

Intrinsic motivation

Engaging in behavior because it is personally rewarding.

Extrinsic motivation

Engaging in behavior to earn rewards or avoid punishment.

Incentive theory

The theory that behavior is motivated by intrinsic and extrinsic rewards.

Instincts

Innate behaviors that are biologically determined.

Lewin’s motivational conflicts theory

A theory that describes conflicts arising from various motivational needs.

Approach-approach theory

Choosing between two desirable options.

Approach-avoidance theory

The conflict facing a person who must choose or reject a goal that has both positive and negative aspects.

Avoidance-avoidance

Choosing between two equally undesirable options.

Sensation seeking

The pursuit of varied, novel, complex, and intense experiences.

Eating motivation

Factors that drive the desire to eat.

Ghrelin

A hormone that stimulates appetite.

Leptin

A hormone that helps to regulate energy balance and inhibits hunger.

Hypothalamus

A brain region that regulates hunger and other homeostatic processes.

Pituitary Gland

The gland that produces hormones that regulate various bodily functions.

External factors motivating hunger

Elements such as the presence of food, time of day, and social gatherings that influence eating behavior.

Internal/external factors affecting emotion

Elements that influence emotional experiences either from within the individual or from the environment.

Physiological and cognitive experiences of emotion

The biological responses and mental states that occur when experiencing emotions.

Cognitive label

The mental interpretation of an emotional experience.

Facial-feedback hypothesis

The theory that facial expressions can influence emotional experience.

Facial expressions

Observable signs that correspond to emotional states.

Cognitive appraisal

The process of evaluating a situation as relevant to one’s well-being.