psych unit 4: social psychology and personality

attribution theory

explaining people’s behavior by crediting either the situation or the person’s disposition (umbrella term)

dispositional attributions

internal characteristics (e.g. personality, intelligence)

explanatory style

how people explain the causes + impact of events in their lives, either positive or negative

actor-observer bias

attributing one’s actions to external factors while attributing others’ to internal factors (“i failed because i was busy, you failed because you were lazy”)

fundamental attribution error

tendency for observers to underestimate impact of the situation and overestimate a person’s disposition (someone who cut me off in traffic is just rude, not in a hurry)

key diff: my behavior is not included

self-serving bias

attribute to external causes if we fail, internal causes if we succeed (“if i fail it’s the teacher’s fault, if i succeed, I’m smart”)

internal locus of control

we are responsible for what happens to us (taking accountability)

external locus of control

things are up to fate or others (not taking accountability)

mere exposure effect

repeated exposure to a novel stimulus alone increases how much you like it (e.g. listening to Dance Monkeys every day until you like it)

self-fulfilling prophecy

a belief that leads to its own fulfillment

social comparison theory

people compare themselves to others to evaluate their own abilities and gain a better understanding of themselves

relative deprivation

someone feels deprived or entitled to something because of comparison to others (i want airpods because my friend has them)

stereotypes

generalized belief about a group of people (asians are smart)

prejudice

negative attitudes of a group that can lead to discriminatory action

discrimination

acting on prejudice

cognitive load

amount of info our working memory can process at one time (higher load means a lower willingness to accept something new)

implicit attitudes

evaluations occur without conscious awareness towards the object or selves

explicit attitudes

aware of the evaluations you are making

just-world phenomenon

people get what they deserve and deserve what they get (this is where victim blaming comes from)

ethnocentrism

people believe that their culture is better than the rest

belief perserverance

clinging to one’s initial conceptions even after the basis on which they are founded are discredited

confirmation bias

people are more willing to accept information which supports their current beliefs

cognitive dissonance

we act to reduce the discomfort we feel when our thoughts are in conflict (can ignore the feeling or exhibit guilt, anxiety, etc.)

social norms

rules for accepted + expected behavior

normative social influence

acting to gain approval and avoid disapproval

informational social influence

conforming b/c the person/group giving the advice is an expert

chameleon effect

unconscious tendency to mimic those around you (neck crack)

social loafing

people are likely to stop working in a group project

groupthink

when the desire to stay in the ingroup makes your opinions more like theirs

group polarization

a thought or attitude is made stronger by like-minded people

deindividuation

mob mentality; a loss of self-restraint and awareness in group situations

spotlight effect

tendency to overestimate the amount of people notice something about you

false consensus

belief that one’s thoughts and beliefs are more widely shared than they actually are

obedience

changing one’s behavior at the direct command of an authority figure

conditions that strengthen obedience:

• presence of authority figure

• distance from victim

• group influence

• lack of personal responsibility

conformity

changing your behavior to fit in (tends to happen under social pressure)

compliance

following someone’s direct request (no force to comply)

peripheral route to persuasion

using pathos to persuade

direct route to persuasion

focusing on facts and logic in an argument

foot-in-the-door technique

if we comply with a small request, we are more likely to do a bigger one (helping carry a couch vs. move a house)

door-in-the-face technique

after people refuse a big request, they are more likely to take up a smaller one (selling expensive items)

halo effect

when you think someone is good, you fail to notice their bad traits

individualists

more emphasis on independent self (personal values, goals, attitudes)

collectivists

more emphasis on collective self (group goals and connections over personal goals) t [think cult]

multculturalism

each group has access to power and resources but still maintains a unique identity

superordinate goals

shared goals that can only be reached through cooperation

social trap

when conflicting groups are mutually destructive by pursuing individual interests over collective ones

industrial-organizational psychology

kind of like HR; helps companies select employees, boost morale, etc.

prosocial behavior

any action that benefits other people

altruism

unselfish concern for others (saving other’s life by risking your own)

social responsibility norm

tells us to help others even if they might not repay us

personality

an individual’s characteristic patterns of thinking, feeling, and acting

psychodynamic

unconcious + childhood

ego

executive functioning

id

unconscious urges, often sexual in nature

superego

morality and conscience

repression

bottling up feelings (“i don’t remember”)

regression

acting like a kid (playing video games in response to stress)

reaction formation

feeling bad about doing something unacceptable so you perform the opposite action to compensate (sending in a bill to reinstate prohibition while you are a raging alcoholic)

projection

attributing (blaming) one’s impulses by attributing them to others (im not an alcoholic you are)

rationalization

making excuses (I only drink in social settings)

displacement

moving a bad impulse to an easier one (anger → bullying)

sublimation

channeling something socially unacceptable into something good (anger → lift weights)

denial

“i’m not an alcoholic”

projective test

a personality test that provides ambiguous stimuli and test takers tell a story based on it (ink blot)

humanistic perspective

people are inherently good; people strive for self-realization

unconditional positive regard

we are born w/ a need for acceptance and love from others independent of how we behave, and positive self-regard from ourselves

self-actualization

motivation to fill potential

social cognitive theory of personality

our traits and social environment interact w/ each other and these traits are learned through observation or imitiation

reciprocal determinism

a person’s behavior, environment, and cognitive factors affect each other

self concept

our thoughts and feelings abt ourselves

self esteem

our subjective evaluation of our own self-worth

self-efficacy

“You can do it!”

believing in yourself makes it more likely that you can complete a task

trait

a behavior or disposition to feel and act

personality inventory

a questionnaire where people answer to assess certain personality traits (e.g. buzzfeed, very innacurate)

factor analysis

a statistical method used to describe variability among observed, correlated variables potentially in terms of a lower number of variables.

(e.g. variations in six variables may mainly be affected by the variations in two variables)