AP Psychology Unit 9: Social Psychology

Social Psychology

the study of how we think, influence, and relate to one another

Attribution theory

the theory that we explain our own or someone else’s behavior by crediting the situation or disposition

Disposition Attribution

crediting internal, enduring personality traits

Situational Attribution

crediting external circumstances

Explanatory Style

indicated how people explain to themselves why they experience something

Fundamental attribution error

the tendency for observers to underestimate the impact of situational attribution and to overestimate the impact of disproportionate attribution; especially strong for bad behavior, especially weak for our own behavior

Self-serving Bias

the tendency to attribute our own bad behavior to the situation, while we attribute good behavior to our personalities (we view others in the opposite way)

Attitudes

feelings that predispose us to respond in a particular way

Peripheral Route Persuasion

when people are influenced by incidental cues, such as speaker attractiveness or flashy objects

Halo Effect

when one forms a positive impression of a person based on a single trait or characteristic

Central route persuasion

occurs when interested people focus on the central arguments and respond with favorable thoughts

Foot-in-the-door Phenomenon

the tendency for people who have first agreed to a small request will comply later with a larger request

Door-in-the-face Phenomenon

asking for an unrealistic demand that will assuredly be turned down, but following it up with a request that feels reasonable in comparison

Cognitive Dissonance Theory

the theory that we act to reduce the discomfort we feel when 2 of our thoughts are inconsistent

Change the behavior, change the thought, form new thoughts to justify the action

ways to overcome cognitive dissonance

Person perception -the mental process of forming impressions, interpreting behaviors, and making social judgments about others

Mere exposure effect

repeated exposure to novel stimuli increases liking of them (familiarity breeds fondness)

Social Comparison

people evaluate themselves based on comparisons to other members of society/social circles

Relative Deprivation

the perception that one is worse off relative to those with whom one compares themselves

Norms

understood rules for accepted and expected behavior

Conformity

adjusting thinking or behavior to fit in with a group standard

Normative Social Influence

influence resulting from a person’s desire to gain approval or avoid disapproval

Information social influence

influence resulting from one’s willingness to accept other’s opinions about reality

Obedience

compliance with an order, request, or law, or a submission to another’s authority

Culture Phenomena

the fact that culture can influence how one perceives and bahves towards oneself and others

Individualism

giving priority to individual goals and identity rather than the group’s

Collectivism

giving priority to group goals and identity over individual ones

Social Facilitation

in the presence of others, our most likely response is strengthened, whether good or bad

Social Loafing

tendency for people in a group to exert less effort towards a common goal then when individually accountable

Deindividuation

loss of self-awareness and self-restraint occurring in group situations, especially in events that foster arousal or anonymity

Role

set of expectations about a social position that define how those in the position ought to behave

Stanford Prison

experiment that highlighted the effects of roles and deindividuation

Group Polarization

the enhancement of a group;s prevailing opinion through discussion with the group

Groupthink

mode of thinking that occurs when the desire for harmony in decision-making overrides exploration of alternatives

False Consensus Effect

people overestimate the extent to which others agree with them

Industrial/Organizational Psychology

studies how people perform in the workplace

Implicit Attitudes

attitudes that individuals hold but may not be aware of

Prejudice

an uncomfortable (usually negative) attitude toward a group and its members

Stereotype

generalized, predetermined thoughts about a group of people, with no regard to individual differences

Discrimination

unjustifiable negative behavior toward a group

Ethnocentrism

assuming the superiority of one’s ethnic group

Just-world phenomenon

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

Blame-the-victim

because we have a just-world view, we believe that a victim got what they deserved for a bad deed

Social identity

who we are

Ingroup

us, people with whom we share a common identity

Outgroup

them, those perceived as different from our ingroup

Ingroup bias

the tendency to favor our own group

Outgroup homogeneity

presumed uniformity of members of outgroups regarding attitudes, personality and appearance

Altruism

unselfish regard for the welfare of others

Bystander effect 0 we are less likely to step in when others are present

Diffusion of responsibility

we are less likely to step in when others are present because of ___

Social Exchange Theory

the theory that our social behavior is an exchange process, the aim of which is to maximize benefits and minimize costs

Reciprocity norm

an expectation that people will help those who have helped them

Social-responsibility norm

an expectation that people will help those who need their help

Conflict

a perceived incompatibility of actions, goals, or ideas

Social Trap

a situation in which conflicting parties each pursue their own self-interest rather than uniting, which leads to the detriment of the whole group

Self-fulfilling prophecy

an expectation, either positive or negative about people or events that may affect a person’s behavior, causing those expectations to be fulfilled

Superordinate Goals

shared goals that override differences among people and require their cooperation; produce positive attitudes and resolve conflicts