AP Psych 4.1-4.3

Attribution

Judgements about the causes of a persons behavior

Dispositional attribution

Blaming or crediting a persons internal traits

Situational attribution

attributing their behavior to external causes

Explanatory style

the way one explains events in their life

Optimistic explanatory style

view setbacks as temp
blame neg events on external and pos on internal

pessimistic explanatory style

view setbacks as permanent

Blame neg events on internal and pos on external

Attribution Bias

tendency to inaccurately attribute causes somones’s behavior to their character while underestimating situational factors

Fundamental Attribution error

underestimate impact of situation and overestimate personal disposition

Actor-observer bias

attribute others actions to internal factors
attribute own actions to external factors

Self-Serving Bias

judge own failures as situational
success as dispositional

Internal locus of control

believe they and others control life outcomes

External Locus of control

believe they and others have no control over life outcomes

Person Perception

the mental processes people use to form impressions and make judgments about others, including their traits, behaviors, and intentions

Mere-exposure effect

repeated exposure of stimuli increases liking of it

like when others faces have ones own features

self-fulfilling prophecy

behavior towards subject affects outcomes and causes expectations to be realized

Social Comparison

value social and personal worth by comparing to others

Upward social comparison

compare to those one believes is superior
can motivate or discourage

Downward social comparison

comp to those one believes in inferior

can make one feel better
cause disgust towards the person

Relative deprivation

feeling deprived or disadvantaged compared to others in ones reference group

Stereotype

a generalized belief about a particular group of people can be pos or neg

Prejudice

negative opinion or attitude about an individual or group based on stereotypes

Discrimination

treating people unfairly because of their membership of a particular group

Implicit bias

unconscious beliefs about a group

can influence behavior without awareness

Just world phenomenon

belief that people get what they deserve

can justify existing social inequalities

Out-group homogeneity bias

tendency to view members of an out group of homogenous

In group bias

preference and favoritism towards ones own group

Ethnocentrism

belief in the superiority of ones own ethnic group

Belief Perseverance

the tendency to maintain a belief even after seeing contradictory evidence

Cognitive dissonance

psychological discomfort when holding to conflicting beliefs, attitudes, behaviors

to relieve it change or add a cognition

Ex: smoker who knows its harmful can quit or convince themselves its not actually that harmful

Social norms

implicit or explicit rules that govern behavior in a society

social influence theory

thoughts, feelings, and behaviors are shaped by the opinions of others

Normative social influence

conform to gain or avoid approval or disapproval

Informational social influence

conform because they believe others have accurate knowledge

Persuasion

changing someone’s thoughts or behaviors through argument or appeal

Central route to persuasion

consideration or merits of info

leads to enduring attitude changes

peripheral route to persuasion

superficial cues such as attractiveness of source

leads to temp attitude changes

halo effect

attractive people are associated with positive traits

Foor in the door

ask for a small request, then a larger one

door in the face

ask for something unreasonable, then reasonable

Obedience

following orders from an authority figure

individualism

culture that emphasizes personal goals, autonomy, and individual rights

Collectivism

emphasizes group goals, interdependence, and social harmony

Multiculturalism

value diverse cultural groups

Group polarization

tendency for group discussions to amplify original leanings of members

Groupthink

desire for cohesion overrides realistic consideration of alternative courses of action

Diffusion of responsibility

less accountable for actions in a group

social loafing

exert less effort when working in a group

Deindividuation

act uncharacteristically in groups

lose self-awareness and personal accountability

Social facilitation

tendency to perform better in the presence of others

False consensus effect

overestimate the extent ones beliefs are shared by others

Superordinate goals

objectives that require cooperation, promoting unity

Social Traps

individuals or groups pursue short term gains that lead to negative long term consequences for society

IO psychologist

apply psychological principles to improve employee performance and satisfaction

improve work-life balance and reduce burnout

Altruism

helping others without expecting an award

social debt

feeling of indebtedness when someone helps you

Social reciprocity

rule to return what others have done for them

social responsibility

rule to help others

Bystander effect

less likely to help in an emergency situation when other people are present

Situational variables

environmental factors that encourage pro social behavior

attentional variables

where an individuals attention is focused