AP Psychology Unit 4A Review

person perception

how we form impressions of ourselves and others, including attributions of behavior

attribution theory

a theory where we explain someone’s behavior by crediting the situation or the person’s stable traits.

fundamental attribution error

tendency for observers to underestimate the contextual situation and overestimate the personal situations about a person

actor-observer bias

tendency for those to attribute their behavior to outside causes but attribute another person’s behavior to their internal/personal causes

prejudice

unfriendly feelings directed against an individual, a group, or a race without any good reason

stereotype

an overgeneralized (sometimes accurate) belief of groups of people

discrimination

unjustifiable negative behavior towards a group or its members

just-world phenomenon

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

social-identity

the “we” aspect of self-concept; comes from group memberships; “Who Am I?”

ingroup

“us”; people with whom we share a common identity

outgroup

“them”; those we consider different from us or our ingroup

ingroup bias

tendency to favor our own group

scapegoat theory

theory that prejudice offers an outlet for anger by providing someone to blame

other-race effect

tendency to recognize faces of one’s own race more accurately than the faces of other races

attitudes

feelings, often influenced by our own beliefs, that predispose us to respond a certain way to people, events, or groups

foot-in-the-door phenomenon

tendency for people who have first agreed to a small request to agree to a bigger request later down

role

a set of expectations about a social position which defines how people behave

cognitive dissonance theory

theory that we act to reduce discomfort when two of our thoughts are inconsistent.

Ex: we become aware that our attitudes and actions clash so we change our attitudes to match the actions

persuasion

changing people’s attitudes, potentially influencing their actions

peripheral route persuasion

occurs when people are influenced by incidental cues like a speaker’s attractiveness

central route persuasion

occurs when interested people’s thinking is influenced by considering arguments and facts

norms

a society’s understood rules for accepted and expected behavior.

conformity

adjusting our behavior or thinking to match with a group standard

normative social influence

influence resulting from wanting approval or avoid being judged

informational social influence

influence resulting from a person’s willingness to accept someone else’s opinions as reality

obedience

complying with an order or command

social facilitation

improved performance on simple tasks and decreased performance on difficult tasks because of other people being around

social loafing

tendency for a group to put in less effort when pooling their efforts into obtaining a common goal as opposed to when individually accountable

deindividuation

loss of self-awareness and self-restraint occurring in group situations when anonymous and aroused

group polarization

enhancement of a group’s beliefs, attitudes, and thoughts within the group

groupthink

a group preserves good feeling and harmony by suppressing logical and realistic arguments and thoughts

culture

enduring behaviors, ideas, attitudes, values, and traditions shared by a group and is transmitted from one generation to the next

tight culture

a place with clearly defined and reliably imposed norms

loose culture

a place with flexible and informal norms

aggression

any physical or verbal behavior meant to harm something or someone either physically or emotionally

frustration-aggression principle

the principle that frustration (blocking of an attempt to reach a goal) causes anger which can generate aggression

social script

a culturally modeled guide for how to act in various situations

mere exposure effect

tendency for repeated exposure to different stimuli increases our liking of them

passionate love

an aroused state of intensive positive absorption of another, typically occurs in the beginning of a relationship

companionate love

the deep affectionate attachment we feel for those who we are closest to and adore the most

equity

a condition in which people receive from a relationship in proportion to what they give to it

self-disclosure

the act of revealing intimate aspects of ourselves to others

altruism

an unselfish regard for the welfare of others

bystander effect

tendency for any given bystander to not help as much if other bystanders are around

social exchange theory

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

reciprocity norm

an expectation that people will help, not hurt, those who have helped them

social-responsibility norm

an expectation that people will help those needing their help

conflict

a perceived incompatibility of actions, goals, or ideas

social trap

a situation in which two parties, which are doing something for their own benefit instead of working together, become caught in mutually destructive behavior

mirror-image perceptions

mutual views often held by conflicting parties and one views them self as peaceful and ethical and they blame the other side for being cruel, unethical, and violent

self-fulfilling prophecy

a belief that leads to its own fulfillment

superordinate goals

shared goals that override their differences among people and require cooperation

GRIT

Graduated and Reciprocated Initiatives in Tension-Reduction; a strategy designed to decrease international tension