ap psych unit 4: social psychology

Social Psychology

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

Social Cognition

how we think abt ourselves + others in social situations

Social Influence

how we are influenced by others in social situations

social behavior

the way we act in social situations

Attribution Theory

the theory that we explain someone’s behavior by crediting either the situation or the person’s disposition

Dispositional attribution

attributing someone’s behavior, thoughts, belief etc. to the person’s traits and characteristics 

Situational attribution

attributing someone’s behavior, thoughts, beliefs, etc. to environmental factors outside of the person's control

Fundamental Attribution Error

the tendency for observer, when analyzing another’s behavior, to underestimate the impact of the situation and to overestimate the impact of personal disposition 

attitude

feelings, often influenced by our beliefs, that predispose us to respond in a particular way to objects, people and events

Peripheral Route Persuasion

occurs when people are influenced by incidental cues, such as a speaker’s attractiveness

Central Route Persuasion

occurs when influenced people focus on the arguments and respond with favorable thoughts; actual message

Foot-in-the-door Phenomenon

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

Door-in-the-face Phenomenon

asking someone for a large request that they will most likely refuse, then following with a smaller, more reasonable request

role

 a set of expectations abt a social position, defining how those in the position ought to behave

Cognitive Dissonance Theory

the theory that we act to reduce the discomfort [dissonance] we feel when two of our thoughts [cognitions] are inconsistent

developed by Leon Festinger

Zimbardo’s Stanford Prison Experiment

prisons v guards

Conformity

adjusting our behavior or thinking to coincide with a group standard  

Normative Social Influence

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

Informational Social Influence

influence resulting from one’s willingness to accept others’ opinions abt reality 

Milgram’s Experiment

obedience; teachers + learners

Social Facilitation

 stronger responses on simple or well-learned tasks in the presence of others

Social Loafing

 the tendency for people in a group to exert less effort when pooling their efforts toward attaining a common goal than when individually accountable

Deindividuation

the loss of self-awareness and self-restraint occurring in group situations that foster arousal and anonymity 

group polarization

the enhancement of a group's prevailing inclinations through discussion within the groups

groupthink

the mode of thinking that occurs when the desire for harmony in a decision-making group overrides a realistic appraisal of alternatives

prejudice

an unjustifiable and usually negative attitude toward a group and its members.

prejudice generally involves stereotyped beliefs, neg feelings, and a predisposition to discriminatory action

discrimination

unjustifiable negative behavior toward a group and its members 

stereotype

a generalized (sometimes accurate, but often overgeneralized) belief about a group of people

ingroup

“us”; people w/h whom we share a common identity

outgroup

“them”; those perceived as diff or apart from our ingroup

ingroup bias

the tendency to favor our own group

scapegoat theory

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

just-world phenomenon

tendency of people to believe the world is “just”

people get what they deserve and deserve what they get

aggression

 any physical or verbal behavior intended to hurt or destroy

frustration-aggression principle

 the principle that frustration — the blocking of an attempt to achieve some goal — creates anger, which can generate aggression

conflict

a perceived incompatibility of actions, goals, or ideas

social trap

 a situation in which the conflicting parties, by each rationally pursuing their self-interest rather than the good of the group, become caught in mutually destructive behavior

mere exposure effect

the phenomenon the repeated exposure to novel stimuli increases liking of them

passionate love

an aroused state of intense positive absorption in another, usually present at the beginning of a love relationship

companionate love

the deep affectionate attachment we feel for those with whom our lives are intertwined 

equity

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

self-disclosure

 revealing intimate aspects of oneself to others 

altruism

unselfish regard for the welfare of others

bystander effect

 the tendency for any given bystander to be less likely to give aid if other bystanders are present

social exchange theory

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

superordinate goals

shared goals that override differences among people and require their cooperation

Graduated and Reciprocated Initiatives in Tension-Reduction (GRIT)

a strategy designed to decrease international tensions