Unit 4

Attribution theory

explains how people decide whether a persons behavior is caused by their personality or behavior

Dispositional attributions

assuming a persons actions are due to their personality

situational attributions

assuming a persons actions are due to their circumstances

explanatory style

how a person usually explains the reasons behind events

• Ex. blaming themselves or outside factors

optimistic explanatory style

habit of explaining good things as likely to happen again and bad things as one-time events

pessimistic explanatory style

habit of explaining bad things as likely to happen again and good things as one-time events

fundamental attribution error

blame peoples actions on their personality rather than their situation

actor-observer bias

habit of blaming our own actions on situations but others’ actions on personality

self-serving bias

tendency to attribute one’s…

• successes —> personal chacteristics

• failures —> external factors

internal locus of control

belief that one has control over the outcomes and event of their life

external locus of control

belief that outcomes and events are determined external forces/fate

altruism

selfess concern for the well being of others

social responsibilty norms

societal expectation that people should help each other without worrying about future exchanges

• ex. giving up seat for pregnant woman or old person

persuasion

influencing others beliefs or behaviors

elaboration likelihood model

idea that people will process persuasive messages in two ways…

• deep thoughtful analysis

• quick cues (how appealing or trustworthy a person seems)

central route of persuasion

method of persuasion based on analysis and consideration of message

peripheral route of persuasion

relies on superficial cues to persuade

• attractiveness

• credibility

halo effect

positive impression in one area leads to positive evaluations in other areas

foot in the door technique

small agreement first, larger request after

door in the face technique

large request denied, smaller request asked after

false consensus

cognitive bias where people overestimate how much others agree with their opinions

cognitive dissonance

one party to alter their beliefs to better get along with another party

industrial organizational psychologists

psychologists that apply psychological principles/research methods to the workplace

conformity

individuals adjust thoughts, feelings, or behaviors to align with a group

normative social influence

influence to conform to positive expectations to be liked by a group

social norms

unwritten rules of society

relative deprivation

feeling dissatisfaction or injustice when comparing yourself to others

upward social comparison

comparing to yourself with others and decreasing self esteem

downward social comparison

comparing yourself to others to improve self esteem

informational social influence

information that influences social conformity

obedience

following direct commands

social facilitation

people perform better or worse when in the presence of others

group polarization

when people in a group talk about an idea, they agree even more and reinforce each others opinions

groupthink

desire for harmony or conformity that leads to irrational decisions

bystander effect

people are less likely to offer help a victim when others a present

diffusion of responsibility

individuals feel less responsible to take action or help out when others a present

social loafing

individuals exert less effort on group projects

deindividualization

people lose self awareness and sense of individuality and conform to a group action

(sports crowds, large fights, etc)

stereotype

generalized belief about a specific group of ppl

confirmation bias

tendency to search for info that confirms your beliefs and ignore info that contradicts your beliefs

belief perseverance

holding onto one’s initial beliefs even after they have proven to be false

self fulfilling prophecy

belief about a situation that leads to behavior that causes it to come true

prejudice

unjustifiable and negative attitude towards a group/its members

discimination

unjustifiable negative behavior to a group or its members

implicit attitudes

unconscious beliefs or feelings that influence a persons behavior/perceptions

ex. believing that group members who are asian will do more/better work

just-world phenomenon

belief that the world is fundamentally fair

bad things happen to bad people, good things happen to good people

out group homegeneity bias

tendency to see members of an outgroup as more similar to each other than they actually are

in goup bias

tendency to favor/extend loyalty to members of your own group

mere exposure effect

repeated exposure to a stimulus increases preference for it

ethnocentrism

belief that your own ethnic group is superior

superordinate goals

shared goals among individuals that require cooperation

social traps

situations where individuals pursue individual rewards that prove to have catastrophic consequences

psychodynamic theory

personality is determined by unconscious forces

preconscious mind

constant thoughts and feelings not currently in conscious, but can be easily accessed

ex. not feeling thirsty, but if someone asks you, you realize that you are

unconscious mind

processes and memories beyond conscious awareness

projective tests

tests used to access personality by collecting responses

ego defense mechanism

unconscious strategies used by ego to protect from anxiety and perceived threat

denial

unconsciously refusing to acknowledge reality or facts

displacement

defense mechanism where emotional responses are redirected to a safer/more acceptable target

projection

contributing ones own feelings, thoughts, or motives to someone else

rationalization

individuals try to explain or justify their behaviors to make themselves feel better

reaction formation

suppressing unacceptable behaviors by unconsciously doing the opposite behavior

regression

individuals revert to earlier stages of development when faced with stress or emotional conflict

repression

distressing thoughts and feelings are unconsciously blocked from entering conscious awareness

sublimation

negative urges are directed to socially acceptable activities

humanistic psychology

study of uniqueness of individuality

unconditional regard

unconditional love/acceptance

self-actualizing theory

innate drive in every individual to grow, develop, and reach their full potential

social cognitive theory

cognitive processes, behaviors, and context help understand personality and actions

reciprocal determinism

individuals behaviors, personal factors, and environment influence personality at that time

self-concept

individuals perception of themselves and role in relation to otheers

self efficacy

belief in ones own ability to succeed

self esteem

overall subjective emotional evaluation of ones own sense of worth

trait theories

suggests that personality is made up of stable characteristics that influence thoughts and behavior

big five theory

there are five main traits of personality

1. openness

2. Conscientousness

3. Extraversion

4. agreeableness

5. neurotcism

personality inventories

personality tests

factor analysis

statistical method used to identify clusters of related terms in a set of data

openness

imagination, curiosity, willingness to engage with new ideas, experiences, and creative pursruits

conscientousness

organizaion, dependability, disciplline, goal-oriented

extraversion

sociability, energy, assertiveness, being outoing

agreeableness

warmth, kindness, cooperation

emoional stability

ability to manage stress and stay calm and composed

instincs

fixed, innate behaviors triggered by specific stimuli

drive reduction theory

behavior is motivated by the need to reduce internal drives caused by physiological deficits

belongingness

innate human desire to form and sustain close relationships

arousal theory

motivation to maintain optimal level of alertness

yerkes dodson law

performance increases with arousal, but too much arousal can decrease performance

sensation seeking theory

proposes that motivation is driven by need for new experiences

adventure seeking

desire for new challenging experiences

disinhibition

tendency to seek out social and experimental thrills

boredom susceptibility

intolerance for repetitive or monotonous experiences

incentive theory

maotvated by rewards

self determination theory

people are driven by internal or external motivations

lewins motivational conflicts theory

approach vs avoidance struggles when making decisions

approach approach conflicts

mus choose between two desirable options

avoidance avoidance conflict

choose between two undesirable options

approach avoidance conflict

drawn to and repelled by the same outcome

emotion

feelings that involve thoughts, reactions and actions

elicitors

stimulus or events that trigger emotional responses

arousal comes before emotion

suggests that emotion follows bodily arousal