Unit 4: Social Psychology and Personality

A comprehensive set of vocabulary flashcards covering key concepts, theories, and terms related to social psychology and personality.

Attribution Theory

Understanding how behaviors happen.

Dispositional Factors

Internal, relatively unchanging factors of a person.

Situational Factors

External, temporary factors affecting a person's behavior.

Fundamental Attribution Error

Overestimating the effect of dispositional factors while minimizing situational factors.

Explanatory Style

How we explain why behaviors happen.

Optimistic Explanatory Style

External, temporary, and specific causes for setbacks.

Pessimistic Explanatory Style

Personal, permanent, and persuasive causes for setbacks.

Cognitive Biases

Influence the way we attribute our behaviors and thoughts.

Overconfidence Biases

Excessive belief in one’s abilities.

Exposure Effect

Increased liking due to repeated exposure to a stimulus.

Self Fulfilling Prophecy

An originally false expectation leads to its own confirmation.

Relative Deprivation

Feeling deprived or entitled based on comparison to others.

Locus of Control

Perceived control over events or conditions in one's life.

Internal Locus of Control

Events are perceived as results of one's own efforts.

External Locus of Control

Events are perceived as results of things outside of one's control.

Stereotypes

Generalizations that can lead to prejudice against certain groups.

Implicit Attitudes and Biases

Attitudes that occur with little or no conscious awareness.

Just World Phenomenon

Belief that good actions are rewarded and bad actions are punished.

Confirmation Bias

Seeking evidence that confirms existing beliefs while dismissing contradictory evidence.

In-Group Bias

Favoring characteristics of one's own social group.

Out Group Bias

Disfavoring characteristics of social groups other than one's own.

Ethnocentrism

Believing one’s own group is superior.

Belief Perseverance

Maintaining a belief despite conflicting evidence.

Cognitive Dissonance

Discrepancy between beliefs and actions.

Social Norms

Shared rules about how to behave in social situations.

Social Influence Theory

Explains how social pressure influences behavior.

Normative Influence

Conformity to gain approval or avoid disapproval.

Informational Influence

Conformity due to believing others have more accurate information.

Persuasion

Techniques used to influence others' beliefs or behaviors.

Halo Effect

Positive impression influences judgments about unrelated traits.

Foot in the Door Technique

Small request followed by a larger request.

Door in the Face Technique

Large, unreasonable request followed by a smaller, reasonable one.

Conformity

Adjusting behavior or beliefs to match a group.

Obedience

Following orders from an authority figure.

Individualism

Cultural orientation prioritizing personal goals over group goals.

Collectivism

Cultural orientation prioritizing group goals over personal goals.

Multiculturalism

Respect for diverse cultural traditions within a society.

Elaboration Likelihood Model

Explains how people are persuaded by message content or presentation.

Central Route

Persuasion through the content of the argument.

Peripheral Route

Persuasion through superficial or secondary characteristics.

Groupthink

Desire for unanimous decisions leads to poor evaluation of repercussions.

Social Facilitation

Improvement in performance when in the presence of others.

Social Loafing

Reduced effort in larger groups.

Group Polarization

Extreme group decisions compared to individual judgments.

Diffusion of Responsibility

Assuming someone else will take action.

Deindividualization

Engaging in behaviors normally restrained due to anonymity.

False Consensus Effect

Believing one's views are more common than they are.

Superordinate Goal

Common goal that requires cooperation between conflicting groups.

Social Traps

Engaging in behaviors leading to negative outcomes that are difficult to stop.

Industrial-Organizational Psychologists

Study workplace performance and management practices.

Burnout

State of emotional or mental exhaustion from prolonged stress.

Altruism

Selfless behavior for the welfare of others.

Bystander Effect

Assuming someone else will intervene in emergencies.

Psychodynamic Theory of Personality

Personality driven by unconscious processes.

Humanistic Theory of Personality

Focus on human uniqueness and personal growth.

Self-Actualization

Becoming the person one is capable of being.

Unconditional Regard

Acceptance and love regardless of failures.

Personality Tests

Assess personality through interpretive or inventory methods.

Ego Defense Mechanisms

Strategies to reduce tension and distort reality.

Denial

Refusal to acknowledge unwanted beliefs or actions.

Displacement

Redirecting anger to a less threatening target.

Projection

Attributing one’s own feelings to another person.

Rationalization

Creating excuses for irrational or emotional behavior.

Reaction Formation

Transforming a disturbing desire to make it safer.

Regression

Reverting to childish behaviors under stress.

Repression

Pushing distressing memories or desires into the unconscious.

Sublimation

Redirecting negative feelings into acceptable channels.

Social-Cognitive Theory

Cognition influences personality development.

Self-Concept

How one perceives oneself in relation to others.

Self-Efficacy

Beliefs about one's abilities in specific situations.

Big 5 Personality Traits

Openness, conscientiousness, extraversion, agreeableness, neuroticism.

Nomothetic Traits

Traits that are universal across individuals.

Idiographic Traits

Traits that are unique to an individual.

Cardinal Trait

Dominant traits that define a person.

Central Traits

Primary characteristics defining personality.

Secondary Traits

Less significant traits that vary across situations.

Source Traits

Underlying characteristics that form personality.

Surface Traits

Observable traits derived from source traits.

Motivation

Need or desire that energizes behavior.

Arousal Theory

People are motivated to maintain optimal physiological arousal.

Drive Reduction Theory

Behaviors that maintain homeostasis and reduce stress.

Yerkes-Dodson Law

Moderate difficulty tasks elicit peak performance.

Self Determination

Feeling competence and control motivates behavior.

Incentive Theory

Rewards are primary motivators of behavior.

Instinct Theory

Species-specific behavior motivates survival actions.

Instincts

Fixed behavioral patterns in response to stimuli.

Lewin’s Motivational Conflict Theory

Choices create conflicts based on motivation.

Approach-approach conflict

Choosing between two desirable alternatives.

Approach-avoidance conflict

Desiring a goal while fearing the negatives.

Avoidance-avoidance conflict

Choosing between two undesirable alternatives.

Sensation Seeking Theory

Motivation for novel experiences.

Experience Seeking

Seeking stimulation through new ideas and experiences.

Thrill/adventure Seeking

Seeking excitement through risky challenges.

Disinhibition

Engaging in behaviors with lowered self-control.

Boredom Susceptibility

Prone to boredom and seeking new experiences.

Eating Behaviors

Demonstrate interaction between physical and mental processes.

Hormones

Regulators of hunger and safety feelings.

External Factors Influencing Eating

Social contexts affecting eating behaviors.

Emotion

Complex processes influenced by internal and external factors.

Cognitive Appraisal

Subjective interpretation of situations.