psych final exam

Social Psychology

Study social influences and why people act differently in various situations

Dispositional attributions

the tendency to attribute a person's behavior to their personal traits

situational attributions

when someone attributes a person's behavior to external factors or events, rather than internal factors

The fundamental attribution error

tendency to underestimate situational influences and overestimated dispositional influences upon others’ behavior

Cognitive dissonance

mental discomfort that arises when our thoughts don’t match

Foot-in-the-door phenomenon

Tendency to comply with a large request if first agreeing to small request

Central route persuasion

Using data/facts to convince a listener of a message; Logic-driven 

peripheral route persuasion

Using incidental cues to persuade a listener; E.g., Emotional appeal, attractiveness/ likability of messenger

Conformity

changing behavior/beliefs due to real or imagined group pressure

Normative social influence

conforming to fit in or avoid rejection

Information social influence

accepting others’ opinions about reality; assuming others are right

Prejudice

unjustifiable negative attitude towards a group and its members

Proximity and the mere exposure effect

tendency to prefer stimuli that is familiar

Passionate love

intense positive absorption, usually at the beginning of a romantic relationship

companionate love

Deep, affectionate attachment; adaptive value

Bystander effect

Individuals are less likely to help when other people are present

Stressor

stimulus event; can be positive or negative

Appraisal

Primary: assessing how threatening a stressor is; Secondary: how to handle the situation

stress response

reacting to the event

Catastrophes

hurricanes; natural disasters

significant life changes

moving, divorce

daily hassles

Work/career

Fight-or-flight theory

Stressors affect sympathetic nervous system; Increase circulation and respiration; decrease appetite; Opposite effects help body recover; Can also include freezing

General adaptation syndrome

Proposed general stress responses regardless of stressor; Prolonged stress = exhaustion; Phase 1- alarm reaction (mobilize bodily resources) Sympathetic nervous system activated; Phase 2- resistance (cope with stressor) The body’s resistance to stress can only last so long before exhaustion sets in. Temp, BP, & breathing might remain high; Phase 3- (reserves depleted) More vulnerable to illness

Learned helplessness

hopelessness and resignation after repeatedly experiencing uncontrollable events

Problem-focused coping

address stressor directly

emotion-focused coping

change emotional impact of stressor

Types of social support

instrumental, emotional, and informational

Instrumental social support

providing material/physical support aka tangible

Emotional social support

expressing care, validation, empathy, and love

Informational social support

providing information or advice to navigate stressor

Psychological Disorders

Significant disruption in thought emotion, or behavior. Causes significant distress and/or impairment

Medical model of psychological disorders

Treat mental illness like physical illness; Diagnosis based on symptoms; Treatment through therapy (or medication)

biopsychosocial model of psychological disorders

Studies how biological, psychological, and social-cultural factors interact to produce specific psychological disorders.

Generalized anxiety disorder

an anxiety disorder in which a person is continually tense, apprehensive, and in a state of autonomic nervous system arousal.

panic disorder

an anxiety disorder marked by unpredictable, minutes-long episodes of intense dread in which a person may experience terror and accompanying chest pain, choking, or other frightening sensations; often followed by worry over a possible next attack.

PTSD

a disorder characterized by haunting memories, nightmares, hyper-vigilance, avoidance of trauma-related stimuli, social withdrawal, jumpy anxiety, numbness of feeling, and/or insomnia that lingers for 4 weeks or more after a traumatic experience.

Obsessive-compulsive disorder

a disorder characterized by unwanted repetitive thoughts (obsessions), actions (compulsions), or both.

Schizophrenia

a disorder characterized by delusions, hallucinations, disorganized speech, and/or diminished, inappropriate emotional expression.

Dissociative identity disorder

a rare dissociative disorder in which a person exhibits two or more distinct and alternating identities.

Eating disorders

problems dealing with food and eating (Anorexia nervosa, Bulimia nervosa, and binge)

Major depressive disorder

a disorder in which a person experiences, in the absence of drug use or a medical condition, 2 or more weeks with five or more symptoms, at least one of which must be either (1) depressed mood or (2) loss of interest or pleasure

Personality

our characteristic patterns of thinking, feeling, and acting

Psychoanalytic theory of personality

Human behavior = conscious + unconscious mind; According to Freud, personality = conflict between impulse and restraint; 3 systems of the mind: id, ego, superego; many of these ideas are disputed by research

Id

unconscious energy, focused on satisfying basic desires (survive, reproduce, and aggress) Seeks immediate gratification

ego

Seeks to satisfy the id’s impulses in realistic ways

Superego

Voice of our moral compass (conscience) Forces the ego to consider how we ought to behave

Humanistic theory of personality

Holistic view of personality; Emphasize personal growth; Self-determination and self-realization; Person-centered perspective; Acceptance (unconditional positive regard); Genuineness; Empathy 

Trait theory of personality

Extraversion-introversion and emotional stability-instability; Eysenck Personality Questionnaire

Introversion

gain energy from time alone; More sensitive to levels of stimulation

extroversion

draw energy from time spent with others; Seek out stimulation; Less behavior inhibition

Big Five Personality Traits

Conscientiousness; Agreeableness; Neuroticism; Openness; Extraversion

Humanistic therapy techniques

Client-centered therapy, active listening, unconditional positive regard

Behavioral techniques

Counterconditioning, exposure therapy, systematic desensitization, behavior modification

Counterconditioning

evoking response incompatible with undesirable behavior to change behavior

exposure therapy

exposure to fears/phobias

systematic desensitization

relaxed state + hierarchy of anxiety-triggering stimuli

behavior modification

rewards/punishments to change behavior; Token economy

Cognitive behavioral therapy goals and techniques

Targets how clients think and act; Identify irrational negative thinking; replace with new ways of thinking

Descriptive research

Observe and describe individual variables; Does not examine relationships

Correlational research

Measures the relationship between variables for each individual participant; It describes a relationship but does not explain it; Use words: associated, related, linked, etc.; Don't use: cause, increase, decrease, impact, etc.

Experimental research

Answers cause and effect questions about relationships between variables; Manipulated one variable to test its effect. Holds constant (controls) other factors.