AP Psychology 2024-2025 Review - Social Psychology

Mere Exposure Effect

Repeatedly being around something makes us like it more.

Central Route to Persuasion

Persuasion is achieved via facts, logical, and analytical content.

Peripheral Route to Persuasion

Persuasion is achieved via incidental cues like attractiveness or comedy. i.e.: Celebrity endorsements.

Foot in the Door Strategy

Tendency for people who agree to a smaller request to comply with a larger request.

Door in the Face Strategy

Tendency for people to make a large request, knowing the smaller one made after will probably be conceded more easily.

Attribution Theory

When we explain someone’s behavior by crediting either the situation or the person’s disposition.

Fundamental Attribution Error

Tendency for observers, when analyzing, to underestimate the impact of the situation on another person.

Cognitive Dissonance

We act to reduce discomfort when our beliefs contradict our actions.

Self-Fulfilling Prophecy

A false belief about a behavior brings out a new behavior that leads to the belief becoming true, even if the belief is false.

Collectivist Cultures

Values the opinions and well-being of the whole community over one’s own opinions and well-being.

Individualist Cultures

Values the opinions and well-being one one’s self over the opinions and well-being of the whole community.

Self-Serving Bias

The tendency to attribute successes to internal factors (personality, abilities) while attributing failures to external factors (people, environment).

Just World Hypothesis

The belief in which everyone gets what they deserve.

Stereotypes

Beliefs or generalizations about a group of people.

Prejudice

An unjustifiable negative attitude towards a group and its members. A mix of stereotypes, emotions (fear, hostility, envy), and a predisposition to discriminate.

Discrimination

An action or behavior against a group and its members based in prejudice.

Ingroup Bias

A tendency to favor one’s own group.

Outgroup Homogeniety Bias

In which we perceive those as different as having unfavorable characteristics.

Diffusion of Responsibility

A dilution or weakening of each group member’s obligation to help, to become personally involved.

Conformity

Adjusting one’s behavior or thinking to coincide with a group standard.

Social Loafing

The tendency to exert less effort when pooling efforts to work towards a common goal than if one was working individually.

Milgram’s Obedience Studies

When subjects were asked to obey & administer shocks, 65% followed the request and did so.

Group Polarization

A like-minded group becomes more extreme through discussion or interaction.

Zimbardo’s Prison Experiment

Roleplaying is very strong in humans.