Unit 4 - Social Psychology & Personality

Conformity

process by which individuals adjust their behavior to align with those of a group

Normative Social Influence

influence resulting from a person's desire to gain approval

Social Norms

unwritten rules that dictate acceptable behavior within a group, influencing how individuals act & interact

Social Comparison

comparing oneself to others

Relative Deprivation

feeling worse off compared to others

Upward Comparison

comparing yourself to someone better

Downward Comparison

comparing yourself to someone worse

Informational Social Influence

conforming bc/ you believe others are right

Social Faciliation

performing better in front of others

Group Polarization

group discussions make opinions more extreme

Groupthink

prioritizing group harmony over smart decisions

Bystander Effect

less likely to help when others are around

Diffusion of Responsibility

Assuming someone else will act

Social Loafing

working less hard in a group

Deinviduation

losing self-awareness in a crowd

Attribution Theory

explaining behavior as personality or situation

Dispositional Attribution

blaming behavior on personality

Situational Attribution

blaming behavior on circumstances

Fundamental Attribution Error

thinking personality matters more than the situation

Actor-Observer Bias

blaming your actions on situations but others' on personality

Self-Serving Bias

take credit for success, blame failure on others

Optimistic Explanatory Style

seeing bad events as temporary

Pessimistic Explanatory Style

seeing bad events as lasting/personal

Internal Locus of Control

believing you control your life

External Locus of Control

believing fate/luck controls life

Altruism

helping others without expecting anything

Social Responsibility Norm

belief we should help others

Confirmation Bias

looking for information that supports your beliefs

Belief Perseverance

sticking to beliefs even when proven wrong

Self-fulfilling Prophecy

a belief that makes itself true

Implicit Attitudes

hidden opinions that affect behavior

Just-World Phenomenon

thinking ppl. get what they deserve

Out-Group Homogeneity Bias

thinking all outsiders are the same

Mere Exposure Effect

liking something more after seeing it often

Ethnocentrism

judging others by your culture's standards

Collectivism

valuing the group over the individual

Social Traps

selfish actions that hurt everyone

Elaboration Likelihood Model

explains how persuasion works

Central Route of Persuasion

using logic to persuade

Peripheral Route of Persuasion

using looks/appearance to persuade

Halo Effect

judging a person based on one trait

Foot-in-the-Door

getting someone to agree to a small request first

Door-in-the-Face

asking for something big so a smaller request is reasonable

False Consensus Effect

thinking more ppl. agree with you than they do

Cognitive Dissonance

feeling uncomfortable when beliefs and actions don't match

Drive-Reduction Theory

we act to satisfy needs

Hypothalamus

brain part controlling hunger and emotions

Arousal Theory

ppl. need the right amount of stimulation

Yerkes-Dodson Law

too much stress hurts performance

Incentive Theory

motivated by rewards

Lewin's Motivational Conflicts

struggles in decision making

Approach-Approach Conflict

choosing between 2 good things

Avoidance-Avoidance Conflict

choosing between 2 bad things

Approach-Avoidance Conflict

one choice has good and bad parts

Facial-feedback Hypothesis

facial expressions influence emotions

Psychodynamic Theory

personality shaped by unconscious desires

Broaden-and-Build Theory

happiness leads us to think more openly

Denial

refusing to accept reality

Displacement

place feelings out on someone else

Projection

blaming others

Rationalization

justifying bad behavior

Reaction Formation

acting opposite of how you feel

Regression

acting childish under stress

Repression

forgetting painful thoughts

Sublimation

channel bad urges into good actions

Self-Concept

how you see yourself

Self-Efficacy

believing in your abilities

Big Five Theory

five main personality traits (Openness, Conscientiousness, Extraversion, Agreeableness, Neuroticism)

Openness

open to new things

Conscientiousness

being responsible

Extraversion

outgoing

Agreeableness

being cooperative

Neuroticism

being anxious and moody