AP Psych Unit 4 | Social Influence & Perception

attribution theory

how people decide where someone’s behavior is caused by their personality or their situation

dispositional attributions

assuming that a person’s actions are due to their personality, rather than their situation

situational attributions

assuming that a person’s actions are due to their circumstances, rather than their personality

explanatory style

how a person usually explains whether the reasons behind events are due to themselves or outside factors

optimistic explanatory style

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

pessimistic explanatory style

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

fundamental attribution error

the tendency to overemphasize personality factors and underemphasize situational factors when assessing others’ behaviors

actor-observer bias

the habit of blaming our own actions on the situation but blaming other people’s actions on their personality

self-serving bias

the tendency to attribute one’s successes to personal characteristics and failures to external factors

• thus enhances one’s self esteem

internal locus of control

the belief that one’s own actions and decisions directly influence the outcomes and events in one’s life

external locus of control

the belief that outcomes and events are determined by external forces or fate, rather than one’s own actions

altruism

the selfless concern for the wellbeing of others

• leads to behavior that benefits others at a personal cost

social responsibility norm

the societal expectation that people should help others who need assistance regardless of future exchanges