Unit 4: Social Psychology and Personality

Attribution Theory

People decide whether someone’s behavior is a result of their personality or their situation

Dispositional Attributions

Assuming a person’s behavior/ actions are due to their personality, not their situation

Situational Attributions

Assuming a person’s behavior/ actions are due to their situation, not their personality

Fundamental Attribution Error

The tendency to use Dispositional Attributions to explain someone’s behavior when in reality it was a result of their situation.

Actor-observer Bias

Tendency to blame our own actions on the situation but others’ actions on their personality

Self-serving Bias

Tendency to attribute one’s personal success to personal characteristics and failures to their situation, enhancing one’s self-esteem

Internal Locus of Control

The belief that only one’s own actions and attitudes have the power to shape their life.

External Locus of Control

The belief that external forces or fate have already predetermined the outcome of one’s life.

Altruism

Selfless concern for the well-being of others

• desire to help comes from genuine concern for others

Social Responsibility Norm

Societal expectation that people should help those who need assistance regardless of it they’ll be benefitted by it.

Self-fulfilling Prophrecy

When a belief about a situation or a person leads to actions that make the belief come true.

Mere Exposure Effect

Phenomenon where repeated exposure to a stimulus increases someone’s liking/preference for that stimulus.

False Consensus Effect

Tendency to overestimate how much other people agree with us.

Relative Deprivation

A feeling of dissatisfaction/ injustice when someone compares themselves to someone they perceive to be better.

Central Route of Persuasion

Persuading someone through logical/ factual means so that they need to think carefully about the communication and the strength of the argument.

Peripheral Route of Persuasion

Persuading someone through superficial cues

Cognitive Dissonance

The mental discomfort felt when one’s actions don’t reflect their beliefs and values or they have conflicting beliefs.

Foot-in-the-Door Phenomenon

If you get someone to agree initially (usually with a small demand), they’re more likely to agree later on with a better demand.

Door-in-the-Face Technique

Stereotype

Confirmation Bias

Belief Perseverance

Prejudice

Discrimination

Implicit Attitude

Just-World Phenomenon

Out-group Homogeneity Bias

In-Group Bias

Ethnocentrism

Superodinate Goals

Social Traps

Scapegoat Theory

Contact Hypothesis

Conformity

Chameleon Effect

Informational Social Influence

Normative Social Influence

Social Facilitation

Social Loafing

Deindividuation

Group Polarization

Groupthink

Bystander Effect

q

Social Exchange Theory

Reciprocity

Social Responsibility Norm

Halo Effect

Reciprocity of Liking

Sternberg’s Components of Love

Model of Love that is made up of 3 areas that make up a Triangle

• Intimacy

• Passion

• Commitment

Consummate Love