AP Psychology- Unit 4 (Social Psychology and Personality)

Social Traps

situation where individuals, groups, or societies are motivated to pursue immediate, short-term goals, but the outcome is a negative, long-term consequence for everyone involved

Superordinate Goals

a common goal that requires two or more groups to cooperate to achieve

False Consensus Effect

tendency to overestimate how much other people share our own beliefs, attitudes, or behaviors

Social Facilitation

tendency to perform simple or well-learned tasks better when in the presence of others compared to when performing alone

Deindividualization

phenomenon where individuals lose their sense of self-awareness and restraint, and their behavior becomes more impulsive or less restrained due to being in a group or crowd setting

Social Loafing

tendency for individuals to exert less effort when working on a group task compared to when working alone

Diffusion of Repsonsibility

social psychological phenomenon where individuals in a group are less likely to take action or feel a sense of responsibility in a situation, particularly in emergencies, because they assume that someone else will step in or take charge

Groupthink

psychological phenomenon where a group's desire for harmony or conformity overrides their critical evaluation of alternatives, leading to a potentially dysfunctional or irrational outcome

Group Polarization

tendency for a group's decision making to become more extreme than the individual members' initial inclinations

(us vs them)

Multiculturalism

the recognition, appreciation, and valuing of diverse cultural backgrounds within a society

Door-in-the-Face Technique

person is initially asked to comply with a large request, which they are likely to reject. then the person is asked to comply with a smaller request, which they are likely to agree to

Foot-in-the-Door Technique

compliance tactic where someone is first persuaded to agree to a small request, making them more likely to later agree to a larger, more substantial request

Persuasion

process of influencing someone's attitudes, beliefs, or behaviors through communication, often with the goal of changing their minds or actions

Social Norms

unwritten rules or expectations that guide behavior within a specific social group or context

Collectivism

a cultural orientation that emphasizes the importance of the group over the individual

Individualism

a social and cultural tradition, ideology, or personal outlook that emphasizes the individual and their rights, independence, and relationships with others

Obedience

type of social influence where an individual follows explicit commands or orders from an authority figure

Conformity

tendency to align one's beliefs, perceptions, or behaviors with group norms

Halo Effect

cognitive bias where a positive impression in one area influences our overall evaluation of a person, thing, or idea in other areas

Peripheral Route of Persuasion

strategy of influencing attitudes by focusing on superficial cues and non-argumentative elements, rather than the substance of the argument itself

Central Route of Persuasion

method of persuasion where people are influenced by the logic, arguments, and evidence presented in a message

Elaboration Likelihood Model

theory explaining how individuals are persuaded to change their attitudes or perceptions

(central and peripheral routes)

Informational Social Influence

type of conformity where individuals change their beliefs and behavior because they believe the group or authority has more accurate information

Normative Social Influence

tendency for individuals to conform to group norms and expectations, primarily to gain social acceptance , avoid rejection, or feel a sense of belonging

Social Influence Theory

explores how individual behavior and thoughts are shaped by social forces, including conformity, obedience, and group dynamics

Implicit Attitudes

unconscious beliefs and associations that influence thoughts and behaviors without a person's awareness

Cognitive Load

the amount of mental effort a person uses when processing information or performing a task

Self-Serving Bias

tendency to attribute positive outcomes to internal factors and negative outcomes to external factors

Explanatory Style

how individuals explain to themselves why they experience a particular event

(positive or negative)

Situational Attributions

explains a behavior by attributing it to external factors rather than internal characteristics of the person

Dispositional Attributions

explaining someone's behavior by attributing it to their internal personality, traits, or characteristics

Attributions

the explanations people offer for the causes of behavior, both their own and others'

Actor-Observer Bias

the likelihood to attribute others behavior to internal causes while attributing our own behavior to external or situational causes

Fundamental Attribution Error

the tendency to attribute the behaviors of others to internal causes

Mere Exposure Effect

psychological phenomenon where individuals develop a preference for things merely because they are familiar with them through repeated exposure

Self-Fulfilling Prophecy

when a belief or expectation, whether true or false, influences behavior in a way that makes the initial belief come true

Social Comparison

idea that people evaluate their own abilities and opinions by comparing themselves to others

Relative Deprivation

the feeling of discontent and resentment that arises when individuals or groups perceive that they have less than others they compare themselves to

Just-World Phenomenon

cognitive bias that assumes the world is a fair place where people get what they deserve

Confirmation Bias

tendency to favor information that confirms existing beliefs or hypotheses, while disregarding contradictory evidence

Cognitive Dissonance

the mental discomfort experienced when holding conflicting beliefs, or when a belief clashes with one’s behavior

Altruism

selfless behavior that benefits others, often at a cost to the individual performing the action

Social Debt

the feeling of obligation to reciprocate when someone has helped you, stemming from the social reciprocity norm

Prosocial Behavior

voluntary actions that are intended to benefit others or society as a whole

Burnout

a syndrome characterized by emotional and physical exhaustion, resulting from chronic workplace stress

Internal Locus of Control

the belief that one’s actions and decisions influence the outcomes they experience

External Locus of Control

the belief that one’s life is controlled by external factors rather than one’s own actions or choices

In-Group Bias

tendency for individuals to favor members of their own group over those who are not part of that group

Ethnocentrism

tendency to view one’s own culture or ethnic group as superior to others

Belief Perseverance

tendency to cling to one’s beliefs even when presented with strong evidence that contradicts those beliefs

Optimistic Explanatory Style

explaining negative events as temporary, specific, and external, while attributing positive events to internal, stable, and global causes

Pessimistic Explanatory Style

tendency to attribute negative events to internal, stable, and global factors, while attributing positive events to external, temporary, and specific factors

Upward Social Comparison

the act of evaluating oneself to others who are perceived to be better or superior in a particular trait or ability

Downward Social Comparison

tendency to evaluate oneself by comparing oneself to others who are perceived as worse off, less successful, or less skilled

Stereotype

a generalized belief about a group of people, often oversimplified and sometimes inaccurate

Prejudice

a negative attitude toward an entire category of people, often ethnic or racial minority

Discrimination

the negative actions or behaviors directed towards individuals based on their membership in a particular group

Out-Group Homogeneity Bias

tendency to perceive members of an out-group as being more alike than members of one’s own in-group