Ap psych unit 9

Social Psychology

The scientific study of how we think about, influence, and relate to one another.

Attribution Theory

the theory that we explain someone's behavior by crediting either the situation or the person's disposition

Fundamental Attribution Error

The tendency to attribute other people's behavior to dispositional (internal) causes rather than situational (external) causes.

Attitudes

Patterns of feelings and beliefs about other people, ideas, or objects that are based on a person's past experiences, shape his or her future behavior, and are evaluative in nature.

Central Route Persuasion

occurs when interested people focus on the arguments and respond with favorable thoughts

Peripheral Route Persuasion

occurs when people are influenced by incidental cues, such as a speaker's attractiveness (Men would be easily swayed by a curvy, bottom-heavy woman than another man)

Foot-in-the-Door Phenomenon

the tendency for people who have first agreed to a small request to comply later with a larger request (It's like escalating a situation from 0-100... just when you ask for money, then you ask for food, then you ask for a place to stay, then you ask to borrow their car to escape a heist... it's just the little things before leading to a huger thing!)

Role

a set of expectations (norms) about a social position, defining how those in the position ought to behave (You are to be normal, and not what we deem as crazy, when you're out in public. Is that why parent's usually punish their child when they act completely out of the ordinary to what we call our societal roles?)

Cognitive Dissonance Theory

the theory that we act to reduce the discomfort (dissonance) we feel when two of our thoughts (cognitions) are inconsistent. For example, when our awareness of our attitudes and of our actions clash, we can reduce the resulting dissonance by changing our attitudes (Or rather than that confusing example, when we deem a situation as discomforting, we try to run away from it or situate ourselves in a maladaptive attitude. Like dealing with wavering friends, you would suddenly grow silent and independent when dealing with these friends to finally 'reduce' the discomfort from your friend's presence)

Conformity

Adjusting one's behavior or thinking to coincide with a group standard. (Something that we should all stop doing, in my opinion. However, it is just like when you're in the popular crowd, when you were once a nerdy guy. When you are put into this group, you try to coincide with how they act so... they ridicule their nerdy friends with his/her crowd)

Normative Social Influence

influence resulting from a person's desire to gain approval or avoid disapproval (It's like trying to satisfy your parent's approval to rectify something you did prior; you get this sense of worriment that they might be petty about it in the mere future)

Informational Social Influence

influence resulting from one's willingness to accept others' opinions about reality (It's like reading books or art, we accept critiques and quirks from reality)

Social Facilitation

Stronger responses on simple or well-learned tasks in the presence of others

Social Loafing

The tendency for people in a group to exert less effort when pooling their efforts toward attaining a common goal than when individually accountable.

Deindividuation

The loss of self-awareness and self-restraint occurring in group situations that foster arousal and anonymity.

Group Polarization

The enhancement of a group's prevailing inclinations through discussion within the group.

Groupthink

The mode of thinking that occurs when the desire for harmony in a decision-making group overrides a realistic appraisal of alternatives.

Culture

Beliefs, customs, and traditions of a specific group of people. (Collectivism and Individualism comes to mind; they were raised in two different sets of cultures, each striving for a different set of goals)

Norm

Principles of right action, binding upon the members of a group and serving to guide, control, or regulate proper and acceptable behavior.

Personal Space

the buffer zone we like to maintain around our bodies (What every parent needs sometimes. Something we cherish when dealing with strangers.)