AP Psychology Unit 4 Flashcards

Flashcards for AP Psychology Unit 4 Review

Attribution

Explaining why someone acts a certain way.

Dispositional Attribution

Explaining someone's behavior by pointing to who they are as a person.

Situational Attribution

Explaining behavior by pointing to what's happening around the person.

Explanatory Style

The way people usually explain the good and bad events in their lives.

Optimistic Explanatory Style

Seeing good events as their own doing and bad events as temporary or caused by external things.

Pessimistic Explanatory Style

Blaming themselves for bad events and believe those problems will last a long time.

Attribution Biases

Predictable errors people make when explaining behavior.

Actor Observer Bias

Explaining own actions by pointing to the situation, but explain other people's actions by pointing to their personality.

Fundamental Attribution Error

Overusing dispositional attribution when explaining others' behaviors.

Self Serving Bias

Taking credit for successes and blame outside forces for their failures.

Locus of Control

A person's belief about what causes the events in their life.

Internal Locus of Control

Believing that their actions and decisions shape what happens to them.

External Locus of Control

Believing that outside forces determine what happens.

Mere Exposure Effect

People tend to like things more the more they are exposed to them.

Self Fulfilling Prophecy

A person's belief or expectation leads them to act in ways that make the belief come true.

Social Comparison

Judging yourself by comparing yourself to others.

Upward Comparison

Comparing themselves to someone who seems better off.

Downward Comparison

Comparing themselves to someone who seems worse off.

Relative Deprivation

Feeling that they're missing out because they think others have more.

Stereotypes

Generalized beliefs or concepts about a group of people.

Implicit Attitudes

Beliefs or evaluations that people hold without being fully aware of them.

Just World Phenomenon

The belief that people get what they deserve.

Outgroup Homogeneity Bias

Tendency to see members of other groups as all the same, while seeing members of your own group as unique individuals.

In Group Bias

Tendency to prefer and favor people from your own group.

Ethnocentrism

The belief that your own culture, group, or ethnicity is superior to others.

Belief Perseverance

Continuing to believe something even after they've been shown evidence that it's false.

Confirmation Bias

Tendency to search for information that supports what we already believe, while ignoring or rejecting information that goes against it.

Cognitive Dissonance

The uncomfortable feeling you get when you believe one thing but do something that doesn't match that belief.

Social Norms

The unwritten rules that guide how people behave in different situations.

Social Influence Theory

Explains how people's thoughts and actions are shaped by the presence and behavior of others.

Normative Social Influence

People conform because they want to be liked or accepted.

Informational Social Influence

People conform because they believe others know more than they do.

Elaboration Likelihood Model

Explains how people are persuaded by messages.

Central Route to Persuasion

People carefully consider the arguments in a message.

Peripheral Route Persuasion

People are influenced by superficial cues, rather than the actual content of the message.

Halo Effect

The tendency to assume that someone who is good looking or charming must also be intelligent or trustworthy.

Foot in the Door Technique

Starting with a small request that most people will agree to, then a larger request is made.

Door in the Face Technique

Starting with a large request that is likely to be rejected, then a much smaller request is made.

Conformity

People change their behavior to match group norms.

Obedience

Following direct instructions from an authority figure.

Individualism

Emphasizes personal goals, independence, and self expression.

Collectivism

Emphasizes group goals, loyalty, and social harmony.

Multiculturalism

The belief that different cultural backgrounds should be recognized and valued within a society.

Group Polarization

People in a group discussion move toward more extreme positions than they held at the start.

Groupthink

The desire for group agreement becomes so strong that people avoid disagreement or critical thinking.

Diffusion of Responsibility

Individuals in a group feel less responsible for taking action.

Social Loafing

People put in less effort on group tasks than they would if they were doing the tasks alone.

Deindividuation

People in groups lose their sense of personal identity and self control.

Social Facilitation

The effect of an audience on task performance.

False Consensus Effect

Tendency to overestimate how much other people agree with us.

Superordinate Goals

Shared goals that require cooperation between groups.

Social Trap

Even when groups have superordinate goals, short term interest can take over.

Industrial Organizational Psychology

The study of how people behave at work.

Altruism

Helping others without expecting anything in return.

Social Reciprocity Norm

Expectation that favors or kindness should be returned.

Social Responsibility Norm

Belief that people should help others who depend on them, or who can't help themselves.

Bystander Effect

People are less likely to help someone in need if there are other people around.

Ego defense mechanisms

Automatic mental responses that protect a person from feelings of stress, conflict or emotional pain.

Denial

Refusing to accept a painful or threatening reality.

Displacement

Redirecting strong emotions from the original source to a safer target.

Projection

When a person attributes their own unacceptable thoughts or feelings to someone else.

Rationalization

Creating logical sounding excuses to avoid facing uncomfortable truths.

Reaction formation

Behaving in a way that is the opposite of what one actually feels.

Regression

Reverting to behaviors from an earlier stage of development.

Repression

Unconscious blocking of painful memories or thoughts.

Sublimation

Redirecting unacceptable impulses into socially acceptable or productive actions.

Projective tests

Tests used to explore hidden thoughts, emotions and conflicts.

Unconditional Positive Regard

Being fully accepted and loved without any conditions.

Self Actualizing Tendency

Inner drive people have to become the best version of themselves.

Social cognitive theory

Personality as the result of a continuous interaction between personal factors, behavior, and environment.

Self-concept

How you view yourself, your identity, roles, values, and sense of who you are in the world.

Self efficacy

Belief in your ability to handle a specific task or challenge.

Self esteem

Overall sense of self worth, how much you like and value yourself.

Trait theories

Focus on identifying the core characteristics that define who you are.

Big Five theory

Personality is made up of five broad traits that exist in all people.

Agreeableness

Kind, cooperative and empathetic.

Openness to experience

Imagination, curiosity and a willingness to try new things.

Extraversion

Outgoing and energetic in social situations.

Conscientiousness

Organized, dependable and disciplined.

Emotional stability

How well someone handles stress and emotional ups and downs.

Drive reduction theory

Explains motivation as the body's attempt to reduce an uncomfortable physiological sensation.

Arousal theory

People are motivated to maintain an optimal level of mental alertness or stimulation.

Yerkes Dodson law

Relationship between arousal and performance.

Self determination theory

People are most motivated when autonomy, competence and relatedness are met.

Intrinsic motivation

Doing something because it's enjoyable, interesting, or personally meaningful.

Extrinsic motivation

Doing something to earn a reward or avoid punishment.

Incentive theory

External rewards influence motivation.

Instincts

Natural behaviors or reactions that animals are born with.

Lewin's motivational conflicts theory

Motivation comes from needing to resolve one of three types of conflict: approach approach conflict, approach avoidance conflict, and avoidance avoidance conflict.

Approach approach conflict

A person must choose between two appealing options.

Approach avoidance conflict

A single choice has both positive and negative aspects.

Avoidance avoidance conflict

Someone must choose between two negative options.

Sensation seeking theory

Explains motivation in terms of a person's need for new and stimulating experiences.

Experience seeking

A desire for new ideas, artistic experiences, and unfamiliar situations.

Thrill or adventure seeking

The pursuit of physical excitement.

Disinhibition

The tendency to seek out experiences that break social rules or involve letting go of control.

Boredom susceptibility

A dislike for routine and repetition.

Ghrelin

Hormone that signals the feeling of hunger.

Leptin

Hormone that signals fullness.

Emotion

A psychological response to internal or external events that involves a combination of physiological and cognitive factors.