ap psych social development

Social Psychology

The scientific study of how individuals think, feel, and behave in a social context.

Social Thinking

The way we think about ourselves and others, shaping our perceptions and interactions.

Person Perception

The process of forming impressions of other people.

Attribution Theory

A theory about how individuals explain the causes of behavior and events.

Fundamental Attribution Error

The tendency to overestimate personal factors and underestimate situational factors when explaining others' behaviors.

Self-Serving Bias

The tendency to attribute personal successes to internal factors and failures to external factors.

Attitude

A settled way of thinking or feeling about something, typically reflected in a person's behavior.

Social Comparison

Evaluating oneself in relation to others to gain self-knowledge.

Self-Fulfilling Prophecies

Expectations that lead to behavior that causes the expectations to come true.

Attitudes Can Affect Action

The principle that our attitudes can influence our behaviors.

Central Route to Persuasion

A method that involves persuasion through logical arguments and factual information.

Peripheral Route to Persuasion

A method that involves persuasion through superficial cues such as attractiveness or fame.

Foot-in-the-Door Phenomenon

The tendency for a person who has agreed to a small request to comply later with a larger request.

Door-in-the-Face Phenomenon

The tendency for people to reject a large request but comply with a smaller request.

The Reciprocity Norm

The expectation that people will respond favorably to each other by returning benefits for benefits.

The Power of the Role

The influence that social roles have on behavior and attitudes.

Zimbardo Prison Study

A psychological experiment that demonstrated the impact of situational factors on people’s behavior.

Actions Can Affect Attitudes

The concept that behavior can influence personal beliefs and attitudes.

Cognitive Dissonance Theory

The theory that states individuals experience discomfort when holding conflicting beliefs or behaviors.

Social Influence

The effect that people have on one another's beliefs, feelings, and behaviors.

The Chameleon Effect

The tendency to unconsciously mimic others' expressions, postures, and voice tones.

Suggestibility

The degree to which ideas or suggestions can influence an individual's thoughts or behaviors.

Conformity

The act of matching attitudes, beliefs, and behaviors to group norms.

Normative Social Influence

Influence resulting from a person's desire to gain approval or avoid rejection.

Informative Social Influence

Influence resulting from one's willingness to accept others' opinions about reality.

Stanley Milgram

Psychologist known for his research on obedience to authority figures.

Group Influence on Behavior

The effect that the presence of others has on individual behavior.

Social Facilitation

The tendency for performance to improve on tasks when in the presence of others.

Social Loafing

The phenomenon where individuals put in less effort when working in a group.

Deindividuation

The loss of self-awareness and self-restraint in group situations.

Groupthink

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

Group Polarization

The tendency for groups to make decisions that are more extreme than the initial inclination of its members.

Prejudice

A preconceived negative judgment of a group and its individual members.

Stereotype

A generalized belief or expectation about a group of people.

Discrimination

Unjustified negative behavior toward a group and its members.

Racism

Prejudice and discrimination against individuals based on their race.

Ingroup Bias

The tendency to favor one's own group over other groups.

Combating Prejudice

Strategies to reduce prejudice and promote understanding among different groups.

Social Identity Theory

The theory that a person's sense of who they are is based on their group membership.

Mirror-Image Perceptions

Mutual views often held by conflicting people; each side sees itself as ethical and peaceful and the other as evil and aggressive.

Categorization

The process of classifying people into groups based on shared characteristics.

Other-Race Effect

The tendency to recognize faces of the race we usually encounter better than those of other races.

Just World Phenomenon

The belief that the world is fair and that people get what they deserve.

Altruism

Unselfish regard for the welfare of others.

Bystander Effect

The phenomenon where the greater the number of people present, the less likely any one person is to help.

Pluralistic Ignorance

A situation in which a majority of group members privately reject a norm but go along with it because they assume others accept it.

Darley and Latane

Researchers known for their studies on the bystander effect.

Increasing Helping

Factors that can enhance the likelihood of helping behavior.

The Norms for Helping

Social expectations regarding when and how individuals should assist others.

Social Exchange Theory

The theory that human relationships are formed by the use of a subjective cost-benefit analysis.

Reciprocity Norm

The expectation that helping others will increase the likelihood that they will help us in the future.

Social Responsibility Norm

The expectation that people will help those needing help.

Social Trap

A situation in which individuals or groups are drawn into actions that are immediately rewarding but detrimental in the long term.

Peacemaking

Efforts to resolve conflict and promote peace.

Superordinate Goals

Shared goals that override differences among people and require cooperation.

Communication

The process of sending and receiving messages.

Conciliation

The action of stopping someone from being angry; mediation.

Graduated Reciprocated Initiatives in Tension Reduction (GRIT)

A strategy designed to de-escalate conflict and promote cooperation.

Aggression

Any physical or verbal behavior intended to hurt or destroy.

Frustration-Aggression Principle

The principle that frustration can lead to aggression.

Culture and Aggression

The influence that cultural background has on aggressive behavior.

Acquiring Social Scripts

Learning socially acceptable behaviors through societal norms.

Psychology of Aggression

The study of the causes and effects of aggressive behavior.

Attraction

The feeling that draws people together.

Proximity

Physical closeness to another person, which can increase attraction.

Reciprocal Liking

The tendency to like someone who likes us.

Similarity

The degree to which two people share common interests and values, which can enhance attraction.

Liking Through Association

The phenomenon where we tend to like people whose characteristics are associated with positive experiences.

Physical Attractiveness

The degree to which a person's physical appearance is found pleasing or appealing.

Beauty and Culture

How different cultures define and value beauty.

Love

A complex set of emotions, behaviors, and beliefs associated with strong feelings of affection, protectiveness, warmth, and respect.

Passionate Love

An intense longing for union with another, often accompanied by physical attraction.

Companionate Love

The deep affectionate attachment we feel for those with whom our lives are intertwined.

Equity

The idea that both partners in a relationship should receive from a relationship in proportion to what they give to it.

Self-Disclosure

Revealing personal information about oneself to others.