AP Psych: Unit 4 Social Psych

Example: Thinking a classmate failed because they are lazy, ignoring that they were sick.

Fundamental Attribution Error: Blaming personality while ignoring the situation.

Example: Saying "I'm smart" when you get an A, but "the test was rigged" when you fail.

Self-Serving Bias: Taking credit for success but blaming failures on luck.

Example: Thinking a student who got their phone stolen must have been asking for it.

Just-World Phenomenon: Believing people get what they deserve.

Example: Expecting to fail a test, so you don't study, and then you actually fail.

Self-Fulfilling Prophecy: A belief that causes itself to come true.

Example: Believing your entire school loves the same underground rapper that you do.

False Consensus Effect: Overestimating how many people agree with you.

Example: Assuming a driver cut you off because they are rude, rather than rushing to a hospital.

Dispositional Attribution: Explaining behavior by blaming internal personality traits.

Example: Realizing a classmate failed a test because their house lost electricity the night before.

Situational Attribution: Explaining behavior by blaming external circumstances.

When you drop a plate you blame the slippery floor, but when a friend drops a plate you think they are clumsy.

Actor/Observer Bias: Blaming your own actions on the situation, but others' actions on personality.

Example: Feeling bad about your running speed only after looking at the faster times of your track teammates.

Social Comparison: Evaluating your own worth by comparing yourself to others.

Example: Hating a song at first, but loving it after hearing it on TikTok 30 times.

Mere Exposure Effect: Liking something more simply by seeing it repeatedly.

Example: A pessimistic student blames a bad grade on being stupid, while an optimistic student blames it on a late night.

Explanatory Style: A predictable pattern of how you explain good and bad events.

Example: Feeling miserable about your older smartphone only after seeing everyone else get the newest model.

Relative Deprivation: Judging your own sense of deprivation relative to others.

Example: Believing you passed a test because you studied hard (internal) versus believing you passed just because the teacher made it easy (external).

Locus of Control: Belief regarding how much power you have over your life outcomes.

Example: Assuming all athletes must be bad at academic subjects.

Stereotype: A generalized concept or belief about a specific group of people.

Example: Feeling subconscious anxiety when walking past someone from a different background without realizing why.

Implicit Attitudes: Evaluations that individuals hold but are unaware of.

Example: Believing your high school has the best student section in the entire county.

In-Group Bias: The natural tendency to favor our own group over outside groups.

Example: Thinking kids from a rival school all dress and act exactly the same.

Out-Group Homogeneity: The tendency to view members of an outside group as all being identical.

Example: Mocking the traditional foods of another country because they look strange to you.

Ethnocentrism: Believing your own cultural group is superior to all others.

Example: Continuing to believe a specific diet works even after a doctor shows you scientific studies proving it fails.

Belief Perseverance: Clinging to a personal belief even after clear evidence proves it wrong.

Example: Knowing vaping is bad, doing it anyway, and telling yourself "it keeps me calm".

Cognitive Dissonance Theory: Brain tension when your beliefs and actions don't match.

Example: Only reading news articles that agree with your political views while ignoring everything else.

Confirmation Bias: Actively seeking out information that supports your preconceptions.

Example: Giving an obviously wrong answer in class just because everyone else did.

Conformity: Changing your behavior to match the crowd.

Example: Cleaning up cafeteria trash the second the principal demands it.

Obedience: Following direct orders from an authority figure.

Example: A nice kid becomes bossy and mean the week they get promoted to team captain.

Role-Playing: Adopting a new role changes your actual behavior.

Example: Pretending to hate a movie your friends are mocking so you don't look uncool.

Normative Social Influence: Conforming just to be liked or avoid rejection.

Example: Copying what fork others use at a fancy dinner because you don't know how to act.

Informational Social Influence: Conforming because you think the crowd knows more than you.

Example: Letting your partners do all the work in a 4-person presentation.

Social Loafing: Working less hard when you are in a group.

Example: A straight-A student screaming insults at a referee from a packed student section.

Deindividuation: Losing self-control and blending into an anonymous mob.

Example: Agreeing to a bad homecoming theme just to avoid a fight with your friends.

Groupthink: Hiding your real opinion to keep the group happy.

Example: Running your fastest sprint time only when a crowd is cheering you on.

Social Facilitation: Performing better on easy tasks when people are watching.

Example: Talking with angry students about the dress code makes you leave the room furious.

Group Polarization: Group discussions make your original beliefs way stronger.

Asking to borrow a pencil today, then asking to borrow the whole notebook tomorrow.

Foot-in-the-Door Phenomenon: Getting a "yes" to a small request leads to a bigger "yes" later.

Example: Asking your parents for $100 so they will easily say yes when you ask for $10.

Door-in-the-Face Technique: Making a huge request so they agree to a smaller one instead.

Example: Buying a computer because the ad listed its exact processing speed and memory.

Central Route Persuasion: Convincing someone using facts, logic, and data.

Example: Buying a pair of shoes simply because Travis Scott wears them in a cool ad.

Peripheral Route Persuasion: Convincing someone using emotion, celebrity, or looks.

Example: Watching a student drop their books in a packed hallway and walking right past.

Bystander Effect: Being less likely to help someone when a crowd is around.

Example: Thinking, "I don't need to report this bully, someone else in the hall will do it."

Diffusion of Responsibility: Feeling less guilty because others are there to handle it.

Example: Two rival sports teams teaming up to clear a storm-damaged community field.

Superordinate Goals: Shared goals that force enemies to work together.

Example: Punching your locker because you can't get it open and are about to be late.

Frustration-Aggression Principle: Being blocked from a goal creates anger and violence.

Example: Overusing the school Wi-Fi to stream video games until the connection crashes for everyone.

Social Trap: Pursuing personal self-interest to the direct detriment of the group.

Example: A student picking a college major based purely on personal passion, ignoring what their family wants.

Individualism: A cultural focus on personal independence and individual goals.

Example: A student choosing a career pathway specifically to economically support their entire family.

Collectivism: A cultural focus on group harmony and team success over individual desires.

Example: Secretly leaving groceries on a struggling neighbor's doorstep without telling them it was you.

Altruism: Purely selfless behavior to help others without expecting a reward.

Example: Automatically offering to help your friend move because they helped you paint your room last month.

Social Reciprocity Norm: An expectation that people will help those who have helped them.

Social Responsibility Norm: An expectation that people will help those who need help regardless of the cost.

Example: Stopping to help an elderly person who dropped their cane in the grocery store parking lot.