AP Psych - 4.1 Terms MATCH Game Review

Person Perception

the study of the cognitive processes involved in categorizing people and their behavior

ex// meeting someone at a party and assuming they are friendly because they smile and engage in conversation

Attribution (Attribution Theory)

the theory that we explain someone's behavior by crediting either the situation (external) or the person's traits (internal)

ex// when a student does poorly on a test, someone may attribute it to a lack of ability (dispositional) or to a difficult test (situational)

Dispositional Attribution

attributing behavior to the person's traits

ex// my psychology teacher is always in a bad mood because she is a pessimist (internal)

Situational Attribution

attributing behavior to the environment

ex// my psychology teacher is in a bad mood probably because of her son not getting into UCSD (external)

Explanatory Style

how a person interprets an event in their life (3 P's)

ex//

optimistic: "i didn't do well on the test, but i can do better next time."

pessimistic: "i didn't do well on the test because i'm not smart enough."

Actor-Observer Bias

the tendency to blame our actions on the situation and blame the actions of others on their personalities

ex// i got a D in Physics because of the teacher, but Olivia got a D because she's lazy

Fundamental Attribution Error

the tendency for observers, when analyzing another's behavior, to underestimate the impact of the situation and to overestimate the impact of personal disposition

ex// blaming someone cutting you off on their bad character, instead of an external factor like illness

Self-Serving Bias

the tendency for people to take personal credit for success but blame failure on external factors

ex// getting into UCB is because i got good grades, getting rejected by UCB is because of nepotism

Internal Locus of Control

the belief that individuals have control over the outcomes of their own actions through their own abilities and efforts.

ex// i can get a 5 on the AP Test if i use deep processing and the spacing effect

External Locus of Control

the belief that the outcomes of one's actions are determined by external factors such as luck, fate, or the actions of others

ex// i can get a 5 on the AP Test if the College Board lowers their expectations

Mere Exposure Effect

the tendency for people to develop a preference for things simply because they are familiar with them

ex// i have a favorable view of shen yun after the zillions of ads before christmas

Self-Fulfilling Prophecy

a belief or expectation that leads to its own fulfillment

ex// a person's belief that they will end up with a terrible career ends up becoming a fact

Mirror-Image Perceptions

when two conflicting groups or individuals view each other in similar negative ways, each believing the other is motivated by the same negative intentions

ex// in WWI the Germans saw the French as evil and themselves as good, and vice versa

Social Comparison

the process of comparing ourselves to others in order to evaluate our own abilities, attitudes, and beliefs

ex// trolling an instagram friend's heartbreak to feel better about yourself

Relative Deprivation

the perception that one is worse off compared to others, leading to feelings of dissatisfaction and frustration

ex// feeling lacking while driving a Ford Mustang compared to your brother's BMW Roadster