AP Psychology: Chapter 16 Vocab

Self-Concept

The way one thinks of oneself

Self Esteem

The evaluations people make about their worth as human beings

Social Psychology

The subfield of psychology that explores the effects of the social world on the behavior and mental processes of individuals & groups

Social Comparison

Using other people as a basis of comparison for evaluating oneself

Reference Group

Categories of people with whom individuals compare themselves

Social identity

The beliefs we hold about the groups to which we belong

Social perception

The processes through which people interpret information about others, draw inferences about them, and develop mental representations of them

Schemas

Generalizations about categories of objects, places, events, and people

Self-Fulfilling Prophecy

A process in which an initial impression causes us to bring out behavior in another that confirms the impression

Attribution

The process of explaining the causes of people’s behavior, including your own

Fundmanetal Attribution Error (FAE)

A bias toward attributing the behavior of others to internal factors

Actor-Observer Effect

The tendency to attribute other people’s behavior to internal causes while attributing one’s own behavior to external causes

Self-Serving Bias

The tendency to attribute one’s success to internal charecteristics while blaming one’s failures on external causes

Attitude

A tendency toward a particular cognitive, emotional, or behavioral reaction to objects in one’s environment

Elaboration Likelihood Model

A model of attitude change suggesting that people can change their attitudes through a central route (by considering an argument’s content) or through a peripheral route (by relying on irrelevant persuasion cues)

Central Route Persuasion

Persuasion technique that focuses on the core contents of the message being communicated and factual information rather than charecteristics

Peripheral Route Persuasion

Persuasion technique where little attention is given to the content of the message, but more is given to peripheral or emotional cues

Cognitive Dissonance Theory

A theory that attitude change is driven by efforts to reduce tension caused by inconsistencies between attitudes and behaviors

Stereotypes

False assumptions that all members of some group share the same charecteristics

Prejudice

A positive or negative attitude toward people in certain groups

Social Discrimination

Differential treatment of people in certain groups; the behavioral component of prejudice

Ingroup

Social process to protect onself from perceived threats by strongly identifying with people like themselves

Outgroup

Social process where those belonging to groups different from one’s own may face rejection, and punishment from those in ingroups

Contact hypothesis

The idea that stereotupes and prejudice toward a group will diminish as contact with the group increases

Matching hypothesis

The notion that people are most likely to form committed relationships with those who are similar to themselves in physical attractiveness

Factors of Interpersonal Attraction

Keys to interpersonal attraction including the set environment, similarity, and physical attractiveness

Mere-Exposure Effect

The tendency to be attracted to certain individuals because one is familiar, has frequent contact, or is in close proximity with them

Robert Sternberg Triangular Theory of Love

Three basic components of love are passion, intimacy, and committment; combinations of these factors result in different types of love

Social norms

Learned, socially based rules that prescribe what people should or should not do in various situations

Deindividuation

A psychological state occuring in group members that results in a loss of individuality and a tendency to do things not normally done when alone

Conformity

Changing one’s behavior or beliefs to match those of others, generally as a result of real or imagined (through unspoken) group pressure

Compliance

Adjusting one’s behavior because of a direct request

Foot-In-The-Door Technique

Brainwashing technique by getting a person to agree to small requests and then working up to larger ones

Door-In-The Face Technique

Brainwashing technique to obtain compliance by beginning with a request that is likely to be refused, then going to a lesser alternative (which was the preferred one)

Lowball Technique

Compliance technique where people make a committment to do something themselves, then feel obligated to follow through

Obedience

Changing behavior in response to a demand from an authority figure

Stanley Milgram

Conducted an experiment at Yale to study obedience by administering shocks to see how people would react

Aggressive behavior

Aggression; an act that is intended to harm another person

Frustration-Aggression Hypothesis

A proposition stating that frustration always leads to some form of aggressive behavior

Environmental psychology

The study of the effects of the physical environment on people’s behavior and mental processes

Altruism

An unselfish concern for another’s welfare

Prosocial behavior

Helping behavior; any act that is intended to benefit another person

Arousal: Cost-Reward Theory

A theory attributing people’s prosocial behavior to their efforts to reduce unpleasant arousal in the face of someone’s need or suffering, while also considering the costs involved

Bystander Effect

A phenomenon in which the chances that someone will help in an emergency decrease as the number of people present increases

Diffusion of Responsibility

An assumption within the bystander effect that someone else will take the responsibility for helping a victim, and that each wiitness feels less obligated to help (lowers perceived cost of not helping)

Social dilemmas

Situations in which actions that produce rewards for one individual will produce negative consequences for all if they are adopted by everyone

Prisoner’s Dilemma Game

A social dilemma scenario in which mutual cooperation guarantees the best mutual outcome

Social facilitation

A phenomenon in which the presence of others improves a person’s performance

Social interference/inhibition

A reduction in performance due to the presence of other people

Social loafing

Exerting less effort when performing a group task than when performing the same task alone

Task Motivated Leaders

Leaders who provide close superversion, lead by giving directions, and generally discourage group discussion

Relationship Motivated Leaders

Leaders who provide loose supervision, ask for group members’ ideas, and are generally concerned with subordinates’ feelings

Just-World Phenomenon

The idea that everyone is just and fair in the world, and that people get what they deserve; can lead to victim blaming