AP Psych Social Psych Unit 9

defensive attribution

tendency to blame victims for their own misfortune to view victims as somehow having “asked for it” allows observers to maintain a belief in a “just world

social psychology

the study of how we think about, influence, and relate to each other.

schemas

patterns of thought that organize our experiences

person schemas

represent specific people/types of people (librarians, extroverts)

situation schemas

represent different kids of social situations (how to use silverware at a formal dinner)

role schemas

represent shared expectations for a person in a role (student, teacher, parent)

relationship schemas

represent expectations about self and others in unique relationships.

stereotypes

to believe unfairly that all people or things with a particular characteristic are the same. You may have implicit bias. A form of bias that occurs unintentionally.

prejudice

intolerant, unfavorable, and rigid attitude toward a group of people (brown eyes/blue eyes)

discrimination

actions that deny opportunities and social esteem to an entire group of people or individual.

self fulfilling prophecy

ones unconscious expectations about someone else eventually lead the other person to behave in ways that confirm these expectations.

ingroup bias

tendency to favor one’s own group

bystander effect

the tendency for any given bystander to be less likely to give aid if other bystanders are present.

attribution theory

the theory that we explain someone’s behavior by crediting either the situation or the person’s disposition.

fundamental attribution error

the tendency for observers, when analyzing others’ behavior, to underestimate the impact of the situation and to overestimate the impact of personal disposition.

attitude

feelings, often influenced by our beliefs, that predispose us to respond in a particular way to objects, people, and events.

peripheral route persuasion

occurs when people are influenced by incidental cues, such as a speaker’s attractiveness.

central route persuasion

occurs when interested people focus on the arguments and respond with favorable thoughts.

foot-in-the-door phenomenon

the tendency for people who have first agreed to a small request to comply later with a larger request.

Door in the face phenomenon

The persuasion strategy in which a large request is made knowing it will probably be refused so that the person will agree to a much smaller request, the small request is the objective and is made to seem very reasonable because it is compared to such a large seemingly unreasonable request

role

a set of expectations (norms) about a social position, defining how those in the position ought to behave.

cognitive dissonance theory

the theory that we act to reduce the discomfort (dissonance) we feel when two of our thoughts (cognitions) are inconsistent. For example, when we become aware that our attitudes and our actions clash, we can reduce the resulting dissonance by changing our attitudes.

conformity

adjusting our behavior or thinking to coincide with a group standard. The tendency for people to adopt the behavior, attitudes, and beliefs of other members of a group.

normative social influence

influence resulting from a person’s desire to gain approval or avoid disapproval.

informational social influence

influence resulting from one’s willingness to accept others’ opinions about reality.

Solomon Asch experiment (line test)

Having 5 people in a group who were supposed to answer what length the lines in the drawing were. 4 people were in on the experiment and the fifth one wasnt. The purpose of the experiment was to see if the last person would conform or stay strong

Obedience

compliance with an explicit demand to change behavior from an authority figure.

Deindivduation

(prison, halloween, concert) the loss of self-awareness and self-restraint occurring in group situations that foster arousal and anonymity. Increases arousal & decreases sense of responsibility.

Social Facilitation

Improved performance of tasks in presence of others. Ex

Social impairment

occurs when an individual acts in a less positive way or performs worse when they are around others.

Group polarization

The opinions and beliefs of individuals become more extreme, or enhanced after being impacted by others that share the same beliefs. separation + conversation = polarization Ex

Group think

thinking or making desicions as a group that discourages individualism and creative thinking. when the desire for harmony in a decision-making group overrides a realistic appraisal of alternatives. Individuals are hesitant to voice opposition.

Stanley Milgram

Conducted the milgram experiment where participants in the study were instructed to administer electric shocks to a learner, even when that obedience caused harm to the learner to see how much they will listen to authority.

social loafing

refers to the concept that people are prone to exert less effort on a task if they are in a group versus when they work alone.

minority influence

The power of one or two individuals to sway majorities

culture

the enduring behaviors, ideas, attitudes, values, and traditions shared by a group of people and transmitted from one generation to the next.

mere exposure effect

the phenomenon that repeated exposure to novel stimuli increases liking of them.

reward theory of attraction

We will like those whose behavior is rewarding to us, and we will continue relationships that offer more rewards than costs. When people live or work in close proximity with us, it costs less time and effort to develop the friendship and enjoy its benefits. When people are attractive, they are aesthetically pleasing, and associating with them can be socially rewarding. When people share our views, they reward us by validating our own.

passionate love

an aroused state of intense positive absorption in another, usually present at the beginning of a love relationship.

companionate love

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

equity

a condition in which people receive from a relationship in proportion to what they give to it.

self-disclosure

revealing intimate aspects of oneself to others.

Group norm

The accepted standards of behavior shared by members of a social group. These norms dictate how individuals should behave in various situations within the group.

Implicit Association Test (IAT)

A psychological test that measures implicit attitudes and beliefs that people may be unwilling or unable to report. It assesses the strength of associations between concepts and evaluations.

Frustration-aggression principle

The principle that frustration, when one's efforts to achieve a goal are blocked, can lead to aggression. This theory suggests that aggression is a natural response to frustration.

Social script

A culturally specific set of behaviors, norms, and expectations that guide social interactions. Social scripts provide individuals with guidelines on how to behave in various social situations.

Reciprocity norm

A social norm that states that people should repay in kind what others have done for them. It fosters cooperative behavior and reciprocal exchanges in social interactions.

Conflict

In social psychology, conflict refers to the perceived incompatibility of goals, interests, or actions between individuals or groups. Conflict can arise from competition for resources, differences in values, or other factors.

Social trap

A situation in which individuals or groups, seeking to maximize their gains, inadvertently harm their collective well-being. Social traps occur when short-term individual gains lead to long-term negative consequences for the group.

Mirror image

The tendency for parties in conflict to perceive themselves as moral and peaceful and their opponents as immoral and aggressive. This perception can escalate conflict and hinder resolution efforts.

Superordinate goals

Shared goals that require cooperation between conflicting groups to achieve. Superordinate goals can help reduce intergroup conflict by fostering cooperation and interdependence between groups.

GRIT (Graduated and Reciprocated Initiatives in Tension-Reduction)

A strategy for reducing international tensions developed by psychologist Charles Osgood. GRIT involves one side in a conflict making a small, conciliatory gesture in the hope that the other side will reciprocate, leading to a cycle of de-escalation.

Philip Zimbardo

conducted the Stanford Prison Experiment, which investigated the effects of perceived power dynamics on behavior. The study demonstrated the power of situational factors in shaping behavior, particularly in the context of authority and social roles.

Latane and Darley

Their experiments, such as the smoke-filled room study, revealed the social factors that influence individuals' willingness to help others in emergency situations. research on bystander intervention and diffusion of responsibility.