AP Psych 9.1 - Defining Attitudes & Perceiving Ourselves in a Social World

Social Psychology

branch of psychology concerned with the way individuals' thoughts, feelings, and behaviors are influenced by others

Social Influence

the ways in which a person's behavior can be affected by the presence of others

Social Interaction

the positive & negative aspects of people relating to others

Social Cognition

the ways in which people think about other people

Attitudes

positive or negative evaluations of social issues, institutions, products, people,

Prejudice

a preconceived judgment or emotional feeling directed toward certain people based on their membership in a particular group

Behavioral Component

predisposition to act (or not act) in certain ways

Discrimination

the unjust treatment toward a person based on a particular group to which they belong

Cognitive Component

beliefs

Stereotypes

an overgeneralized belief about a particular group of people

Explicit Attitudes

attitudes that we hold consciously and can readily describe

Implicit Attitudes

covert attitudes that are expressed in subtle, automatic responses that people have little conscious control over

Reference Groups

a group that we compare ourselves to when evaluating our behaviors

Relative Deprivation

perception by an individual that the amount of a desired resource he/she has is less than in comparison to people in their reference group, leads to feelings of inferiority or entitlement

Downward Social Comparison

when people compare themselves to those who are less proficient than they are to make themselves feel better

Upward Social Comparison

when people compare themselves to those who are more proficient than they are

Spotlight Effect

overestimating others' noticing and evaluating our appearance, performance, and blunders

False Consensus Effect

overestimating how much other people share our beliefs and behaviors