Social Psychology and Personality Vocabulary

These flashcards cover key vocabulary and concepts from social psychology and personality, focusing on definitions and implications of various theories, biases, and behaviors.

Attribution Theory

A theory that explains how individuals interpret and understand the causes of behavior and events.

Dispositional Attributions

Attributions that assign the cause of behavior to internal characteristics or traits of the individual.

Situational Attributions

Attributions that ascribe behavior to external factors or situations.

Explanatory Style

A person's habitual way of explaining events, often categorized as optimistic or pessimistic.

Actor-Observer Bias

The tendency to attribute one's own actions to situational factors while attributing others' actions to dispositional factors.

Fundamental Attribution Error

The tendency to overemphasize dispositional factors in explaining the behavior of others.

Self-Serving Bias

The tendency to attribute successes to internal factors and failures to external factors.

Internal Locus of Control

The belief that one controls their own destiny and outcomes depend on their actions.

External Locus of Control

The belief that one's outcomes are determined by external forces or luck.

Mere Exposure Effect

The phenomenon where individuals tend to develop a preference for things merely because they are familiar with them.

Self-Fulfilling Prophecy

A belief or expectation that influences a person's behavior in a way that causes the belief to become true.

Social Comparison

The process of comparing oneself to others to evaluate one's own opinions, abilities, and values.

Stereotype

A widely held but oversimplified belief or idea about a particular group of people.

Prejudice

A preconceived opinion or bias against a person or group, often based on their membership in a particular group.

Discrimination

Unjust or prejudicial treatment of different categories of people or things.

Implicit Attitudes

Attitudes that are automatic and unconscious, often differing from an individual's explicit attitudes.

Just-World Phenomenon

The belief that people get what they deserve and deserve what they get.

Out-Group Homogeneity Bias

The perception that members of an out-group are more similar to one another than they actually are.

In-Group Bias

The tendency to favor one's own group over others.

Ethnocentrism

Evaluating other cultures according to the standards of one's own culture.

Belief Perseverance

The tendency to hold on to a belief even when evidence suggests it is wrong.

Confirmation Bias

The tendency to search for, interpret, and remember information in a way that confirms one's preconceptions.

Cognitive Dissonance

The mental discomfort experienced by a person who holds contradictory beliefs or values.

Social Norms

The implicit or explicit rules a group has for the acceptable behaviors, values, and beliefs of its members.

Social Influence Theory

The theory that explains how individuals change their thoughts, feelings, and behaviors based on social interactions.

Persuasion

The process of convincing someone to change their beliefs or behavior.

Halo Effect

The tendency to let an overall impression of a person influence one's feelings and thoughts about that person's character.

Foot in the Door

A persuasion technique that involves getting a person to agree to a large request by first setting them up with a smaller request.

Door in the Face

A persuasion technique where a large request is followed by a more reasonable request.

Conformity

The act of matching attitudes, beliefs, and behaviors to group norms.

Obedience

The act of following orders or directives from an authority figure.

Individualism

A social pattern that gives priority to personal goals over group goals.

Collectivism

A social pattern that emphasizes group goals over individual goals.

Multiculturalism

The presence and support of multiple cultural traditions within a single jurisdiction.

Group Polarization

The tendency for group discussion to amplify the initial leanings of group members.

Groupthink

A psychological phenomenon in which the desire for harmony in a decision-making group leads to irrational or dysfunctional outcomes.

Diffusion of Responsibility

A phenomenon whereby a person is less likely to take responsibility for action or inaction when others are present.

Social Loafing

The tendency for individuals to put in less effort when working in a group than when working alone.

Deindividuation

The loss of self-awareness and self-restraint occurring in group situations that foster arousal and anonymity.

Social Facilitation

The tendency for people to perform differently when in the presence of others than when alone.

False Consensus Effect

The tendency to overestimate the extent to which others share our beliefs and behaviors.

Superordinate Goals

Goals that require the cooperation of two or more individuals or groups to achieve.

Social Traps

Situations in which individuals or groups act in their own self-interest and ultimately harm the collective interest.

I/O Psychology

Industrial/Organizational psychology, the study of human behavior in organizations and the workplace.

Altruism

The selfless concern for the well-being of others.

Social Reciprocity Norm

The expectation that individuals will help those who have helped them.

Social Responsibility Norm

The expectation that people will help those who are dependent on them.

Bystander Effect

The phenomenon where individuals are less likely to offer help to a victim when other people are present.

Unconscious

The part of the mind that contains thoughts, memories, and desires that are not accessible to consciousness.

Defense Mechanisms

Psychological strategies used to cope with reality and maintain self-esteem.

Denial

A defense mechanism where a person refuses to accept reality or facts.

Projection

A defense mechanism where a person attributes their own unacceptable thoughts or feelings to someone else.

Displacement

A defense mechanism that involves redirecting emotions from a threatening target to a safer one.

Rationalization

A defense mechanism that involves creating a logical justification for an irrational behavior.

Reaction Formation

A defense mechanism where a person behaves in a manner opposite to their unacceptable thoughts or feelings.

Regression

A defense mechanism where individuals revert to behaviors characteristic of an earlier stage of development.

Repression

A defense mechanism that involves keeping distressing thoughts and feelings buried in the unconscious.

Sublimation

A defense mechanism that transforms unacceptable impulses into socially acceptable actions.

Projective Tests

Personality assessment tools that use ambiguous stimuli to elicit responses that reveal inner thoughts and feelings.

Unconditional Positive Regard

Acceptance and support of a person regardless of what they say or do.

Self-Actualizing Tendency

The drive to realize one's full potential and become the best version of oneself.

Social Cognitive Theory

A theory that emphasizes the role of observational learning, social experiences, and reciprocal determinism in behavior.

Reciprocal Determinism

The theory that a person's behavior is influenced by personal factors and the social environment.

Self-Efficacy

An individual's belief in their own ability to succeed in specific situations.

Self-Esteem

The overall evaluation of one's worth or value as a person.

Trait Theory

The theory that personality is made up of broad dispositions or traits.

Big Five Theory

A model that describes five core dimensions of personality: openness, conscientiousness, extraversion, agreeableness, and neuroticism.

Agreeableness

A personality trait characterized by being compassionate and cooperative.

Openness

A personality trait that reflects a willingness to engage with new ideas and experiences.

Extraversion

A personality trait characterized by sociability, talkativeness, and assertiveness.

Conscientiousness

A personality trait that reflects a person's tendency to be organized, responsible, and reliable.

Emotional Stability

A personality trait that reflects a person's ability to remain stable and balanced in emotional situations.

Drive-Reduction Theory

A theory that explains motivation as a response to reduce drives or needs.

Arousal Theory

The theory suggesting that people are motivated to maintain an optimal level of arousal.

Homeostasis

The tendency to maintain a balanced internal state.

Yerkes-Dodson Law

The principle that performance is best at moderate levels of arousal.

Self-Determination Theory

A theory of motivation that emphasizes the role of intrinsic and extrinsic factors.

Intrinsic Motivation

The motivation to engage in an activity for its own sake.

Extrinsic Motivation

The motivation to engage in an activity to earn a reward or avoid punishment.

Incentive Theory

The theory that suggests behavior is motivated by external rewards.

Instincts

Innate, biologically determined behaviors that are essential for survival.

Lewin’s Motivational Conflicts Theory

A theory that identifies different types of conflicts when making choices, such as approach-approach and avoidance-avoidance.

Approach-Approach Conflict

A conflict that occurs when a person must choose between two desirable options.

Approach-Avoidance Conflict

A conflict that occurs when a person faces the pros and cons of a single option.

Avoidance-Avoidance Conflict

A conflict that occurs when a person must choose between two undesirable options.

Sensation-Seeking Theory

The theory that suggests some individuals seek out risky or novel experiences.

Emotion (Affect)

A complex psychological state that involves subjective experience, physiological response, and behavioral or expressive response.

Facial-Feedback Theory

The theory that facial expressions can influence emotional experiences.

Broaden-and-Build Theory

The theory that positive emotions enhance mental processes and can build resources.

Universal Emotions

Emotions that are recognized and understood by all human beings regardless of culture.

Display Rules

Culturally specific rules that dictate the appropriate expressions of emotions.