AP Psych Social Psychology Class Vocab

Person Perception – How we form impressions of ourselves and others, including attributions of behavior

Attribution Theory – We explain someone’s behavior by crediting either the situation or the person’s stable traits

Fundamental Attribution Error – Overestimating personal traits and underestimating situations when judging others’ behavior

Actor-Observer Bias – Attributing our own actions to situations but others’ actions to personal traits

Prejudice – An unjustifiable and usually negative attitude toward a group and its members

Stereotype – A generalized belief about a group of people

Discrimination – Unjustifiable negative behavior toward a group and its members

Just-World Phenomenon – Belief that people get what they deserve and deserve what they get

Social Identity – The “we” aspect of our self-concept based on group memberships

Scapegoat Theory – Prejudice provides an outlet for anger by finding someone to blame

Ingroup – “Us”; people with whom we share a common identity

Outgroup – “Them”; those perceived as different or apart from our ingroup

Ingroup Bias – Favoring one’s own group

Other-Race Effect – Better recognition of faces of one’s own race than of other races

Attitudes – Feelings, influenced by beliefs, that predispose responses to people or events

Foot-in-the-Door Phenomenon – Agreeing to a small request increases likelihood of agreeing to a larger one

Role – A set of expectations about how people in certain positions should behave

Cognitive Dissonance Theory – We act to reduce discomfort from inconsistent thoughts or behaviors

Norms – Understood rules for accepted and expected social behavior

Conformity – Adjusting behavior or thinking toward a group standard

Persuasion – Changing attitudes, potentially influencing actions

Peripheral Route Persuasion – Being influenced by incidental cues, like attractiveness

Central Route Persuasion – Being influenced by evidence and arguments

Normative Social Influence – Influence from wanting approval or avoiding disapproval

Informational Social Influence – Accepting others’ opinions as reality

Obedience – Following direct commands or orders

Social Facilitation – Improved performance on easy tasks in the presence of others

Social Loafing – Exerting less effort in a group than when alone

Deindividuation – Loss of self-awareness and restraint in group situations

Group Polarization – Strengthening of group beliefs through discussion

Groupthink – Desire for harmony overrides realistic decision-making

Culture – Shared behaviors, ideas, and values passed across generations

Tight Culture – Strong norms with low tolerance for deviant behavior

Loose Culture – Weak norms with high tolerance for deviant behavior

Frustration-Aggression Principle – Blocking a goal creates anger, leading to aggression

Social Script – Culturally modeled guide for how to act in situations

Mere Exposure Effect – Repeated exposure to stimuli increases liking of them

Passionate Love – Intense positive absorption, usually early in a relationship

Compassionate Love – Deep affectionate attachment with those our lives intertwine

Self-Disclosure – Revealing intimate aspects of oneself to others

Altruism – Unselfish concern for others’ welfare

Bystander Effect – Less likely to help when others are present

Social Exchange Theory – Helping behavior aims to maximize benefits and minimize costs

Reciprocity Norm – Expectation to help those who have helped us

Social-Responsibility Norm – Expectation to help those in need

Social Trap – When self-interest leads conflicting parties into destructive behavior

Mirror-Image Perceptions – Each side sees itself as moral and the other as evil

Self-Fulfilling Prophecy – A belief that leads to its own fulfillment

Superordinate Goals – Shared goals that require cooperation

GRIT – Graduated and Reciprocated Initiatives in Tension-Reduction; strategy to reduce tension