AP Psych Unit 9 Vocab

Aggression

any physical or verbal behavior intended to hurt or destroy

Altruism

unselfish regard for the welfare of other

Attitude

feelings that predispose us to respond in a particular way to objects, people, and events

Attribution theory

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

Bystander effect

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

Central route of persuasion

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

Cognitive dissonance theory

 the theory that we act to reduce the discomfort we feel when two thoughts are inconsistent

Conflict

a perceived incompatibility of actions, goals, or ideas

Conformity

 adjusting our behavior or thinking to coincide with a group standard

Culture

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

deindividuation

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

Discrimination

unjustifiable negative behavior toward a group and its members

Equity

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

Foot-in-the-door phenomenon

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

Frustration-aggression principle

 the principle that frustration creates anger, which can generate anger

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

Group polarization

the enhancement of a group’s prevailing inclinations through discussion within the group

Groupthink

the mode of thinking that occurs when the desire for harmony in a decision-making group overrides a realistic appraisal of alternatives

Ingroup bias

 the tendency to favor our own group

Just-world phenomenon

the tendency for people to believe the world is just and that people therefore get what they deserve and deserve what they get

Mere exposure effect

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

mirror-image perceptions

 mutual views often held by conflicting people, as when each side views itself as ethical and peaceful and the views the other side as evil and aggressive

Normative social influence

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

Peripheral route of persuasion

occurs when people are influenced by incidental cues such as speakers attractiveness

Prejudice

 an unjustifiable and usually negative attitude toward a group and its members

Reciprocity norms

an expectation that people will help, not hurt, those who have helped them

Scapegoat theory

 the theory that prejudice offers an outlet for anger by providing someone to blame

Self-disclosure

 revealing intimate aspects of oneself favorably

Social exchange theory

the theory that our social behavior is an exchange process, the aim of which is to maximize benefits and minimize costs

Social facilitation

 improved performance on simple or well learned tasks in the presence of others

Social loafing

the tendency for people in a group to exert less effort when pooling their efforts toward attaining a common goal than when individually accountable

Social script

culturally modeled guide for how to act in various situations

Social trap

a situation in which the conflicting parties, by each rationally pursuing their self-interest rather than the good of the group, become caught in mutually destructive behavior

social responsibility norm

an expectation that people will help those needing their help

Stereotype

a generalized belief about a group of people

Superordinate goals

 shared goals that override differences among people and require their cooperation