AP Psych Unit 14 - Social Psychology (Myers Textbook)

Aggression

Any physical or verbal behavior intended to hurt or destroy; biologically influenced at three levels: genetic, neural, and biochemical; socially influenced through modeling and social scripts

Frustration-Aggression Principle

The principle that frustration- the blocking of an attempt to achieve some goal- creates anger, which can generate aggression

Social Script

Culturally modeled guide for how to act in various situations; taught by repeatedly viewing on-screen violence, such as TV, shows, films, video games, and YouTube

Rape Myth

The idea that some women invite or enjoy rape and get “swept away” while being “taken”; modeled in X-rated films and pornography (In actuality, rape is traumatic, and it frequently harms women’s reproductive and psychological health)

Mere Exposure Effect

The phenomenon that repeated exposure to novel stimuli increases liking of them; “familiarity breeds fondness'“

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

Passionate Love

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

Compassionate Love

The deep affectionate attachment we feel for those with whom our lives are intertwined; what we feel as love matures

Equity

A condition in which people receive from a relationship in proportion to what they give to it; chance for a sustained and satisfying companionate love increase

Self-Disclosure

Revealing intimate aspects of oneself to others; breeds liking; self-disclosing intimacy + mutually supportive equity = enduring companionate love

Prejudice

An unjustifiable and usually negative attitude toward a group and its members. Prejudice generally involves stereotyped beliefs, negative feelings, and a predisposition to discriminatory actions

Stereotype

A generalized (sometimes accurate but often overgeneralized) belief about a group of people

Discrimination

Unjustifiable negative behavior toward a group and its members

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

Ingroup

“Us”- people with whom we share a common identity

Outgroup

“Them’- those perceived as different or apart from our ingroup

Ingroup Bias

The tendency to favor our own group

Scapegoat Theory

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

Outgroup Homogeneity

“They”- the members of some other group- seem to look and act alike, while “we” are more diverse

Other-Race Effect

The tendency to recall faces of one’s own race more accurately than faces of other races. Also called the cross-race effect or the own-race bias

Social Psychology

The scientific study of how we think about, influence, and relate to one another

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 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

Role

A set of expectations (norms) about a social position, defining how those in the position ought to behave (ex. Stanford Prison Stimulation by Philip Zimbardo 1972)

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

Chameleon Effect

We are natural mimics, unconsciously imitating others’ expressions, postures, and voice tones

Mood linkage

The human tendency to absorb and participate in the prevailing mood of the other people around; sharing up and down moods

Conformity

Adjusting our behavior or thinking to coincide with a group standard

Normative Social Behavior

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

Social Norms

Understood rules for accepted and expected behavior

Informational Social Influence

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

Stanley Milgram’s Experiments

In which people obeyed orders even when they thought they were harming another person- demonstrated that strong social influences can make ordinary people conform to falsehoods or give in to cruelty

Social Facilitation

Improved performance on simple or well-learned tasks in the presence of others and decreased performance on a difficult task

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

Deindividualization

The loss of self-awareness and self-restraint occuring in group situations that foster arousal and anonymity (ex. Warriors who depersonalize themselves with face paint are more likely to kill)

Group Polarization

The enhancement of a group’s prevailing inclinations through discussions within the group; can feed extremism and even suicide terrorism

Groupthink

The mode of thinking that occurs when the desire for harmony in a decision-making group overrides a realistic appraisal of alternatives; fed by overconfidence, conformity, self-justification, and group polarization

Minority Influence

The power of one or two individuals- who hold firmly to their beliefs- 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

Culture Shock

What we experience when we don’t understand what’s expected or accepted

Altruism

Unselfish regard for the welfare of others

Bystander Effect

The tendency for any given bystander to be less likely to give aid if other bystanders are present; influenced by “"diffusion of responsibility”

Social Exchange Theory

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

Reciprocity Norm

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

Social-Responsibility Norm

An expectation that people will help those needing their help

Conflict

A perceived incompatibility of actions, goals, or ideas

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

Mirror-Image Perceptions

Mutual views often held by conflicting people, as when each side sees itself as ethical and peaceful and views the other side as evil andS aggressive; enemy perceptions often form mirror images

Self-Fulfilling Prophecy

A belief that leads to its own fulfillment

Superordinate Goals

Shared goals that override differences among people and requiring their cooperation

GRIT

Advocated by Charles Osgood (Gradually and Reciprocated Initiatives in Tension-Reduction)- a strategy designed to decrease international tensions