UNIT 4 & 5 AP PSYCH

from the cram packet

Social Psychology

how we think about,influence, and relate to others

Attributions

how ppl explain behv & mental processes of themselves & others

Dispositional attribution

person’s internal qualities –personality

Situational attribution

external circumstances

Attribution theory

we explain behaviors by crediting the situation or the person’s internal disposition (personality)

Fundamental attribution error

Tendency to blame a person’s disposition (personality) and not consider the situation (that guy cut me off b/c he’s a jerk – not that his wife could be in labor)

Actor-observer bias

when its others – blame the person, when its you, blame the situation

Self-serving bias

self only – our successes are bc we’re awesome, our failures are someone else’s fault

Self-fulfilling prophecy

a belief that leads to its own fulfillment (I expect you all to pass, you know this, you study – fulfilling my prophecy)

Social comparison

we evaluate ourselves based on comparisons to society and social circles

Upward comparison

compare to ppl you think are better than you (I want to be like them)

Downward comparison

compare to someone you think is worse off than you (at least I don’t have it as bad as them)

Relative deprivation

judge what we are lacking relative to other

Explanatory Style

how ppl explain good and bad events in their lives and others – either optimistic (pos) or pessimistic (neg)

External locus of control

chance / outside forces control your fate

Internal locus

control your own fate

Mere exposure effect

repeated exposure to novel stimuli increases liking of them (the more time you spend around something the more you like it)

Stereotype

generalized concept about a group (a label), reduces cognitive load (mental effort) when making decisions, usually the basis of prejudice and discrimination

Prejudice

neg. reaction towards a person/group w/o any advance experience w/ that group (a belief / emotion)

Discrimination

different treatment of a person/ group than how you would treat others (a behavior)

Implicit attitudes

unconscious bias –leads to ingroup bias

Ingroup bias

tendency to favor our own group

Ethnocentrism

tendency to see your own group as more important than others

Outgroup homogeneity bias

perception that out-group members are similar, while the in-group members are diverse

Just-world phenomenon

tendency for ppl to believe that the world is just and therefore ppl get what they deserve (homeless ppl)

Belief perseverance

stick to your original belief even when given evidence to disprove it

Cognitive dissonance

two opposing thoughts conflict w/ each other, causing discomfort (dissonance), which makes us find ways to justify the situation (cult that was going to be abducted by aliens, smokers)

Social norms

define expectations & roles for individuals and social situations

Social influence theory

ppls thoughts and actions are influenced by others

Normative social influence

we conform to gain approval or to not stand out from the group (be part of the norm)

Informational social influence

we conform to others b/c we think their opinions must be right (change answers to math hw)

Elaboration likelihood model

2 ways to persuade

Central route to persuasion

change people’s attitudes through logical arguments and explanations. Leads to long term behavior change

Peripheral route to persuasion

change people’s attitudes through incidental cues (like a speaker’s attractiveness). Can also use emotional appeals. Leads to temporary behavior changes.

Halo effect

overall impression of a person / thing is influenced by a single pos. trait or characteristics

Foot in the door phenomenon

complying w/ a small request then leads to going along w/ a larger request (can I have $5? Yes. Now can I have $25?)

Door in the face phenomenon

a large request to a small request (can I have $100? Heck no! How about $20? Okay)

Conformity

change in a person's behv to more closely match the group classic experiment – showed lines of different lengths, confederates gave wrong answers to see if others would go along w/ it

Obedience

complying w/ an order or command - classic experiment

Collectivistic

encourages social and group ties (more conformity / obedience)

Individualistic

Encourages individuality (less conform / obedience)

Group polarization

the more time spent w/ a group the stronger their thoughts /opinions will become(must have same opinion already)

group think

desire for harmony in a group which leads everyone to go along with the same thinking, ignoring other possibilities

bystander effect(diffusion of responsibility)

the more people around the less likely we are to help someone in need - darley and latane (kitty genovese)

Deindividuation

loss of self awareness and self restraint occurring in a group situation that foster arousal and anonymity (mob mentality)

social loafing

tendency for people in a group to exert less effort when pooling their effort together

social facilitation

perform better on simple or well learned tasks in the presence of others

false consensus effect

we overestimate the degree to which everyone else thinks / acts the way we do

superordinate goals

two or more groups work together to achieve a common goal, achieves cohesiveness

social trap

ppl put their own needs before the group needs, results in bad outcome (choose 5 or 15 demo)

Industrial / Organizational Psych

psych of work – best practices, relationships in the workplace or w/ company, how you feel about job (burnout)

Altruism (prosocial behavior)

unselfish interest in helping other ppl – happens bs of social reciprocity norm, social responsibility norm, & gain social approval

Social reciprocity

we give so we can get (help me and I’ll help you)

Social responsibility norm

act in ways that benefit the community (moral sense of good)

Stanford Prison Experiment (Zimbardo)

classic “experiment” where individuals were assigned to be guards / prisoners. w/in days they took on their roles and went too far. Highly unethical.

Psychodynamic explanation

personality is largely unconscious, and shaped from early childhood experiences

id

our hidden true wants and desires (devil on your shoulder)

superego

our moral conscious (angel on your shoulder)

ego

part of the mind / personality that deals w/ every day reality – what ppl see – mediates bw the id and superego (its you!)

Defense mechanisms

egos attempt to protect your from threats

Repression

push memories back into the unconscious mind (sexual abuse is too traumatic to deal w/ so you repress it)

Regression

go into an earlier development period in the face of stress (during exam week you start to suck your thumb)

Denial

refuse to acknowledge reality (refuse to believe you have cancer)

Rationalization

justify something happening (don’t get into your college – justify it was a crap college anyway)

Displacement

take feelings out on something else (can’t tell at teacher, go home and yell at the dog)

Projection

attribute personal shortcomings & faults on to others (man who wants to have an affair accuses his wife of one)

Reaction formation

transform unacceptable motive into his opposite (insecure about masculinity becomes extra aggressive)

Sublimation

replace unacceptable impulse w/ a socially acceptable one (person who likes fighting becomes professional kickboxer)

Projective Tests

ambiguous stimuli shown to “reveal your unconscious” – inkblots and thematic apperception tests. Highly subjective, not considered reliability or valid

Traits

enduring personality characteristics, people can be described by these – have strong or weak tendencies. They are stable, genetic, and predict other attributes.

BIG FIVE personality

(acronym OCEAN) You vary on each of these Openness→ high levels = imaginative, independent, like variety; low = not open to change Conscientiousness→ high levels = organized, careful, disciplined; low = disorganized and messy Extraversion→ high levels = sociable, likes being center of attention, meeting new ppl- (opposite is introversion) Agreeableness→ high levels = soft hearted, trusting, helpful; low levels = suspicious, not a team player Neuroticism (emotional stability)→ high levels = mood swings, easy to stress; low = emotional stable, handles stress

factor analysis

statistical procedure used to identify similar components

self-actualization

fulfilling your full potential as person – self-actualized ppl are self aware, caring, spontaneous, open, secure

unconditional positive regard

attitude of acceptance regardless of circumstances

Social-cognitive explanation

Behavior is a complex interaction of inner process and environmental influence – which influences personality

Reciprocal determinism

interaction of behavior, cognitions, and environment make up you.

Self-efficacy

belief that one can succeed, so you ensure you do through actions - this influences your self-concept

Self-concept

how you view yourself in relation to others – which influences your triangle and self-efficacy

Instinct theory

innate, fixed patterns in response to stimuli (nest building, mating) (explains animal motivation)

Drive reduction

physiological need creates aroused tension (drive) that motivates you to satisfy the need (driven by homeostasis

Approach approach conflict

win – win situation; conflict is which win you have to choose (you can eat out at ONE of your two favorite restaurants – you can only choose one though)

Approach avoidance conflict

win – lose situation; outcome has positive and negative aspects – conflict is you having todeal with it

Avoidance avoidance conflict

lose – lose; both outcomes are bad but you have to choose one (clean your room or do your homework)

Self-determination theory

motivated intrinsically or extrinsically

Intrinsic motivation

inner motivation – you do it b/c you like itoExtrinsic motivation

Incentive theory

driven by external rewards (extrinsic motivation)

Arousal theory

sometimes we’re driven to increase arousal through curiosity,experimentation, thrill seeking – 2 associated theories

Yerkes Dodson Law

humans seek optimum levels of arousal –easier tasks requires more arousal, harder tasks need less. Best is moderate levels

Sensation Seeking Theory

need a varied amount of novel (new) experiences to be happy, so we seek it out– 4 types

Experience seeking

(desire to try new things)Thrill / adventure seeking

Disinhibition

like things that result in loss of self-control (drugs, alcohol)

Boredom susceptibility

inability to tolerate repetition (constantly seek change)

Leptin

stop eating.. you’re full!

Ghrelin

start eating.. you’re hungry!

Environmental cues

time of day, social gatherings, etc

(Psych of hunger) Memory

amnesia patients don’t remember when they ate, so they’ll eat again

amygdala

(fast route – simultaneous processing) (gut reaction to a cockroach) – some stimuli have to be thought about first and hence goto the frontal lobe (long route – label before) (first date jitters)

Facial feedback hypothesis

being forced to smile will make you happier (cartoon study with pen in mouth) – supports physio exp. Before the label – replication of this is mixed

Broaden and build theory

everyday pos. emotions broaden awareness, which builds skills and resilience over time, leading to better well-being

Universal emotions

there are SIX universal emotions (happiness, anger, sadness, surprise, disgust, feat) seen across ALL cultures