AP Psych Unit 2 Review

Free Association

A method used in psychoanalysis where a person relaxes and says whatever comes to mind to explore the unconscious.

Unconscious

The part of the mind that holds thoughts, memories, and desires, we are unaware of but which influence behavior.

Id

The part of personality that operates on the pleasure principle-wants immediate gratification.

Ego

The part of personality that mediates between the i’d and reality, operating on the reality principle. (rational part)

Superego

The part of the personality that represents internalized ideals and provides standards for judgment.

Repression

Pushing painful memories out of awareness.

Regression

Returning to childlike behavior in stressful situations.

Reaction Formation

Behaving the opposite of true feelings.

Projection

Attributing your unacceptable thoughts to someone else.

Rationalization

Creating excuses to justify actions.

Displacement

Shifting feelings from the true source to a safer target.

Denial

Refusing to believe reality.

Sublimation

Redirecting unacceptable urges into socially acceptable activities.

Thematic Apperception Test (TAT)

A projective test where people make up stories about pictures.

Rorschach Inkblot Test

A test using inkblots to analyze perceptions and emotions.

Self-Actualization

Fulfilling one’s potential and becoming the best version of yourself.

Unconditional Positive Regard

Accepting someone no matter what they do.

Big Five Personality Factors (OCEAN)

openness, conscientiousness, extroversion, agreeableness, neuroticism

Openness

high score: creative, imaginative, eccentric, and open to new experiences

low score: practical, conventional, and rational

Conscientiousness

high score: organised, self-directed and successful, but controlling

low score: spontaneous, careless, can be prone to addiction

Extroversion

high score: outgoing, enthusiastic and active; you seek novelty and excitement

low score: aloof, quiet and independent; you are cautious and enjoy time spent alone

Agreeableness

high score: trusting, empathetic and compliant, you are slow to anger

low score: uncooperative and hostile, finding it hard to empathize with others

Neuroticism

high score: prone to stress, worry, and negative emotions

low score: emotionally stable but can take unnecessary risks

Social Cognitive Perspective

Focuses on interaction between thinking and the environment.

Reciprocal Determinism

Behavior, personal factors, and environment all influence each other.

External Locus of Control

Believing outside forces control your fate.

Internal Locus of Control

Believing you control your own destiny.

Learned Helplessness

Giving up after repeated failures (“I will never be good at this”).

Self-Serving Bias

Attributing success to yourself and failure to outside forces.

High Self Efficacy

Belief in your ability to succeed.

Low Self Efficacy

Doubt in ability to succeed.

Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACE’s)

Traumatic events in childhood that impact developement.

Authoritarian Parenting Style

Strict, high expectations, low warmth.

Permissive Parenting Style

Lax rules, high warmth.

Authoritative Parenting Style

High expectations + high support

Erikson’s Psychosocial Stages (ages 0-12)

Erikson’s Psychosocial Stages (ages 12-50+)

Attribution Theory

Explaining behavior by attributing it to internal (disposition) or external (situation) causes.

Fundamental Attribution Theory

Overestimating personality (internal factors) and underestimating the situation (external factors) when explaining the behavior of others.

Foot-in-the-Door Phenomenon

Agreeing to a small request makes one more likely to to agree to a larger one.

Cognitive Dissonance Theory

Discomfort from conflicting thoughts and behaviors, which motivate change. (You want to be healthy but don’t exercise regularly or eat a nutritious diet.)

Conformity

Adjusting behavior to match a group.

Normative Social Influences

Conforming to be liked or accepted.

Informational Social Influence

Conforming because you believe the group knows more.

Conditions That Increase Conformity

Include group size, unanimity, respect for group, and insecurity.

Obedience

Following commands from an authority figure.

Conditions That Increase Obedience

Presence of an authority figure, prestige, no role models for defiance.

Social Facilitation

Improved performance on easy tasks when others are watching.

Social Loafing

Doing less when working in a group.

Deindividuation

Loss of self-awareness in a group-can lead to impulsive acts.

Group Polarization

Group discussions strengthen a shared opinion, causing your viewpoint to become more extreme.

Groupthink

Desire for harmony leads to poor decision-making.

Social Trap

Pursuing self-interest harms the group in the long run.

Self-Serving Bias

The tendency to attribute successes to self and failures to outside factors.

Self-Fulfilling Prophecy

Belief that leads to its own fulfillment (if you think something bad is about to happen and then something bad happens).

Mere Exposure Effect

Repeated exposure increases liking.

Altruism

Helping others with no expectation of reward.

Bystander Effect

The idea that someone is less likely to help in a situation when other people are present.

Social Exchange Theory

Helping is based on a cost-benefit analysis. (Helping someone thinking you’ll gain something from it.)

Ingroup Bias

Favoring your own group (people you identify with).

Outgroup Bias

Disliking those not in your group (people you don’t identify with).

Just-World Phenomenon

Belief that people get what they deserve.

Door in the Face

Start with a big request, then ask for something smaller (what you really wanted).

Confederate

An actor in a study pretending to be a participant.

Dispositional Attributions

Explaining behavior based on personality.

Situational Attributions

Explaining behavior based on circumstances.

Optimistic vs Pessimistic Explanatory Style

Optimistic = Bad events are temporary; Pessimistic = Bad events are permanent.

Actor/Observer Bias

We blame our behavior on situations, but others behavior on their personality.

Upward vs. Downward Social Comparison

Comparing yourself to those better (upward) or worse (downward). (Upward social comparison is comparing yourself to someone richer than you and downward is comparing yourself to someone poorer).

Relative Deprivation

Feeling worse off compared to others.

Elaboration Likelihood Model

Explains two ways of persuasion: central (logic) and peripheral (emotional).

Central Route to Persuasion

Using logic and evidence to convince.

Peripheral Route to Persuasion

Using emotion, appearance, or status to convince.

Halo Effect

One good trait makes us think everything about that person is good.

Superordinate Goals

Shared goals that override differences.

Burnout

Emotional exhaustion from prolonged stress.

Social Debt

Feeling the need to repay someone for a favor.

Social Reciprocity Norm

We help those who help us.

Social Responsibility Norm

We help those who depend on us.

Secure Attachment

Comfortable with closeness, upset when gone but recovers. (Baby is distressed when the caregiver leaves, but quickly calms and reconnects when they return.)

Insecure Avoidant

Avoid closeness, shows little emotion. (Baby shows little distress when the caregiver leaves and avoids them upon return.)

Insecure-Anxious/Ambivalent

Clingy and insecure, unsure if love will be returned. (Baby is extremely upset when the caregiver leaves and is not easily comforted when they return.)

Insecure-Disorganized

Fearful, confused-often due to trauma. (Baby displays confused, contradictory behaviors—may freeze, approach then avoid, or act fearfully.)