Psych Unit 4

attribution

behavior due to stable traits (d) or situations (s); how people explain behavior and mental processes of themselves

dispositional

internal qualities (IQ/personalities)

situational

external circumstances (environment)

actor/observer bias

actor: you; own behavior is due to external

observer: looking at others; behavior is due to internal

fundamental attribution error

tendency to underestimate situation and overestimate disposition

self-serving bias

readiness to perceive ourselves favorable, take credit for good & distance ourselves from bad

explanatory style

how people explain good and bad events in their lives and others

optimistic

first explanatory style; setbacks are temporary and manageable

pessimistic

second explanatory style; setbacks are personal, pervasive and permanent

locus of control (internal)

i determine outcome

locus of control (external)

outside forces determine fate

mere exposure effect

persuasion technique; we like things the more we see/hear them

self-fulfilling prophecy

live up/down to others’ expectations or our own

upward social comparison

compare to someone better

downward social comparison

compare to someone worse

relative deprivation

feel worse off in comparison

stereotype

generalized concept (group schema)

cognitive load

amount of mental effort required to process information; stereotypes decrease

prejudice

negative attitude

discrimination

unjust and differential treatment

what is that basis of prejudiced attitudes/discriminatory behaviors?

stereotypes

just-world phenomenon

the world is fair/orderly; we get what we deserve/we deserve what we get

outgroup homogeneity bias

outgroup is similar (stereotyped trait) vs own group (in-group) is more diverse

in-group bias

favor those in own group over others

what can lead to prejudice/discrimination?

in-group bias

ethnocentricism

judge that one’s own culture is superior/center of all things

implicit attitudes

those that individuals hold but may be unaware of or may not acknowledge

gut reaction

just-world phenomenon, out-group & in-group bias and ethnocentrism are influenced by implicit attitudes

belief perserverance

occurs when a belief persists even if evidence suggests it is not accurate

confirmation bias

interpreting new evidence as confirmation of your existing beliefs

cognitive dissonance

refers to the mental discomfort that occurs when actions or attitudes are in conflict

social norms

define expectations and roles a society may have for its members in individual and social situations

social influence theory

people are more likely to do whatever they see as being the norm; asch experiment

normative social influence

conforming to others in order to fit in; conform to be liked or accepted by a group

informational social influence

accepting other’s opinions as correct; conforming because we believe they are right

elaboration likelihood model

how much thinking is needed

central elaboration likelihood

evidence/arguments (high)

peripheral elaboration likelihood

looks/fame (low)

halo effect

one good quality, assume others

persuasion

refers to the techniques applied to convince the self or others of particular ideas, actions, or beliefs

foot-in-the-door

persuasion technique; small ask leads to bigger ask

door-in-the-face

persuasion technique; big ask leads to small ask

norms of reciprocity

persuasion technique; repay favor

confederate

fake subject

characteristics of conformity

more people, unanimous, higher status, important/difficult decisions, tight bond

characteristics of obedience

legitimate authority, an “expert,” location, proximity of authority, can shift responsibility

individualism

unique, own goals, “me”

collectivism

group goals, “we”

multi-culturalism

groups with equal status but maintain identity

group-polarization

group discussion causes more extreme attitudes

group think

don’t “rock the boat"; desire for group harmony overrides solid decision making

diffusion of responsibility

decreases responsibility while in a group

which terms are examples of diffusion of responsibility

bystander effect, deinviduation, and social loafing

social loafing

exert less effort when in a group

deindividuation

decreased self awareness/restraint when in group situations with increased arousal/anonymity

social faciliation

when people are watching; increased performance on well-learned task, decreased performance on difficult task

false-consensus effect

overestimate that other believe, act, and value the same things as us

superordinate goals

shared goals that require cooperation; override differences (decreased prejudice)

social traps

do what is best for yourself, to the detriment of the group (mutually self-destructive)

I/O psychology

optimize human behavior in the workplace

burnout

increase job demands (workload, deadlines) and decreased job resources (autonomy, support, leadership)

altruism

selfless behavior

social debt

feel guilt when we owe someone

social reciprosity

repaying favor

social responsibility

expectation to help others when needed

why do people act altruistically?

because of social debt (according to researchers)

bystander effect

less likely to help when others are present

situation bystander effect

more people leads to less help; afraid of ridicule or how we look in front of others

attentional bystander effect

don’t notice or don’t interpret situation as emergency

psychodynamic theory believes that ____

unconscious progresses drive personality

ego defense mechanisms

serve to protect the ego unconsciously from threats

projective tests

use ambiguous stimuli (picture/inkblot) to trigger projection of unconscious

which type of tests are not very reliable/valid?

projective tests

preconscious

not currently thinking of, but could be

unconscious

sexual/aggressive impulses we’re unaware of

unconditional positive regard

love/accept no matter what

self-actualization

best version of you, pinnacle of maslow’s hierarchy

humanistic psychology believes that ____

personality focuses on unconditional positive regard and self-actualizing tendency

denial

first type of defense mechanism; refusing to accept real events because they are unpleasant

displacement

second type of defense mechanism; transferring inappropriate urges/behaviors onto a more acceptable or less threatening target

projection

third type of defense mechanism; attributing unacceptable desires to others

rationalization

fourth type of defense mechanism; justifying behaviors by substituting acceptable reasons for less acceptable real reasons

reaction formation

fifth type of defense mechanism; reducing anxiety by adopting beliefs contrary to your own beliefs

regression

sixth type of defense mechanism; returning to coping strategies for less matures stages of development

repression

seventh type of defense mechanism; suppressing painful memories and thoughs

sublimation

eighth type of defense mechanism; redirecting unacceptable desires through social acceptable channels

carl rogers

humanistic psychologist who believed humans needs acceptance, genuineness, and empathy to thrive

social-cognitive theory believes that ____

reciprocal determinism shapes determinism

reciprical determinism

takes into account the interaction between our behavior, environment, and personal factors to explain our personality

self-concept

how one views themselves and in relation to others

self-efficacy

your own belief in your ability to do something

self-esteem

your evaluation of your own worth and value

person factors

attitudes, values, self-efficacy, personality

behavior factors

actions, effort, choices, statements

environmental factors

actions of others, social context

trait theories of personality

conclude that personality involves a set of enduring characteristics that lead to typical responses to stimuli

criticism

doesn’t explain how the traits came to be

big 5 theory of personality

traits of agreeableness, openness to experience, extraversion, conscientiousness, and emotional stability make up one’s personality

factor analysis

a statistical procedure that identifies clusters of related items (factors) on a test

charles spearman

english psychologist who developed factor analysis and concluded that intelligence is just one thing (g factor)