Unit 4 Psych

AP Psychology Unit 4 — Flashcards

Attribution & Person Perception (4.1)

Attribution Theory

→ Explains how people interpret the causes of behavior as dispositional (internal) or situational (external).

Fundamental Attribution Error (FAE)

→ Tendency to overestimate personality factors and underestimate situational factors when judging others’ behavior.

Self-Serving Bias

→ Attributing successes to internal factors and failures to external factors.

Actor-Observer Bias

→ Explaining our own behavior as situational but others’ behavior as dispositional.

Cultural Influence on Attribution

→ Individualistic cultures emphasize personal traits; collectivist cultures emphasize situational factors.

Attitude Formation & Change (4.2)

Attitude

→ A learned tendency to evaluate people, objects, or ideas positively or negatively.

Attitude Formation

→ Attitudes develop through classical conditioning, operant conditioning, and observational learning.

Central Route Persuasion

→ Attitude change through careful consideration of strong arguments; more durable.

Peripheral Route Persuasion

→ Attitude change based on superficial cues (attractiveness, emotions); temporary.

Cognitive Dissonance

→ Psychological discomfort from holding conflicting beliefs or behaviors, leading to attitude change.

Psychology of Social Situations (4.3)

Social Norms

→ Expected rules of behavior in a group or culture.

Conformity

→ Adjusting behavior or beliefs to match group norms.

Obedience

→ Following direct orders from an authority figure.

Bystander Effect

→ Reduced likelihood of helping when others are present.

Deindividuation

→ Loss of self-awareness and restraint in group situations.

Psychodynamic & Humanistic Personality (4.4)

Psychodynamic Theory

→ Personality shaped by unconscious conflicts and early childhood experiences.

Id / Ego / Superego

→ Id = impulses, Ego = reality, Superego = morals.

Defense Mechanisms

→ Unconscious strategies used to reduce anxiety (e.g., repression, projection).

Humanistic Perspective

→ Emphasizes free will, personal growth, and self-concept.

Unconditional Positive Regard

→ Accepting and valuing a person without judgment.

Self-Actualization

→ Achieving one’s full potential (Maslow).

Social-Cognitive & Trait Theories (4.5)

Social-Cognitive Theory

→ Personality results from interaction between traits, environment, and behavior.

Reciprocal Determinism

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

Self-Efficacy

→ Belief in one’s ability to succeed in specific situations.

Trait Theory

→ Personality defined by stable characteristics.

Big Five Traits (OCEAN)

→ Openness, Conscientiousness, Extraversion, Agreeableness, Neuroticism.

Motivation (4.6)

Motivation

→ Forces that drive behavior toward goals.

Drive-Reduction Theory

→ Behavior motivated by reducing physiological needs.

Incentive Theory

→ Behavior motivated by external rewards.

Arousal Theory

→ People seek optimal levels of excitement or alertness.

Emotion (4.7)

Emotion

→ A response involving physiological arousal, expressive behavior, and conscious experience.

James-Lange Theory

→ Arousal comes before emotion.

Cannon-Bard Theory

→ Arousal and emotion occur simultaneously.

Two-Factor Theory (Schachter-Singer)

→ Emotion = physical arousal + cognitive label.