AP Psychology - social psychology
Fundamental Attribution Error - assuming a situation is because of a person's traits not their situation
people are assuming you are late b/c you are lazy not b/c you had a car accident
Explanatory style - a personality trial determining how people habitually explain to themselves why events happen
Permanence (Temporary vs.permanent) - do you think a bad even will last forever (stable) or is it a passing event (temporary)
Pervasiveness (specific vs universal) - do you think this event affects all areas of your life (global) or is it confined to one specific area ( specific)
Personalization (external vs internal) - do you blame yourself (internal) or external circumstances (external) for the event
Pessimistic - when a bad event happens, a person would think internally, stablely, and globally. typically in a negative way
(you did bad on a test) its all my fault bc in stupid (internally), this will affect me and last forever (stable), and i won’t be able to do anything ever again (global)
Optimistic - when bad events happen, a person would think externally, temporarily, and specific. Typically in a positive way
you did bad on a test) it was because of the environment i did bad (external), this will only bring my grade down for a little bit (temporary), this is just one test (specific)
Situational attribution - blaming an external factor instead of internal factor
she did bad on the test bc the test was hard not bc she didn’t study
Mere exposure effect - your exposed to smt for too long you start liking it
when that annoying girl in my class becomes less annoying
Self fulfilling prophecy - a false belief or assumption leads a person to a t in ways that make the belief come true
low confidence leads to poor performance, relationship insecurity causes distrust
Dispositional attribution - a person behavior based on their characteristics
Assuming a late employee is “lazy” (not stuck in traffic), assuming a quiet person is “shy” (not just tired)
Actor observer bias - the tendency to attribute our own action to situational factors but others actions to dispositions
You say, “I was late because of traffic,” but when someone else is late, you think, “They’re careless.”
mere exposure effect - the phenomenon where repeated exposure to something increases our liking for it
You start liking a song more after hearing it several times on the radio
Mirror-image perceptions - when 2 groups see themselves as ethical and peaceful but view the other group as evil and aggressive
During conflicts, each side views itself as peaceful and the other as aggressive, fueling ongoing hostility.
in-group bias - favoring members of one’s own group over others
Fans of a sports team believe their team is superior and look down on rival fans
Stereotype - a generalized belief about a group of people
Believing all elderly people are bad drivers
Cognitive dissonance - the discomfort experienced when holding conflicting beliefs or behaviors, often leading to attitude change to reduce discomfort
A smoker who knows smoking is harmful but continues smoking may convince themselves “it’s not that bad” to reduce discomfort
Prejudice - a prejudgement or unjustified attitude toward a group
Feeling distrust or dislike toward a racial or ethnic group without personal experience
Scapegoat theory - the idea that prejudice arises from blaming a group for problems
During economic hardship, blaming immigrants for job shortages
Discrimination - unjust behavior directed toward a group
Refusing to hire someone because of their gender or ethnicity
Just-world phenomenon - the belief that people get what they deserve leading to blaming victims
Assuming a homeless person is lazy and deserves their situation
Role playing and attitudes - how adopting roles can influence attitudes
In the Stanford Prison Experiment, students assigned as guards began to adopt aggressive attitudes
Implicit attitudes - unconscious attitudes that affect behavior
Unconscious negative feelings toward a group revealed by reaction-time tests, even if consciously denying prejudice
Other-race effect - the tendency to better recognize faces of one’s own race compared to others
People more easily recognize faces of their own race compared to faces from other races
Social Facilitation - Improved performance on simple or well-learned tasks in the presence of others.
People more easily recognize faces of their own race compared to faces from other races
Peripheral Route Persuasion - Influencing attitudes through superficial cues
Buying a product because the celebrity endorsing it is attractive, not because of product quality
Central Route to Persuasion - Influencing attitudes through logical arguments and evidence.
Changing your opinion about climate change after reading detailed scientific evidence
Reciprocity Norm - The expectation that people will respond favorably to kindness by returning it.
You receive a gift and feel compelled to give one back
Foot-in-the-Door Phenomenon - Agreeing to a small request increases the likelihood of agreeing to a larger one later.
Agreeing to put a small sign in your window, then later agreeing to a large billboard
Door-in-the-Face Technique - Starting with a large request that is refused, then following with a smaller request.
Asking for a $1,000 donation (refused), then asking for $50, which is accepted
Conformity - Adjusting behavior or thinking to align with a group standard
In Asch’s experiment, participants agreed with incorrect group answers just to fit in
Deindividuation - Loss of self-awareness and restraint in group situations, leading to impulsive behavior.
People in large crowds at a concert may act more wildly than they would alone.
Bystander Effect - Reduced likelihood of helping when others are present.
Witnesses to an emergency don’t help because each assumes someone else will.
Social Loafing - Tendency to exert less effort when working in a group compared to alone.
Group project members put in less effort than when working individually
Groupthink - When the desire for harmony in a group leads to poor decision-making.
A board makes a risky decision without critical evaluation to maintain harmony
Group Polarization - The enhancement of a group’s prevailing attitudes through discussion.
After discussing politics, a group’s opinions become more extreme
Social Exchange Theory - The idea that social behavior is an exchange process aiming to maximize benefits and minimize costs.
Helping a friend because you expect they will help you in return
Biopsychosocial Approach - Understanding behavior through the interaction of biological, psychological, and social factors.
Understanding depression by looking at brain chemistry (bio), thought patterns (psycho), and social support (social)