AP Psych Social Psych

Term

Definition, Explanation, Connection, and/or Visual

Person Perception

How we form impressions of people. Trying to explain why others act as they do, comparing ourselves to others, categorize people, define ourselves by our social identity

Attribution Theory

How we explain our own and others’ behaviors 

Fundamental Attribution Error

The tendency for observers, when analyzing others behavior, to underestimate the impact of the situation and to overestimate the impact of personal disposition. 

Actor-Observer Bias (often linked to self-serving bias)

The tendency for those acting in a situation to attribute their behavior to external causes, but for observers to attribute others’ behavior to internal causes. When we explain our own behavior, we are sensitive to how behavior changes with the situation. 

Prejudice

An unjustifiable and usually negative attitude toward a group and its members. Attitudes are feelings, influenced by beliefs, that predispose us to act in certain ways. Includes: Negative emotions, stereotypes, and a predisposition to discriminate 

Stereotype

Generalized beliefs about a group of people 

Discrimination

To act in negative and unjustifiable ways toward members of a group 

Just-World Phenomenon

The tendency for people to believe the world is just and that people therefore get what they deserve and deserve what they get. 

Social Identity

The “we” aspect of our self-concept; the part of our answer to “Who am I?” that comes from our group memberships. 

Ingroup

“Us” –people with whom we share a common identity

Outgroup

“Them” –those perceived as different or apart from our ingroup

Ingroup Bias

The tendency to favor our own group 

Scapegoat Theory

The theory that prejudice offers an outlet for anger by providing someone to blame. Comes in 2 forms: Social trends and experiments 

Other-Race Effect

The tendency to recall faces of one’s own race more accurately than faces of other races 

Heuristics (will also appear in the biological bases unit)

Mental shortcuts that enable snap judgements. 

Availability Heuristic

The tendency to estimate the frequency of an event by how readily it comes to mind. 

Representativeness Heuristic (look up/check glossary) 

A mental shortcut that people use to make judgements and decisions based on how similar something is to a prototype or category. 

Term

Definition, Explanation, Connection, and/or Visual

Attitudes

Feelings, often influenced by our beliefs, that predispose us to respond in a particular way to objects, people, and events 

Foot-in-the-Door Phenomenon

The tendency for people who have first agreed to a small request comply later with a larger request. 

Door-in-the-Face Phenomenon

A follow-up moderate request for when you get turned down by the Foot-in-the-door Phenomenon. 

Role

A set of expectations (norms) about a social position, defining how those in the position ought to behave. 

Cognitive Dissonance Theory

The theory that we act to reduce the discomfort we feel when 2 of our thoughts are inconsistent. For example, when we become aware that our attitudes and our actions clash, we can reduce the resulting dissonance by changing our attitudes. 

Persuasion

Changing people’s attitudes, potentially influencing their actions. 

Peripheral Route Persuasion

Occurs when people are influenced by incidental cues, such as a speakers’ attractiveness. 

Halo Effect (one example of a peripheral route persuasion)

Believing beautiful or famous people are especially smart or trustworthy.  

Central Route Persuasion

Occurs when interested people’s thinking is influenced by considering evidence in arguments. 

Term

Definition, Explanation, Connection, and/or Visual

Norms

A society’s understood rules for accepted and expected behavior. 

Conformity

Adjusting our behavior or thinking to coincide with a group standard.

Normative Social Influence

Influence resulting from a person’s desire to gain approval or avoid disapproval. 

Informational Social Influence

Influence resulting from a person’s willingness to accept others’ opinions about reality. 

Obedience

Complying with an order or a command. 

Term

Definition, Explanation, Connection, and/or Visual

Social Facilitation

In the presence of others, improved performance on simple or well-learned tasks. 

Social Loafing

The tendency for people in a group to exert less effort when pooling their efforts toward attaining a common goal than when individually accountable. 

What causes this? When people act as part of a group, they may,

• Feel less accountable, worrying less about what people think

• View individual contributions as dispensable 

• Overestimate their own contributions 

• Free ride on others’ efforts 

Deindividuation

The loss of self-awareness and self-restraint occurring in group situations that foster arousal and anonymity. 

Example: Stanford Prison Experiment 

Group Polarization

The enhancement of a group's prevailing inclinations through discussion within the group. 

Groupthink

The mode of thinking that occurs when the desire for harmony in a decision-making group overrides a realistic appraisal of alternatives. 

Culture

The enduring behaviors, ideas, attitudes, values, and traditions shared by a group of people and transmitted from one generation to the next. 

Collectivism

Situations focus on “we”, on meeting group standards and accommodating others. 

Individualism

They focus more on “me” as an independent, separate self. 

Multiculturalism

Places value on cultural and ethnic groups’ maintenance of their unique identities, beliefs, and practices. 

Tight Cultures

A place with clearly defined and reliable imposed norms. 

Loose Cultures

A place with flexible and informal norms. 

Term

Definition, Explanation, Connection, and/or Visual

Aggression

Any physical or verbal behavior intended to harm someone physically or emotionally. 

Frustration-Aggression Principle

The principle that frustration – the blocking of an attempt to achieve some goal – creates anger, which can generate aggression. 

Social Script

A culturally modeled guide for how to act in various situations. 

Term

Definition, Explanation, Connection, and/or Visual

Mere Exposure Effect

The tendency for repeated exposure to novel stimuli to increase our liking of them. Example: By age 3 months, infants prefer photos of the race they most often see – usually their own race. 

Passionate Love

An aroused state of intense positive absorption in another, usually present at the beginning of a romantic relationship. 

Companionate Love

The deep affectionate attachment we feel for those with whom our lives are intertwined. 

Equity

A condition in which people receive from a relationship in proportion to what they give to it. 

Self-Disclosure

The act of revealing intimate aspects of ourselves to others. 

Term

Definition, Explanation, Connection, and/or Visual

Altruism

Unselfish regard for the welfare of others. 

Diffusion of Responsibility

People are less likely to take responsibility for their actions or inactions when others are present. 

Bystander Effect

The tendency for any given bystander to be less likely to give aid if other bystanders are present. 

Social Exchange Theory

The theory that our social behavior is an exchange process, the aim of which is to maximize benefits and minimize costs.  

Reciprocity Norm

An expectation that people will help, not hurt, those who have helped them. 

Social-Responsibility Norm

An expectation that people will help those needing their help.  

Conflict

A perceived incompatibility of actions, goals, or ideas. 

Social Trap

A situation in which two parties, by each pursuing their self-interest rather than the good of the group, become caught in mutually destructive behavior. 

Mirror-Image Perception

Mutual views often held by conflicting parties, as when each side sees itself as ethical and peaceful and views the other side as evil and aggressive. 

Self-Fulfilling Prophecy

A belief that leads to its own fulfillment. 

Superordinate Goals

Shared goals that override differences among people and require their cooperation. 

GRIT

Graduated and Reciprocated Initiatives in Tension Reduction – A strategy designed to decrease international tensions.