AP psych unit 4

This is a comprehensive set of questions from a Social Psychology & Personality unit, which covers a wide array of topics. Below are answers to the questions based on standard psychological theories:

Essential Questions

1. Do people act the same when they are alone versus when they are in a group? Why or why not?

• Answer: People may not act the same when alone versus in a group. Social influence, including peer pressure and conformity, often causes people to behave differently in groups. In a group, individuals might follow group norms, feel less personal accountability, or engage in behaviors they wouldn’t when alone (e.g., social facilitation or deindividuation).

2. How do expectations, biases, and attitudes affect our relationships with ourselves and others?

• Answer: Expectations, biases, and attitudes shape how we interpret and respond to situations and people. For instance, stereotypes (biases) can influence our interactions with others, often leading to inaccurate judgments. Positive or negative expectations can affect self-esteem and influence relationships, creating self-fulfilling prophecies.

3. Why do you do what you do? Is your “why” determined by your personal choices or what you are rewarded to do?

• Answer: Both personal choices and external rewards can influence behavior. Intrinsic motivation (internal desires) and extrinsic motivation (external rewards, such as praise or money) can both drive actions, and the balance between the two often varies depending on the individual and context.

Topic 4.1 Attribution Theory and Person Perception

1. Explain the different ways to explain attributions of behavior.

• Attribution: The process of explaining the causes of behavior.

• Situational attribution: Explaining behavior based on external factors, such as environment or circumstance.

• Dispositional attribution: Explaining behavior based on internal factors, such as personality or character traits.

2. Explain the different forms of explanatory style.

• Optimistic: A tendency to explain negative events as temporary and external, while viewing positive events as permanent and internal.

• Pessimistic: A tendency to explain negative events as permanent and internal, while viewing positive events as temporary and external.

3. Explain the various types of attribution bias.

• Observer bias: The tendency to perceive others’ behaviors in a way that supports our existing beliefs or expectations.

• Fundamental attribution error: The tendency to attribute others’ behaviors to their personality or disposition, while underestimating situational influences.

• Self-serving bias: The tendency to attribute personal successes to internal factors (like ability) and failures to external factors (like bad luck).

Locus of Control

1. What are the two types of control and how do they impact behavior and mental processes?

• External locus of control: Belief that outcomes are determined by external factors, such as luck or fate.

• Internal locus of control: Belief that one’s own actions and decisions directly influence outcomes.

Person Perception

1. How does the mere exposure effect lead people to like something?

• The mere exposure effect suggests that people tend to develop a preference for things they are exposed to repeatedly, due to familiarity.

2. How does the self-fulfilling prophecy elicit behaviors that confirm their beliefs or perceptions about themselves?

• A self-fulfilling prophecy occurs when an individual’s expectations about someone else or themselves lead to behavior that causes those expectations to come true. For example, if a teacher expects a student to succeed, they may give more attention and encouragement, which increases the likelihood of success.

3. How does social comparison lead to positive or negative views when evaluating ourselves?

• Social comparison involves evaluating oneself in relation to others. Comparing ourselves to those who are better off can lead to negative feelings, while comparing ourselves to those less fortunate can lead to positive feelings and a boost in self-esteem.

Topic 4.2 Attitude Formation and Change

1. What are stereotypes and how are they a result of biased perceptions and experiences?

• Stereotypes are generalized beliefs about groups of people. They are often the result of biased perceptions and over-simplified experiences, leading to inaccurate judgments.

2. How do implicit attitudes reflect negative attitudes of others?

• Implicit attitudes are unconscious associations and biases towards people or groups. These biases may reflect negative stereotypes that individuals are not overtly aware of.

3. Explain the just-world phenomenon.

• The just-world phenomenon is the belief that the world is fair and people get what they deserve, leading individuals to blame victims for their misfortunes.

Cognitive Dissonance

1. Describe cognitive dissonance and provide an example.

• Cognitive dissonance occurs when there is a conflict between beliefs, attitudes, or behaviors, leading to discomfort. For example, if someone believes smoking is harmful but continues to smoke, they may change their attitude to justify the behavior, such as by downplaying the risks.

Social Situations

1. Describe social norms and provide an example.

• Social norms are unwritten rules about how to behave in a society or group. For example, shaking hands when greeting someone is a social norm in many cultures.

2. How do individuals conform to group norms as seen in the Solomon Asch conformity study?

• In Asch’s study, participants conformed to incorrect group responses, demonstrating the power of social influence in altering individual behavior.

Obedience

1. Describe how the Milgram study demonstrates obedience.

• The Milgram study demonstrated that people are likely to obey authority figures, even when asked to perform actions that conflict with their personal morals. Participants administered what they thought were harmful electric shocks to others because an authority figure told them to.

Group Behavior

1. Explain the difference between individualism, collectivism, and multiculturalism and how they impact behavior in groups.

• Individualism emphasizes personal goals over group goals, leading to more independent behavior. Collectivism prioritizes group goals, leading to more cooperative behavior. Multiculturalism promotes respect and recognition of different cultures, influencing how individuals engage with diverse groups.

Prosocial Behavior

1. How does altruism, social reciprocity norm, and the bystander effect demonstrate prosocial behavior?

• Altruism refers to selfless acts of helping. Social reciprocity norm suggests people help others with the expectation of receiving help in return. The bystander effect refers to the tendency for individuals to be less likely to help when others are present.

Personality Theories

1. What does the psychodynamic theory of personality focus on?

• Psychodynamic theory focuses on unconscious processes, early childhood experiences, and the influence of internal conflicts on behavior.

2. What is the purpose of defense mechanisms according to the psychodynamic theory of personality?

• Defense mechanisms protect the ego from anxiety and discomfort caused by internal conflicts.

Trait Theories of Personality

1. What does the trait theory of personality focus on?

• Trait theory focuses on identifying and measuring individual personality traits, like the Big Five traits (OCEAN): Openness, Conscientiousness, Extraversion, Agreeableness, Neuroticism.

2. Describe the Big Five theory of personality.

• The Big Five theory categorizes personality into five broad traits: Openness, Conscientiousness, Extraversion, Agreeableness, and Neuroticism.

Motivation

1. How do drive reduction theory and the Yerkes-Dodson Law explain motivation?

• Drive reduction theory suggests that motivation arises from the desire to reduce internal tension caused by unmet needs. The Yerkes-Dodson Law states that there is an optimal level of arousal for performance—too little or too much can impair performance.

Emotion

1. What is the facial-feedback hypothesis?

• The facial-feedback hypothesis suggests that facial expressions can influence emotional experiences, meaning that smiling can make you feel happier.

2. What are the basic emotions commonly experienced across cultures?

• Basic emotions include happiness, sadness, fear, anger, surprise, and disgust, which are universally recognized across cultures.

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