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AP Psychology Unit14
Social Psychology
social psychology | the scientific study of how we think about, influence, and relate to one another |
attribution theory | the theory that we explain someone’s behavior by crediting either the situation or the person’s disposition |
fundamental attribution error | the tendency for observers, when analyzing another’s behavior, to underestimate the impact of the situation and to overestimate the impact of personal disposition |
attitude | feelings, often influenced by our beliefs, that predispose us to respond in a particular way to objects, people, and events |
central route persuasion | attitude change path in which interested people focus on the arguments and respond with favorable thoughts |
peripheral route persuasion | attitude change path in which people are influenced by incidental cues, such as a speaker’s attractiveness |
foot-in-the-door phenomenon | the tendency for people who have first agreed to a small request to comply later with a larger request |
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 (dissonance) we feel when two of our thoughts (cognitions) are inconsistent |
conformity | adjusting one’s 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 one’s willingness to accept others’ opinions about reality |
social facilitation | stronger responses on simple or well-learned tasks in the presence of others |
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 |
deindividuation | the loss of self-awareness and self-restraint occurring in group situations that foster arousal and anonymity |
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 |
norm | an understood rule for accepted and expected behavior |
personal space | the buffer zone we like to maintain around our bodies |
prejudice | an unjustifiable (and usually negative) attitude toward a group and its members |
stereotype | a generalized (sometimes accurate but often overgeneralized) belief about a group of people |
discrimination | (1) in classical conditioning, the learned ability to distinguish between a conditioned stimulus and stimuli that do not signal an unconditioned stimulus. (2) unjustifiable negative behavior toward a group and its members |
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 |
other-race effect | the tendency to recall faces of one’s own race more accurately than faces of other races |
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 |
aggression | physical or verbal behavior intended to hurt someone |
frustration-aggression principle | the principle that frustration—the blocking of an attempt to achieve some goal—creates anger, which can generate aggression |
mere exposure effect | the phenomenon that repeated exposure to novel stimuli increases liking of them |
passionate love | an aroused state of intense positive absorption in another, usually present at the beginning of a love 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 | revealing intimate aspects of oneself to others |
altruism | unselfish regard for the welfare of others |
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 dependent upon them |
conflict | a perceived incompatibility of actions, goals, or ideas |
social trap | a situation in which the conflicting parties, by each rationally pursuing their self-interest, become caught in mutually destructive behavior |
mirror-image perceptions | mutual views often held by conflicting people, 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 |