AP Psych: Social Psychology
self-disclosure
def: revealing intimate aspects of oneself to others ex: telling a counselor personal information so they can help you
cognitive dissonance theory
def: the theory that we act to reduce the discomfort (dissonance) we feel when two of our thoughts (cognitions) are inconsistent ex: a pacifist punches someone, feels discomfort, and rethinks their beliefs to apply only to certain situations
attribution theory
def: the theory that we explain someone's behavior by crediting either the situation or the person's disposition ex: they are homeless because they are lazy and a drug addict
chameleon effect
def: unconscious mimicry of the postures, mannerisms, facial expressions, and other behaviors of one's interaction partners ex: person crosses their arms, so you cross your arms
discrimination
def: unjustifiable negative behavior toward a group and its members ex: against African Americans in 20th century
altruism
def: unselfish regard for the welfare of others ex: volunteer at nursing home, give money to those in need
outgroup
def: "Them"- those perceived as different or apart from our ingroup ex: rival team
ingroup
def: "Us"- people with whom we share a common identity ex: team you support
GRIT
def: Graduated and Reciprocated initiatives in Tension-Reduction- a strategy designed to decrease international tensions ex: work to decrease tensions between North Korea and South Korea
self-fulfilling prophesy
def: a belief that leads to its own fulfillment ex: think someone is mad at you, then you say something to make they mad at you
equity
def: a condition in which people receive from a relationship in proportion to what they give to it ex: get paid for how much work you do
stereotype
def: a generalized (sometimes accurate but often overgeneralized) belief about a group of people ex: Asian people are smarter than white people.
conflict
def: a perceived incompatibility of actions, goals, or ideas ex: WWII
role
def: a set of expectations (norms) about a social position, defining how those in the position ought to behave ex: women role- cook, care for children, etc.
social trap
def: a situation in which the conflicting parties, by each rationally pursuing their self-interest, become caught in mutually destructive behavior ex: each employee only wants to earn the most money possible
conformity
def: adjusting one's behavior or thinking to coincide with a group standard ex: wear clothes that are "popular"
passionate love
def: an aroused state of intense positive absorption in another, usually present at the beginning of a love relationship ex: intense feelings and sexual attraction
social-responsibility norm
def: an expectation that people will help those dependent upon them ex: help those affected by flooding
reciprocity norm
def: an expectation that people will help, not hurt, those who have helped them ex: if a person gets a gift for their birthday, they are more likely to give a gift to the other person on their birthday
norm
def: an understood rule for accepted and expected behavior. Norms prescribe "proper" behavior ex: Muslim women wear hijabs/other veils
prejudice
def: an unjustifiable (and usually negative) attitude toward a group and its members. Prejudice generally involves stereotyped beliefs, negative feelings, and a predisposition to discriminatory action ex: a person believes that people from Bali are less intelligent than those from Nepal
aggression
def: any physical or verbal behavior intended to hurt or destroy ex: bullying
central route persuasion
def: attitude change path in which interested people focus on the arguments and respond with favorable thoughts ex: TV ad that uses laboratory evidence to demonstrate the effectiveness of an acne treatment
peripheral route persuasion
def: attitude change path in which people are influenced by incidental cues, such as a speaker's attractiveness ex: determine the best candidate by how well he is dresses
attitude
def: feelings, often influenced by our beliefs, that predispose us to respond in a particular way to objects, people, and events ex: see a person in a shirt for a rival sports team and automatically do not like them
normative social influence
def: influence resulting from a person's desire to gain approval or avoid disapproval ex: applaud even when you don't like what just happened to avoid other people's judgement
informational social influence
def: influence resulting from one's willingness to accept others' opinions about reality ex: if you don't know anything about basketball, but go to a game, you will simply follow along with those around you (cheer, boo, stand, sit, etc.)
mirror-image perceptions
def: 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 ex: US thought they were right in WWII, but so did Germany
super-ordinate goals
def: shared goals that override differences among people and require their cooperation ex: make two groups who don't like each other work together
social facilitation
def: stronger responses on simple or well-learned tasks in the presence of others ex: perform better athletically when there is a big crowd
compassionate love
def: the deep affectionate attachment we feel for those with whom our lives are intertwined ex: feelings of mutual respect, trust, and affection
culture
def: the enduring behaviors, ideas, attitudes, values, and traditions shared by a group of people and transmitted from one generation to the next ex: in relation to America, people in Europe have less personal space
group polarization
def: the enhancement of a group's prevailing inclinations through discussion within the group ex: group is against an idea, then listens to another opinions, and the group as a whole changes its opinion to the topic
deindividuation
def: the loss of self-awareness and self-restraint occurring in group situations that foster arousal and anonymity ex: soldiers killing during wartime
group think
def: the mode of thinking that occurs when the desire for harmony in a decision-making group overrides a realistic appraisal of alternatives ex: mass suicides, Bay of Pigs, riots
mere exposure effect
def: the phenomenon that repeated exposure to novel stimuli increases liking of them ex: see an advertisement for a product so many times you grow to like that product
personal space
def: the physical space around our bodies that we like to keep free ex: in the US, the average radius of intimate space is 1.5 feet
frustration-aggression hypothesis
def: the principle that frustration - the blocking or an attempt to achieve some goal- creates anger, which can generate aggression ex: person becomes frustrated with job then becomes aggressive at home to redirect frustration
social psychology
def: the scientific study of how we think about, influence, and relate to one another ex: B=f(P,E) B= behavior P= person E= environment f= the function of
bystander effect
def: the tendency for any given bystander to be less likely to give aid if other bystanders are present ex: see a car wrecked on the side of the road but don't stop because you think someone else will
fundamental attribution error
def: the tendency for observers, when analyzing another's behavior, to underestimate the impact of the situation and to overestimate the impact of personal disposition ex: they are speeding because they are a jerk (don't know that they are driving to the hospital)
social loafing
def: the tendency for people in a group to exert less effort when pooling their efforts toward attaining a common goal than when individually accountable ex: group projects
just-world phenomenon
def: the tendency for people to believe the world is just and that people therefore get what they deserve and deserve what they get ex: you get a good grade on a test because you are a good person. A different person gets a bad grade because they are a bad person.
foot-in-the-door phenomenon
def: the tendency for people who have first agreed to a small request to comply later with a larger request ex: get you to volunteer for one hour at a charity, then get you to volunteer several hours a week
ingroup bias
def: the tendency to favor our own group ex: think your team is better than the other
other-race effect
def: the tendency to recall faces of one's own race more accurately than faces of other races. Also called the cross-race effect and the own-race bias ex: white person more likely to recognize other white people's faces
social exchange theory
def: the theory that our social behavior is an exchange process, the aim of which is to maximize benefits and minimize costs ex: when the costs begin to outweigh the benefits in a relationship, one will often leave the relationship
scapegoat theory
def: the theory that prejudice offers an outlet for anger by providing someone to blame ex: Germans used Jews as scapegoats for all their countries problems
