AP Psychology - Modules 76-78

norm

an understood rule for accepted and expected behavior. "These" prescribe "proper" behavior.

prejudice

an unjustifiable (and usually negative) attitude toward a group and its members. "This" generally involves stereotyped beliefs, negative feelings, and a predisposition to discriminatory action.

aggression

any physical or verbal behavior intended to hurt or destroy

social script

culturally modeled guide for how to act in various situations

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

ingroup bias

the tendency to favor our own group

social facilitation

improved performance on simple or well-learned tasks in the presence of others

culture

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

group polarization

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

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

discrimination

unjustifiable negative behavior toward a group and its members

outgroup

"them" - those perceived as different or apart from our ingroup

ingroup

"us" - people with whom we share a common identity

other-race effect

The tendency to recall faces of one's own race more accurately than faces of other races. Also called the cross-race effect or the own-race bias.

stereotype

a generalized (sometimes accurate but often overgeneralized) belief about a group of people

deindividuation

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

groupthink

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

frustration-aggression principle

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

scapegoat theory

the theory that prejudice offers an outlet for anger by providing someone to blame