AP Psychology - Social Psychology Flashcards
attribution theory
explaining a person’s behavior for their situation or disposition
situational attribution
blaming circumstance or external factors for one’s behavior
dispositional attribution
blaming the person’s character for their behavior
fundamental attribution error
tendency for observers to underestimate the impact of the situation or personal disposition (overestimating personality, underestimate situation)
attitude
feelings, influenced by beliefs, that predispose us to respond in a particular way to objects, people, and events
peripheral route persuasion
people are influenced by incidental cues like someone’s attractiveness or scent, emotional appeal for persuading
central route persuasion
interested people focus on the arguments and respond with favorable thoughts, using facts to persuade someone
foot-in-the-door phenomenon
tendency for people who have first agreed to a small request to comply later with a larger request
door-in-the-face phenomenon
starting by stating a large request but ultimately wanting a smaller request (easy to say yes to)
role
set of expectations (norms) about a social position, defining how those in the position should behave
cognitive dissonance theory
we act to reduce discomfort we feel when two of our thoughts are inconsistent
defensive attribution
tendency to blame victims for their own misfortune, “asking for it”
automatic mimicry
helps us empathize with what others are feeling (we are happy around happy people)
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 one’s willingness to accept others’ opinions about reality
social facilitation
improved performance on simple or well-learned tasks in the presence of others (enthusiastic audience, home team winning = 50% and higher)
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
groupthink
mode of thinking that occurs when the desire for harmony in a decision-making group overrides a realistic appraisal of alternatives
conformity
changing behavior to match a group
obedience
following an explicit order from authority (Milgram shock experiment)
obedience
following an explicit order from authority (Milgram shock experiment)