MCAT Psych part 2 Flashcards
____includes hairstyles, foods, and the design of
Material culture
__is specific to social thoughts and ideas, such as values
Non-material culture
A socially defined concept referring to whether a large social group identified with each other based on culture
Ethnicity
The potential reproductive capacity of a female in a population
Fecundity
Poverty that is due to circumstantial conditions such as a lack of stable employment
Marginal poverty
An inability to meet the average standard of living within a society
Relative poverty
This hypothesis asserts that people understand their world through language and that language, in turn, shapes how people experience the world
Sapir-Whorf hypothesis/ Linguistic Relativity Hypothesis
The potential for social networks to allow for upward social mobility
Social capital
The study of the distribution of health and disease across a population using social concepts to explain patterns of health and illness
Social epidemiology
Poverty due to structural effects such as systemic oppression or lack of infrastructure and reliable social institutions
Structural poverty
A culture’s standard for evaluating what is good or bad
Values
The tendency to blame our actions on the situation and blame the actions of others on their personalities
Actor-observer bias
A theory that attempts to explain behavior by attributing it to either internal or external causes
Attribution theory
People who share similar characteristics but are not otherwise linked as a group
Category
Organizations in which members do not have a choice in joining
Coercive organizations
Judging another culture based on its own cultural standards
Cultural relativism
Unjust TREATMENT of a group, based on group characteristics
Discrimination
Model that explains whether the content of an argument or some more superficial attribute is more likely to cause persuasion
Elaboration likelihood model
The tendency to judge PEOPLE from another culture by the standards of one’s own culture
Ethnocentrism
Norms that are more informal, yet shape everyday behavior
styles of dress, ways of greeting
Folkways
This principle suggests that when someone is blocked from achieving a goal, this frustration can trigger anger, which can lead to aggression
Frustration-aggression principle
The tendency to underestimate the impact of the situation and overestimate the impact of a person’s character or personality on their behavior
Fundamental attribution error
The phenomenon where groups tend to intensify the preexisting views of their members until the average view is more extreme than it initially was
Group polarization
A phenomenon in which the desire for group harmony results in an easy consensus, even if the final decision is not the best one
Group think
A tendency to believe that people have inherently good or bad natures, rather than looking at individual characteristics
Halo effect
Tendency to believe that an event was predictable AFTER it has already occurred
Hindsight bias
A psychological perspective that emphasizes an individual’s inherent drive toward self-actualization
Humanistic psychology
Constructed out of experiences,expectations, and role models; the person one wishes to be
Ideal self
The process whereby people attempt to manage their images by influencing others perception
Impression management/ self-presentation
A theory that suggests that cooperation among organisms promotes genetic success
Inclusive fitness
The emotional result when the real self falls short of the ideal self
Incongruity
The process of complying to do the right thing because “others know something we don’t know”
Informational social influence
The ability to learn from experience, problem-solve, and adapt to new situations
Intelligence
The tendency to believe that the world is fair and people get what they deserve
Just world phenomenon
Sociological theory that investigates key events in a person’s life and how they unfold over time and lead to a person’s development
Life course perspective
The idea that a person’s sense of self develops from interpersonal interactions with others in society and the perceptions of others
Looking Glass self
The status that dominates other statuses and determines an individual’s position in society
Master status
When dissenting opinions are prevented from permeating a group by filtering out information that goes against group beliefs
Mindguarding
The phenomenon where people develop preference for things because they have been exposed to them
Mere exposure effect
Norms that are highly important for the benefit of society and so are often strictly enforced
Mores
A perspective that endorses equal standing for all cultural traditions
Multiculturalism (pluralism)
When the motivation for compliance is a desire for the approval of others and to avoid rejection
Normative social influence
An organization where membership is based on morally relevant goals
Normative organization
The visible and invisible rules of social conduct within a society
Norms
A large group, more impersonal than a network, that comes together to pursue particular activities and meet goals efficiently
Organization
Cognitive route of persuasion that involves more superficial or secondary characteristics
Peripheral route
A distinct sense of self, including personally-defined attributes
Personal identity
THOUGHTS ATTITUDES AND FEELINGS someone holds about a group that are based on a prejudgement or biased thinking about a group and its members
Prejudice
Occurs when we assume others have the same beliefs we do, due to our tendency to look for similarities between ourselves and others
Projection bias
Occurs when there is a conflict in society’s expectations for multiple statuses held by the same person
(example: being male and being a nurse)
Role conflict
The process of disengaging from a role that has become closely tied to one’s self-identity to take on a new role
Role exit
Occurs when a single status results in conflicting expectations
Role strain
The sum of a individuals knowledge and understanding of his or herself
Self-concept
Awareness of one’s self
Self-consciousness
The belief in one’s own competence and effectiveness
Self-efficacy
One’s overall self-evaluation of one’s self-worth
Self-esteem
When stereotypes lead a person to behave in such a way as to affirm the original stereotype
Self-fulfilling prophecy
A strategy in which people create obstacles and excuses to avoid self-blame when they do poorly
Self-handicapping
The beliefs and ideas people have about themselves
Self-schemas
The tendency to attribute our successes to ourselves and our failures to others or the external environment
Self-serving bias
Social psychology theory that individuals wish to be understood in terms of their deeply held beliefs in a way that is consistent with their self-concept
Self verification
The idea that the mind and self emerge through the process of communicating with others
Social behaviorism
The ability of the brain to store and process information regarding social perception
Social cognition
According to this perspective, personality is formed by a reciprocal interaction among behavioral, cognitive, and environmental factors
Social cognitive perspective
The phenomenon that describes how people tend to perform simple, well-learned tasks better when other people are present, while difficult, novel tasks are performed poorly in front of others
Social facilitation effect
The social definitions of self, including race, religion, gender, occupation, and the like
Social identity
A web of social relationships including those in which a person is directly linked as well as indirectly connected people
Social network
The ability to understand others in our social world
Social perception
The process through which people learn to be proficient members of society
Socialization
Expectations for people of a given social status
Social roles
The perception that one is cared for and part of a social network; supportive resources can be tangible or emotional
Social support
Oversimplified ideas about groups of people, based on characteristics
Stereotypes
Refers to a self-fulfilling fear that one will be evaluated based on a negative stereotype
Stereotype threat
Extreme disapproval of a person or group based on the person or groups actual or perceived deviance from society
Stigma
An organization in which members get paid for their efforts, such as businesses
Utilitarian organization
This type of therapy uses conditioning to shape a client’s behavior in the desired direction
Behavioral therapy
The perspective that personality is a result of learned behavior patterns based on the environment
Behaviorism
A type of therapy that addresses thoughts and behaviors that are maladaptive by using goal-oriented and systematic techniques
Cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT)
A theory that explains that we feel tension whenever we hold two thoughts that are incompatible
Cognitive dissonance theory
According to psychoanalytic theory, the death instinct drives aggressive behaviors fueled by unconscious wish to die or to hurt oneself or others
Death instinct
According to Freuid’s psychoanalytic theory, the ego is ruled by the reality principle, and uses logical thinking and planning to control consciousness
Ego
Mechanisms developed to cope with anxiety and protect the ego, in a way that unconsciously denies or distorts reality
Ego defense mechanisms
Is the source of energy and instinct that seeks to gain pleasure
Id
A theory that suggests that incentives (objects that either induce or discourage behaviors) motivate human behavior
Incentive theory
Behaviors that are unlearned and present in fixed patterns throughout a species
Instinct
When people modify their attitudes to match their behaviors, specifically those involving effort
Justification of effort
The life instinct, which drives behaviors focused on survival, growth, creativity, pain avoidance, and seeking pleasure
Libido
A disagreement about the degree to which a person’s reaction in a given situation is due to their personality or is due to the situation itself
Person-Situation controversy
The nuanced and complex individual pattern of thinking, feeling, and behavior associated with each person
Personality
A generally stable predisposition toward a certain behavior
Personality trait
The idea that an attitude affects a person’s aggregate or average behavior, but cannot necessarily predict each isolated act
Principle of aggregation
According to this theory, personality is shaped by a person’s unconscious thoughts,feelings and memories
Psychoanalytic theory
This therapy approach helps a patient become aware of his or her unconscious sources for emotional issues and conflicts that are causing difficulties
Psychoanalytic therapy
According to humanistic psychology, individuals have an innate drive to realize their human potential
Self-actualization
According to this perspective, personality is formed by a reciprocal interaction among behavioral, cognitive, and environmental factors
Social cognitive perspective
According to Freud’s psychoanalytic theory, the __ inhibits the id and influences the ego to follow moralistic rather than realistic goals
Superego
Internal stable, and enduring aspects of personality that should be consistent across most situations
Trait
Law that asserts that a moderate level of arousal creates optimal performance. Too little arousal leads to complacency and too much arousal can be overwhelming.
Yerkes-Dodson Law
refers to the phenomenon where cultures take time to catch up with technological innovations
cultural lag
increased electrical conductivity of the skin is a physiological indication of
Sympathetic activation
