AP Psychology - Social Psychology

scientific study of how we think about, influence, and relate to one another.

theory that we explain someone's behavior by crediting either the situation or their personality.

the tendency, when watching others, to underestimate the impact of the situation and to overestimate the impact of dispositional traits.

feelings, often influenced by our beliefs, that predispose us to respond in a particular way to objects, people, and events.

attitude change path in which interested people focus on the arguments and respond with favorable thoughts.

attitude change path in which people are influenced by incidental cues, such as a speaker's attractiveness.

the tendency for people who have first agreed to a small request to comply later with a larger request.

a set of expectations (norms) about a social position, defining how those in the position ought to behave.

the theory that we act to reduce the tension we feel when two of our thoughts (cognitions) or a thought and action are inconsistent.

adjusting one's behavior or thinking to coincide with a group standard.

influence resulting from a person's desire to gain approval or avoid disapproval.

influence resulting from one's willingness to accept others' opinions about reality.

stronger responses on simple or well-learned tasks in the presence of others.

the tendency for people in a group to exert less effort when pooling their efforts toward attaining a common goal than when individually accountable.

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

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

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

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

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

the buffer zone we like to maintain around our bodies.

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

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

(Social) unjustifiable negative behavior toward a group and its members.

"Us"—people with whom we share a common identity.

"Them"—those perceived as different or apart from our ingroup.

the tendency to favor our own group.

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

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

the tendency for people to believe the world is just and that people therefore get what they deserve and deserve what they get.

physical or verbal behavior intended to hurt someone.

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

the phenomenon that repeated exposure to novel stimuli increases liking of them.

an aroused state of intense positive absorption in another, usually present at the beginning of a love relationship.

the deep affectionate attachment we feel for those with whom our lives are intertwined.

a condition in which people receive from a relationship in proportion to what they give to it.

revealing intimate aspects of oneself to others.

unselfish regard for the welfare of others.

the tendency for any given bystander to be less likely to give aid if other bystanders are present.

the theory that our social behavior is an exchange process, the aim of which is to maximize benefits and minimize costs.

an expectation that people will help, not hurt, those who have helped them.

an expectation that people will help those dependent upon them.

a perceived incompatibility of actions, goals, or ideas.

a situation in which the conflicting parties, by each rationally pursuing their self-interest, become caught in mutually destructive behavior.

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.

a belief that leads to its own fulfillment

shared goals that override differences among people and require their cooperation.

strategy designed to decrease international tensions.

reduction in feelings of personal burden in the presence of others

evaluation of other cultures according to the standards/customs of one's own culture. Thinking your culture is best.

Conforming to a request or demand

Conducted the Stanford Prison Experiment

Founder of attribution theory

Explanation of individual behavior as a result of personality traits

Explanation of individual behavior as a result of environmental factors

the phenomenon whereby higher expectations lead to an increase in performance

psychological phenomenon in which lower expectations placed upon individuals either by supervisors or the individual themselves lead to poorer performance by the individual

tendency to overestimate the extent to which other people share most of our opinions, attitudes, and behavior

physical arousal paired with a cognitive label-i.e., my heart is beating, my palms are sweating-it must be love!

Incorrect belief that if you feel aggressive and then act out by hitting a bag or playing a violent video game, you will feel less angry.

Large request followed by a smaller request.