AP Psychology - Social Psychology

Question 1

attribution theory

Answer 1

explaining a person’s behavior for their situation or disposition

Question 2

situational attribution

Answer 2

blaming circumstance or external factors for one’s behavior

Question 3

dispositional attribution

Answer 3

blaming the person’s character for their behavior

Question 4

fundamental attribution error

Answer 4

tendency for observers to underestimate the impact of the situation or personal disposition (overestimating personality, underestimate situation)

Question 5

attitude

Answer 5

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

Question 6

peripheral route persuasion

Answer 6

people are influenced by incidental cues like someone’s attractiveness or scent, emotional appeal for persuading

Question 7

central route persuasion

Answer 7

interested people focus on the arguments and respond with favorable thoughts, using facts to persuade someone

Question 8

foot-in-the-door phenomenon

Answer 8

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

Question 9

door-in-the-face phenomenon

Answer 9

starting by stating a large request but ultimately wanting a smaller request (easy to say yes to)

Question 10

role

Answer 10

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

Question 11

cognitive dissonance theory

Answer 11

we act to reduce discomfort we feel when two of our thoughts are inconsistent

Question 12

defensive attribution

Answer 12

tendency to blame victims for their own misfortune, “asking for it”

Question 13

automatic mimicry

Answer 13

helps us empathize with what others are feeling (we are happy around happy people)

Question 14

conformity

Answer 14

adjusting our behavior or thinking to coincide with a group standard

Question 15

normative social influence

Answer 15

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

Question 16

informational social influence

Answer 16

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

Question 17

social facilitation

Answer 17

improved performance on simple or well-learned tasks in the presence of others (enthusiastic audience, home team winning = 50% and higher)

Question 18

social loafing

Answer 18

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

Question 19

deindividuation

Answer 19

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

Question 20

group polarization

Answer 20

the enhancement of a group’s prevailing inclinations through discussion

Question 21

groupthink

Answer 21

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

Question 22

conformity

Answer 22

changing behavior to match a group

Question 23

obedience

Answer 23

following an explicit order from authority (Milgram shock experiment)

Question 23

obedience

Answer 23

following an explicit order from authority (Milgram shock experiment)

Question 24

compliance

Answer 24

following a suggestion or request

Question 25

mere exposure effect

Answer 25

the tendency for people to prefer things they are familiar with

Question 26

altruism

Answer 26

unselfish regard for the welfare of others

Question 27

bystander effect

Answer 27

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

Question 28

social exchange theory

Answer 28

social behavior is an exchange process, maximize benefits and minimize costs

Question 29

reciprocity norm

Answer 29

expectation that people with help those who have helped them

Question 30

social-responsibility norm

Answer 30

expectation that people will help those needing their help

Question 31

conflict

Answer 31

incompatibility of actions, goals, or ideas

Question 32

social trap

Answer 32

situation in which the conflicting parties, by each rationally pursuing their self-interest rather than the good of the group, become caught in mutually destructive behavior

Question 33

mirror-image perception

Answer 33

mutual views often held by conflicting people, as when each side sees itself as ethical and views the other side as evil

Question 34

self-fulfilling prophecy

Answer 34

a belief that leads to its own fulfillment

Question 35

superordinate goals

Answer 35

shared goals that override differences among people and require their cooperation

Question 36

frustration-aggression hypothesis

Answer 36

people become aggressive when blocked from goal

Question 37

aggression

Answer 37

behavior intended to hurt or destroy someone, something, or even yourself

Question 38

realistic conflict theory

Answer 38

conflict happens when you combine negative prejudices with competition over resources

Question 39

ethnocentrism

Answer 39

viewing other cultures thought your own lens, judging based on what is socially acceptable in your culture

Question 40

scapegoat

Answer 40

an outlet for prejudice, aggression towards someone (blaming)