AP Psychology Unit 4
Social Psychology and
Personality
Practice Questions &
Answers
Comprehensive Explanations
& Rationales
Key Concepts • Review
Questions • Exam Preparation
, Attributions people's explanations for why events or actions occur
dispositional attribution assuming that another's behavior is due to personality factors, not situational ones
Situational attribution attribution to factors external to an actor, such as the task, other people, or luck
Explanatory style One's habitual way of explaining life events. Can be optimistic or pessimistic
Optimistic hopeful and confident about the future
Pessimistic seeing the worst side of things; no hope
actor-observer bias the tendency to blame our actions on the situation and blame the actions of others
on their personalities
fundamental attribution error the tendency for observers, when analyzing another's behavior, to underestimate
the impact of the situation and to overestimate the impact of personal disposition
self-serving bias the tendency for people to take personal credit for success but blame failure on
external factors
Internal locus of control the perception that you control your own fate
External locus of control the perception that chance or outside forces beyond your personal control
determine your fate.
Mere exposure effect the phenomenon that repeated exposure to novel stimuli increases liking of them
self-fulfilling prophecy an expectation that causes you to act in ways that make that expectation come true.
social comparison evaluating one's abilities and opinions by comparing oneself with others
upward social comparison comparing ourselves to people who are better than we are with regard to a
particular trait or ability
Social Psychology and
Personality
Practice Questions &
Answers
Comprehensive Explanations
& Rationales
Key Concepts • Review
Questions • Exam Preparation
, Attributions people's explanations for why events or actions occur
dispositional attribution assuming that another's behavior is due to personality factors, not situational ones
Situational attribution attribution to factors external to an actor, such as the task, other people, or luck
Explanatory style One's habitual way of explaining life events. Can be optimistic or pessimistic
Optimistic hopeful and confident about the future
Pessimistic seeing the worst side of things; no hope
actor-observer bias the tendency to blame our actions on the situation and blame the actions of others
on their personalities
fundamental attribution error the tendency for observers, when analyzing another's behavior, to underestimate
the impact of the situation and to overestimate the impact of personal disposition
self-serving bias the tendency for people to take personal credit for success but blame failure on
external factors
Internal locus of control the perception that you control your own fate
External locus of control the perception that chance or outside forces beyond your personal control
determine your fate.
Mere exposure effect the phenomenon that repeated exposure to novel stimuli increases liking of them
self-fulfilling prophecy an expectation that causes you to act in ways that make that expectation come true.
social comparison evaluating one's abilities and opinions by comparing oneself with others
upward social comparison comparing ourselves to people who are better than we are with regard to a
particular trait or ability
