AP Psych Unit 4 Social Psychology and
Personality
1.attribution theory: the theory that we explain someone's behavior by
crediting either the situation or the person's disposition
2.fundamental attribution error: the tendency for observers, when
analyzing an- other's behavior, to underestimate the impact of the
situation and to overestimate the impact of personal disposition
3.peripheral route persuasion: occurs when people are influenced by
incidental cues, such as a speaker's attractiveness
4.central route persuasion: occurs when interested people focus on
the argu- ments and respond with favorable thoughts
5.foot-in-the-door: the tendency for people who have first agreed to a
small re- quest to comply later with a larger request
6.door-in-the-face: asking for a large commitment and being refused
and then asking for a smaller commitment
7.social contagion: imitative behavior involving the spread of behavior,
emotions, and ideas; laughing when someone else laughs
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, 8.Conformity: Adjusting one's behavior or thinking to coincide with a
group stan- dard.
9.normative social influence: influence resulting from a person's desire
to gain approval or avoid disapproval
10.informational social influence: the influence other people have on us
because we want to be right
11.social facilitation: improved performance on simple or well-learned
tasks in the presence of others
12.social loafing: the tendency for people in a group to exert less effort
when pool- ing their efforts toward attaining a common goal than when
individually accountable
13.Deindividuation: the loss of self-awareness and self-restraint
occurring in group situations that foster arousal and anonymity
14.group polarization: the enhancement of a group's prevailing
inclinations through discussion within the group
15.Groupthink: the mode of thinking that occurs when the desire for
harmony in a decision-making group overrides a realistic appraisal of
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Personality
1.attribution theory: the theory that we explain someone's behavior by
crediting either the situation or the person's disposition
2.fundamental attribution error: the tendency for observers, when
analyzing an- other's behavior, to underestimate the impact of the
situation and to overestimate the impact of personal disposition
3.peripheral route persuasion: occurs when people are influenced by
incidental cues, such as a speaker's attractiveness
4.central route persuasion: occurs when interested people focus on
the argu- ments and respond with favorable thoughts
5.foot-in-the-door: the tendency for people who have first agreed to a
small re- quest to comply later with a larger request
6.door-in-the-face: asking for a large commitment and being refused
and then asking for a smaller commitment
7.social contagion: imitative behavior involving the spread of behavior,
emotions, and ideas; laughing when someone else laughs
1/
8
, 8.Conformity: Adjusting one's behavior or thinking to coincide with a
group stan- dard.
9.normative social influence: influence resulting from a person's desire
to gain approval or avoid disapproval
10.informational social influence: the influence other people have on us
because we want to be right
11.social facilitation: improved performance on simple or well-learned
tasks in the presence of others
12.social loafing: the tendency for people in a group to exert less effort
when pool- ing their efforts toward attaining a common goal than when
individually accountable
13.Deindividuation: the loss of self-awareness and self-restraint
occurring in group situations that foster arousal and anonymity
14.group polarization: the enhancement of a group's prevailing
inclinations through discussion within the group
15.Groupthink: the mode of thinking that occurs when the desire for
harmony in a decision-making group overrides a realistic appraisal of
2/
8
