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Equity Theory Definition Equity theory posits that when it comes to relationships, two concerns stand out: (1) How rewarding are...

Error Management Theory Definition One of the great challenges for humans is figuring out what is going on in other...

Escape Theory Definition Escape theory refers to the tendency for people to engage in behaviors to avoid an unpleasant psychological...

Ever heard of overreacting? Such as when lovers, after yelling their heads off arguing, make up and experience unusually strong...

Implicit Personality Theory Definition An implicit personality theory refers to a person’s notions about which personality characteristics tend to co-occur...

Inoculation Theory Definition Inoculation theory was devised by William McGuire in the early 1960s as a strategy to protect attitudes...

Interdependence Theory Definition Interdependence theory describes the structural properties that characterize interactions and the implications of such structure for human...

Various  laws  of  movement  learning  and  control have  been  proposed  on  the  basis  of  research.  In this entry, the focus...

Learning Theory Definition The meaning of this term seems simple: Learning theory is the theory about how learning is achieved....

Logical Positivism Definition Logical positivism, also called logical empiricism, was an early 20th-century philosophical movement that held that a statement...

Narcissistic Reactance Theory Definition The narcissistic reactance theory of sexual coercion and rape explains how the personality of rapists intersects...

Objectification Theory Definition Objectification theory is a framework for understanding the experience of being female in a culture that sexually...

Opponent Process Theory Definition Richard L. Solomon’s opponent process theory of emotions—also commonly referred to as the opponent process theory...

“Everyone needs to belong.” “Everyone needs to be unique.” That both of these statements are true is the basis for...

Prospect Theory Definition Prospect theory is a psychological account that describes how people make decisions under conditions of uncertainty. These...

Human actions are the fundamental phenomena that all theories of knowing, learning, and development aspire to explain. However, most theories...

Between the borders of Pakistan and India lies a fertile valley known as Kashmir. Since 1947, India and Pakistan have...

Reasoned Action Theory Definition The theory of reasoned action (TRA) is a model for predicting people’s behavior, which states that...

Reductionism Definition Reductionism means that complex principles can be reduced to simpler or more fundamental principles. Social psychologists often oppose...

For centuries, the hedonic principle that people approach pleasure and avoid pain has been the dominant motivational principle for many...

Adolescence is the transitional period of growth, development, and maturation that begins at the end of childhood (about 10 years...

Relational Models Theory Definition The relational models theory describes the four fundamental forms of social relationships: communal sharing, authority ranking,...

“All the world’s a stage, and all the men and women merely players”: With these lines from As You Like...

Scapegoat Theory Definition Scapegoat theory refers to the tendency to blame someone else for one’s own problems, a process that...

Historically, African Americans have been studied and explained as compared with the values and characteristics of Europeans. The term African...