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(Attribution, Conformity, Obedience, Group Dynamics)
Social psychology examines how people’s thoughts, feelings, and behaviors are influenced by the real or imagined presence of others. This unit is highly tested on the AP exam (10–15% of questions) and appears in FRQs (e.g., analyzing experiments like Milgram’s or Asch’s). Example: After the 2016 U.S. election, psychologists studied how group polarization led to echo chambers on social media, where people’s beliefs became more extreme after discussing them with like-minded others.
Example: If a classmate fails a test, you might attribute it to situational factors (e.g., "They were sick") or dispositional factors (e.g., "They’re lazy").
Fundamental Attribution Error (FAE): Overestimating dispositional factors and underestimating situational factors when judging others’ behavior.
Example: Assuming a driver who cuts you off is a "jerk" (dispositional) rather than considering they might be rushing to the hospital (situational).
Actor-Observer Bias: We attribute our own behavior to situational factors but others’ behavior to dispositional factors.
Example: You blame your bad grade on a "tricky test" (situational), but blame your friend’s bad grade on "not studying enough" (dispositional).
Self-Serving Bias: Taking credit for successes (dispositional) but blaming failures on external factors (situational).
Example: "I aced the test because I’m smart" vs. "I failed because the teacher hates me."
Conformity: Adjusting behavior or thinking to match a group standard.
Key factors: Group size (3+ people), unanimity, admiration for the group.
Obedience: Following direct commands from an authority figure.
Key factors: Proximity to authority, legitimacy of authority, depersonalization of the victim.
Normative Social Influence: Conforming to gain approval or avoid disapproval.
Example: Wearing trendy clothes to fit in with peers.
Informational Social Influence: Conforming because we believe others have accurate information.
Example: Following a crowd to exit a building during a fire alarm.
Groupthink: A group’s desire for harmony overrides realistic appraisal of alternatives, leading to poor decisions.
Symptoms: Illusion of invulnerability, self-censorship, pressure on dissenters.
Group Polarization: Group discussions strengthen members’ preexisting attitudes, leading to more extreme decisions.
Example: A jury initially leaning toward a guilty verdict becomes more convinced after deliberation.
Social Facilitation: Improved performance on simple/well-learned tasks in the presence of others (but worse performance on complex tasks).
Example: A runner speeds up in a race (simple task) but a novice pianist chokes during a recital (complex task).
Social Loafing: Exerting less effort in a group than when working alone.
Example: Slacking off in a group project because you assume others will pick up the slack.
Deindividuation: Losing self-awareness and restraint in group situations that foster anonymity.
Example: Cyberbullying online or rioting in a mob.
Bystander Effect: The tendency for people to be less likely to help in an emergency when others are present.
Use this framework for FRQs or multiple-choice questions about experiments (e.g., Milgram, Asch, Zimbardo):
Example: Milgram hypothesized that people would obey authority figures even when commands conflicted with their morals.
Describe the procedure: What did participants do? What were the key variables?
Example: Participants ("teachers") were ordered to administer increasingly severe shocks to a "learner" (confederate) for wrong answers.
Note ethical concerns: Was deception used? Were participants harmed?
Example: Milgram’s study used deception (participants thought shocks were real) and caused psychological distress.
Explain the results: What percentage of participants obeyed? What factors influenced behavior?
Example: 65% of participants obeyed until the maximum shock level. Obedience decreased when the authority figure was less legitimate or the victim was closer.
Apply to real-world scenarios: How does this explain behavior outside the lab?
Correction: Conformity = adjusting to group norms (no direct order). Obedience = following a direct command from an authority figure.
Mistake: Assuming the fundamental attribution error applies to all cultures.
Correction: The FAE is stronger in individualistic cultures (e.g., U.S.) than in collectivist cultures (e.g., Japan), where situational factors are more often considered.
Mistake: Thinking groupthink always leads to bad decisions.
Correction: Groupthink can also lead to efficient decisions (e.g., a jury quickly reaching a verdict), but it’s risky when dissent is suppressed.
Mistake: Forgetting that social facilitation depends on task difficulty.
Correction: Performance improves for easy tasks in front of others but worsens for complex tasks.
Mistake: Overlooking deindividuation in online behavior.
Analyze the bystander effect in a scenario (e.g., a car accident with witnesses).
Multiple-Choice Traps:
Social loafing-deindividuation—loafing is about effort; deindividuation is about losing self-awareness.
Key Theorists to Know:
Irving Janis (groupthink)
Ethical Debates:
Multiple Choice: In Milgram’s obedience study, which factor decreased participants’ likelihood of administering the maximum shock? a) The experimenter was in the same room. b) The "learner" was in a different room. c) The participant had to physically place the learner’s hand on a shock plate. d) The experiment was conducted at Yale University. Answer: c) The participant had to physically place the learner’s hand on a shock plate. Explanation: Proximity to the victim reduced obedience.
Short FRQ (1–2 sentences): Explain how the fundamental attribution error might lead a teacher to misjudge a student’s poor performance on a test. Answer: The teacher might attribute the student’s failure to laziness (dispositional) rather than considering situational factors like illness or family stress.
Multiple Choice: Which concept best explains why a normally shy person might become aggressive in a large, anonymous online forum? a) Social facilitation b) Deindividuation c) Group polarization d) Social loafing Answer: b) Deindividuation. Explanation: Anonymity reduces self-awareness and restraint.
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