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Layla Guthrie
11/29/2025
AP Psychology
Unit 9 : Social Psychology
258
•
Nov 29, 2025
•
Social psychology explores how our thoughts, feelings, and behaviors are... Show more
Ever wonder why you act differently when others are around? Your behavior changes because of social roles and social norms - the unwritten rules we follow in different situations. When people watch you perform tasks you know well, you might do better (social facilitation), but struggle with new tasks (social inhibition).
Group settings create interesting effects. Social loafing happens when people put in less effort in groups (like during group projects when someone doesn't do their share). Groupthink occurs when people change their opinions to maintain group harmony, while group polarization makes opinions more extreme after discussion.
Deindividuation explains why people do things in crowds they'd never do alone - like joining in riots or mob behavior. The famous Kitty Genovese case illustrated the bystander effect, where the more witnesses present, the less likely anyone is to help, due to diffusion of responsibility.
Remember this! When working in groups, be aware of social loafing and groupthink - they can lead to poor decisions and unequal work distribution.
Attitudes form and change through different routes. The central route uses facts and logic, while peripheral routes rely on emotional appeals. We tend to like things simply because we're familiar with them (mere exposure effect). When our actions contradict our beliefs, we experience cognitive dissonance - uncomfortable mental stress we usually resolve by changing our thinking rather than our behavior.
Have you ever been told you're good at something and suddenly performed better? That's the self-fulfilling prophecy in action. The Rosenthal-Jacobson study proved this - when teachers believed certain students were "gifted" (though they were actually average), those students performed better because teachers changed their teaching methods and students rose to meet expectations.
Conformity is powerful - we often adopt others' behaviors and beliefs just to fit in. Solomon Asch's famous study showed 75% of participants gave wrong answers to simple questions when others in the room did, proving the Asch Effect - we'll conform even when we know better.
People respond differently to requests versus commands. Compliance happens when we do what's asked of us, while obedience occurs when we follow orders. Marketers and persuaders use specific techniques to increase compliance, like the reciprocity norm (helping those who help us) and clever strategies like foot-in-the-door (starting with small requests before making bigger ones) and door-in-the-face (making a huge request before asking for what you really want).
Think about this: How often do you conform to others' opinions even when you disagree? Recognizing this tendency can help you make more independent decisions.
Stanley Milgram's shocking obedience study revealed that 65% of participants would deliver what they thought were fatal electric shocks when ordered by an authority figure. This explains why people in an agentic state follow harmful orders - they transfer responsibility to the authority.
We naturally divide our social world into "us" versus "them." Your ingroup includes any social group you identify with, while outgroups are those you don't consider yourself part of. This division creates biases that affect how we treat others.
Ingroup bias causes us to favor people who belong to our groups - like giving the benefit of the doubt to friends but not strangers. Meanwhile, outgroup homogeneity bias makes us see members of other groups as all being alike ("they all think the same way"), while recognizing the diversity within our own groups.
These biases often lead to stereotyping - making overly generalized assumptions about entire groups of people. Stereotypes form through various cognitive shortcuts like diagnostic labeling, confirmation bias, schema formation, and the representative heuristic.
Pro tip: Becoming aware of your own ingroup biases is the first step toward fairer treatment of others. Challenge yourself to recognize when you're making assumptions based on group membership rather than individual qualities.
Understanding these social psychological concepts helps explain why people behave differently in various social contexts - from classroom settings to online interactions to large crowds.
Our AI companion is specifically built for the needs of students. Based on the millions of content pieces we have on the platform we can provide truly meaningful and relevant answers to students. But its not only about answers, the companion is even more about guiding students through their daily learning challenges, with personalised study plans, quizzes or content pieces in the chat and 100% personalisation based on the students skills and developments.
You can download the app in the Google Play Store and in the Apple App Store.
That's right! Enjoy free access to study content, connect with fellow students, and get instant help – all at your fingertips.
App Store
Google Play
The app is very easy to use and well designed. I have found everything I was looking for so far and have been able to learn a lot from the presentations! I will definitely use the app for a class assignment! And of course it also helps a lot as an inspiration.
Stefan S
iOS user
This app is really great. There are so many study notes and help [...]. My problem subject is French, for example, and the app has so many options for help. Thanks to this app, I have improved my French. I would recommend it to anyone.
Samantha Klich
Android user
Wow, I am really amazed. I just tried the app because I've seen it advertised many times and was absolutely stunned. This app is THE HELP you want for school and above all, it offers so many things, such as workouts and fact sheets, which have been VERY helpful to me personally.
Anna
iOS user
I think it’s very much worth it and you’ll end up using it a lot once you get the hang of it and even after looking at others notes you can still ask your Artificial intelligence buddy the question and ask to simplify it if you still don’t get it!!! In the end I think it’s worth it 😊👍 ⚠️Also DID I MENTION ITS FREEE YOU DON’T HAVE TO PAY FOR ANYTHING AND STILL GET YOUR GRADES IN PERFECTLY❗️❗️⚠️
Thomas R
iOS user
Knowunity is the BEST app I’ve used in a minute. This is not an ai review or anything this is genuinely coming from a 7th grade student (I know 2011 im young) but dude this app is a 10/10 i have maintained a 3.8 gpa and have plenty of time for gaming. I love it and my mom is just happy I got good grades
Brad T
Android user
Not only did it help me find the answer but it also showed me alternative ways to solve it. I was horrible in math and science but now I have an a in both subjects. Thanks for the help🤍🤍
David K
iOS user
The app's just great! All I have to do is enter the topic in the search bar and I get the response real fast. I don't have to watch 10 YouTube videos to understand something, so I'm saving my time. Highly recommended!
Sudenaz Ocak
Android user
In school I was really bad at maths but thanks to the app, I am doing better now. I am so grateful that you made the app.
Greenlight Bonnie
Android user
I found this app a couple years ago and it has only gotten better since then. I really love it because it can help with written questions and photo questions. Also, it can find study guides that other people have made as well as flashcard sets and practice tests. The free version is also amazing for students who might not be able to afford it. Would 100% recommend
Aubrey
iOS user
Best app if you're in Highschool or Junior high. I have been using this app for 2 school years and it's the best, it's good if you don't have anyone to help you with school work.😋🩷🎀
Marco B
iOS user
THE QUIZES AND FLASHCARDS ARE SO USEFUL AND I LOVE THE SCHOOLGPT. IT ALSO IS LITREALLY LIKE CHATGPT BUT SMARTER!! HELPED ME WITH MY MASCARA PROBLEMS TOO!! AS WELL AS MY REAL SUBJECTS ! DUHHH 😍😁😲🤑💗✨🎀😮
Elisha
iOS user
This app is phenomenal down to the correct info and the various topics you can study! I greatly recommend it for people who struggle with procrastination and those who need homework help. It has been perfectly accurate for world 1 history as far as I’ve seen! Geometry too!
Paul T
iOS user
The app is very easy to use and well designed. I have found everything I was looking for so far and have been able to learn a lot from the presentations! I will definitely use the app for a class assignment! And of course it also helps a lot as an inspiration.
Stefan S
iOS user
This app is really great. There are so many study notes and help [...]. My problem subject is French, for example, and the app has so many options for help. Thanks to this app, I have improved my French. I would recommend it to anyone.
Samantha Klich
Android user
Wow, I am really amazed. I just tried the app because I've seen it advertised many times and was absolutely stunned. This app is THE HELP you want for school and above all, it offers so many things, such as workouts and fact sheets, which have been VERY helpful to me personally.
Anna
iOS user
I think it’s very much worth it and you’ll end up using it a lot once you get the hang of it and even after looking at others notes you can still ask your Artificial intelligence buddy the question and ask to simplify it if you still don’t get it!!! In the end I think it’s worth it 😊👍 ⚠️Also DID I MENTION ITS FREEE YOU DON’T HAVE TO PAY FOR ANYTHING AND STILL GET YOUR GRADES IN PERFECTLY❗️❗️⚠️
Thomas R
iOS user
Knowunity is the BEST app I’ve used in a minute. This is not an ai review or anything this is genuinely coming from a 7th grade student (I know 2011 im young) but dude this app is a 10/10 i have maintained a 3.8 gpa and have plenty of time for gaming. I love it and my mom is just happy I got good grades
Brad T
Android user
Not only did it help me find the answer but it also showed me alternative ways to solve it. I was horrible in math and science but now I have an a in both subjects. Thanks for the help🤍🤍
David K
iOS user
The app's just great! All I have to do is enter the topic in the search bar and I get the response real fast. I don't have to watch 10 YouTube videos to understand something, so I'm saving my time. Highly recommended!
Sudenaz Ocak
Android user
In school I was really bad at maths but thanks to the app, I am doing better now. I am so grateful that you made the app.
Greenlight Bonnie
Android user
I found this app a couple years ago and it has only gotten better since then. I really love it because it can help with written questions and photo questions. Also, it can find study guides that other people have made as well as flashcard sets and practice tests. The free version is also amazing for students who might not be able to afford it. Would 100% recommend
Aubrey
iOS user
Best app if you're in Highschool or Junior high. I have been using this app for 2 school years and it's the best, it's good if you don't have anyone to help you with school work.😋🩷🎀
Marco B
iOS user
THE QUIZES AND FLASHCARDS ARE SO USEFUL AND I LOVE THE SCHOOLGPT. IT ALSO IS LITREALLY LIKE CHATGPT BUT SMARTER!! HELPED ME WITH MY MASCARA PROBLEMS TOO!! AS WELL AS MY REAL SUBJECTS ! DUHHH 😍😁😲🤑💗✨🎀😮
Elisha
iOS user
This app is phenomenal down to the correct info and the various topics you can study! I greatly recommend it for people who struggle with procrastination and those who need homework help. It has been perfectly accurate for world 1 history as far as I’ve seen! Geometry too!
Paul T
iOS user
Social psychology explores how our thoughts, feelings, and behaviors are influenced by other people. This branch of psychology helps us understand why we act differently in groups, how we form attitudes, and what drives us to conform to social expectations.
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Ever wonder why you act differently when others are around? Your behavior changes because of social roles and social norms - the unwritten rules we follow in different situations. When people watch you perform tasks you know well, you might do better (social facilitation), but struggle with new tasks (social inhibition).
Group settings create interesting effects. Social loafing happens when people put in less effort in groups (like during group projects when someone doesn't do their share). Groupthink occurs when people change their opinions to maintain group harmony, while group polarization makes opinions more extreme after discussion.
Deindividuation explains why people do things in crowds they'd never do alone - like joining in riots or mob behavior. The famous Kitty Genovese case illustrated the bystander effect, where the more witnesses present, the less likely anyone is to help, due to diffusion of responsibility.
Remember this! When working in groups, be aware of social loafing and groupthink - they can lead to poor decisions and unequal work distribution.
Attitudes form and change through different routes. The central route uses facts and logic, while peripheral routes rely on emotional appeals. We tend to like things simply because we're familiar with them (mere exposure effect). When our actions contradict our beliefs, we experience cognitive dissonance - uncomfortable mental stress we usually resolve by changing our thinking rather than our behavior.
Access to all documents
Improve your grades
Join milions of students
By signing up you accept Terms of Service and Privacy Policy
Have you ever been told you're good at something and suddenly performed better? That's the self-fulfilling prophecy in action. The Rosenthal-Jacobson study proved this - when teachers believed certain students were "gifted" (though they were actually average), those students performed better because teachers changed their teaching methods and students rose to meet expectations.
Conformity is powerful - we often adopt others' behaviors and beliefs just to fit in. Solomon Asch's famous study showed 75% of participants gave wrong answers to simple questions when others in the room did, proving the Asch Effect - we'll conform even when we know better.
People respond differently to requests versus commands. Compliance happens when we do what's asked of us, while obedience occurs when we follow orders. Marketers and persuaders use specific techniques to increase compliance, like the reciprocity norm (helping those who help us) and clever strategies like foot-in-the-door (starting with small requests before making bigger ones) and door-in-the-face (making a huge request before asking for what you really want).
Think about this: How often do you conform to others' opinions even when you disagree? Recognizing this tendency can help you make more independent decisions.
Stanley Milgram's shocking obedience study revealed that 65% of participants would deliver what they thought were fatal electric shocks when ordered by an authority figure. This explains why people in an agentic state follow harmful orders - they transfer responsibility to the authority.
Access to all documents
Improve your grades
Join milions of students
By signing up you accept Terms of Service and Privacy Policy
We naturally divide our social world into "us" versus "them." Your ingroup includes any social group you identify with, while outgroups are those you don't consider yourself part of. This division creates biases that affect how we treat others.
Ingroup bias causes us to favor people who belong to our groups - like giving the benefit of the doubt to friends but not strangers. Meanwhile, outgroup homogeneity bias makes us see members of other groups as all being alike ("they all think the same way"), while recognizing the diversity within our own groups.
These biases often lead to stereotyping - making overly generalized assumptions about entire groups of people. Stereotypes form through various cognitive shortcuts like diagnostic labeling, confirmation bias, schema formation, and the representative heuristic.
Pro tip: Becoming aware of your own ingroup biases is the first step toward fairer treatment of others. Challenge yourself to recognize when you're making assumptions based on group membership rather than individual qualities.
Understanding these social psychological concepts helps explain why people behave differently in various social contexts - from classroom settings to online interactions to large crowds.
Our AI companion is specifically built for the needs of students. Based on the millions of content pieces we have on the platform we can provide truly meaningful and relevant answers to students. But its not only about answers, the companion is even more about guiding students through their daily learning challenges, with personalised study plans, quizzes or content pieces in the chat and 100% personalisation based on the students skills and developments.
You can download the app in the Google Play Store and in the Apple App Store.
That's right! Enjoy free access to study content, connect with fellow students, and get instant help – all at your fingertips.
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Transform this note into: ✓ 50+ Practice Questions ✓ Interactive Flashcards ✓ Full Mock Exam ✓ Essay Outlines
Explore the strengths and weaknesses of Informational Social Influence (ISI) and Normative Social Influence (NSI) as explanations for conformity. This evaluation covers key studies, including Asch's experiments, and discusses individual differences in conformity behavior. Ideal for students preparing for psychology exams.
PsychologyExplore the Agentic State and Legitimacy of Authority as key explanations for obedience in psychology. This summary evaluates their strengths and limitations, highlighting critical studies such as Milgram's and Rank & Jacobson's. Understand cultural differences in obedience and the implications of disobedience in hierarchical structures. Ideal for psychology students preparing for exams or assignments.
PsychologyExplore a critical evaluation of Asch's conformity experiments, focusing on cultural bias, ethical concerns, and the impact of gender. This summary highlights key findings, limitations, and implications for understanding conformity across different contexts. Ideal for psychology students preparing for exams or discussions.
PsychologyExplore the key findings and evaluations of Asch's conformity experiment, including its methodology, results, and implications for social psychology. This summary covers the factors influencing conformity, such as group size and cultural context, while addressing the study's limitations in terms of ecological and temporal validity.
PsychologyExplore the relationship between authoritarian personality traits and obedience in this detailed evaluation. This summary covers key studies, including Milgram's experiment, and critiques the dispositional explanations of obedience, highlighting strengths, limitations, and alternative theories. Ideal for psychology students studying obedience theories and personality psychology.
PsychologyExplore two key criticisms of Zimbardo's Stanford Prison Experiment, focusing on its androcentric bias and ethical concerns regarding participant deception and potential psychological harm. This exam question summary provides essential insights for understanding the limitations of the research in the context of conformity to social roles.
PsychologyApp Store
Google Play
The app is very easy to use and well designed. I have found everything I was looking for so far and have been able to learn a lot from the presentations! I will definitely use the app for a class assignment! And of course it also helps a lot as an inspiration.
Stefan S
iOS user
This app is really great. There are so many study notes and help [...]. My problem subject is French, for example, and the app has so many options for help. Thanks to this app, I have improved my French. I would recommend it to anyone.
Samantha Klich
Android user
Wow, I am really amazed. I just tried the app because I've seen it advertised many times and was absolutely stunned. This app is THE HELP you want for school and above all, it offers so many things, such as workouts and fact sheets, which have been VERY helpful to me personally.
Anna
iOS user
I think it’s very much worth it and you’ll end up using it a lot once you get the hang of it and even after looking at others notes you can still ask your Artificial intelligence buddy the question and ask to simplify it if you still don’t get it!!! In the end I think it’s worth it 😊👍 ⚠️Also DID I MENTION ITS FREEE YOU DON’T HAVE TO PAY FOR ANYTHING AND STILL GET YOUR GRADES IN PERFECTLY❗️❗️⚠️
Thomas R
iOS user
Knowunity is the BEST app I’ve used in a minute. This is not an ai review or anything this is genuinely coming from a 7th grade student (I know 2011 im young) but dude this app is a 10/10 i have maintained a 3.8 gpa and have plenty of time for gaming. I love it and my mom is just happy I got good grades
Brad T
Android user
Not only did it help me find the answer but it also showed me alternative ways to solve it. I was horrible in math and science but now I have an a in both subjects. Thanks for the help🤍🤍
David K
iOS user
The app's just great! All I have to do is enter the topic in the search bar and I get the response real fast. I don't have to watch 10 YouTube videos to understand something, so I'm saving my time. Highly recommended!
Sudenaz Ocak
Android user
In school I was really bad at maths but thanks to the app, I am doing better now. I am so grateful that you made the app.
Greenlight Bonnie
Android user
I found this app a couple years ago and it has only gotten better since then. I really love it because it can help with written questions and photo questions. Also, it can find study guides that other people have made as well as flashcard sets and practice tests. The free version is also amazing for students who might not be able to afford it. Would 100% recommend
Aubrey
iOS user
Best app if you're in Highschool or Junior high. I have been using this app for 2 school years and it's the best, it's good if you don't have anyone to help you with school work.😋🩷🎀
Marco B
iOS user
THE QUIZES AND FLASHCARDS ARE SO USEFUL AND I LOVE THE SCHOOLGPT. IT ALSO IS LITREALLY LIKE CHATGPT BUT SMARTER!! HELPED ME WITH MY MASCARA PROBLEMS TOO!! AS WELL AS MY REAL SUBJECTS ! DUHHH 😍😁😲🤑💗✨🎀😮
Elisha
iOS user
This app is phenomenal down to the correct info and the various topics you can study! I greatly recommend it for people who struggle with procrastination and those who need homework help. It has been perfectly accurate for world 1 history as far as I’ve seen! Geometry too!
Paul T
iOS user
The app is very easy to use and well designed. I have found everything I was looking for so far and have been able to learn a lot from the presentations! I will definitely use the app for a class assignment! And of course it also helps a lot as an inspiration.
Stefan S
iOS user
This app is really great. There are so many study notes and help [...]. My problem subject is French, for example, and the app has so many options for help. Thanks to this app, I have improved my French. I would recommend it to anyone.
Samantha Klich
Android user
Wow, I am really amazed. I just tried the app because I've seen it advertised many times and was absolutely stunned. This app is THE HELP you want for school and above all, it offers so many things, such as workouts and fact sheets, which have been VERY helpful to me personally.
Anna
iOS user
I think it’s very much worth it and you’ll end up using it a lot once you get the hang of it and even after looking at others notes you can still ask your Artificial intelligence buddy the question and ask to simplify it if you still don’t get it!!! In the end I think it’s worth it 😊👍 ⚠️Also DID I MENTION ITS FREEE YOU DON’T HAVE TO PAY FOR ANYTHING AND STILL GET YOUR GRADES IN PERFECTLY❗️❗️⚠️
Thomas R
iOS user
Knowunity is the BEST app I’ve used in a minute. This is not an ai review or anything this is genuinely coming from a 7th grade student (I know 2011 im young) but dude this app is a 10/10 i have maintained a 3.8 gpa and have plenty of time for gaming. I love it and my mom is just happy I got good grades
Brad T
Android user
Not only did it help me find the answer but it also showed me alternative ways to solve it. I was horrible in math and science but now I have an a in both subjects. Thanks for the help🤍🤍
David K
iOS user
The app's just great! All I have to do is enter the topic in the search bar and I get the response real fast. I don't have to watch 10 YouTube videos to understand something, so I'm saving my time. Highly recommended!
Sudenaz Ocak
Android user
In school I was really bad at maths but thanks to the app, I am doing better now. I am so grateful that you made the app.
Greenlight Bonnie
Android user
I found this app a couple years ago and it has only gotten better since then. I really love it because it can help with written questions and photo questions. Also, it can find study guides that other people have made as well as flashcard sets and practice tests. The free version is also amazing for students who might not be able to afford it. Would 100% recommend
Aubrey
iOS user
Best app if you're in Highschool or Junior high. I have been using this app for 2 school years and it's the best, it's good if you don't have anyone to help you with school work.😋🩷🎀
Marco B
iOS user
THE QUIZES AND FLASHCARDS ARE SO USEFUL AND I LOVE THE SCHOOLGPT. IT ALSO IS LITREALLY LIKE CHATGPT BUT SMARTER!! HELPED ME WITH MY MASCARA PROBLEMS TOO!! AS WELL AS MY REAL SUBJECTS ! DUHHH 😍😁😲🤑💗✨🎀😮
Elisha
iOS user
This app is phenomenal down to the correct info and the various topics you can study! I greatly recommend it for people who struggle with procrastination and those who need homework help. It has been perfectly accurate for world 1 history as far as I’ve seen! Geometry too!
Paul T
iOS user
