This comprehensive study guide covers the key concepts of Unit 7 in AP Psychology: Social Psychology. We'll explore the intricacies of social influence, group dynamics, prejudice, and aggression, providing you with the tools you need to ace your exam.
Social Thinking: Understanding How We Perceive and Interpret Others
This section focuses on how we form impressions, make attributions, and deal with cognitive dissonance.
Attribution Theory: Explaining Behavior
- Fundamental Attribution Error: The tendency to overemphasize dispositional factors (personality) and underestimate situational factors when explaining others' behavior. For example, assuming someone is rude because they are a bad person, rather than considering they might be having a bad day.
- Actor-Observer Bias: The tendency to attribute our own actions to situational factors while attributing others' actions to dispositional factors. We cut ourselves slack but judge others harshly.
- Self-Serving Bias: The tendency to attribute our successes to internal factors (ability, effort) and our failures to external factors (bad luck, unfair circumstances). This protects our self-esteem.
Attitudes and Actions: A Two-Way Street
- Cognitive Dissonance: The discomfort experienced when our attitudes and behaviors are inconsistent. We often reduce this dissonance by changing our attitudes to match our actions (e.g., justifying a decision we regret).
- Persuasion: The process by which attitudes are changed. Key factors include the source's credibility, the message's content, and the audience's characteristics.
- Elaboration Likelihood Model: This model explains how persuasion works through either a central route (logical arguments) or a peripheral route (superficial cues).
Social Influence: Conformity, Obedience, and Group Dynamics
This section explores how individuals are affected by the presence and actions of others.
Conformity: Yielding to Group Pressure
- Asch's Conformity Experiments: Demonstrated the power of conformity even when the correct answer is obvious. Participants conformed to the group's incorrect judgments a surprisingly high percentage of the time.
- Factors Influencing Conformity: Group size, unanimity, public versus private responses, and cultural norms all influence the likelihood of conformity.
Obedience: Following Orders
- Milgram's Obedience Experiments: These shocking experiments revealed the extent to which people will obey authority figures, even when it means harming others. The results highlighted the power of situational factors on behavior.
- Factors Influencing Obedience: The authority figure's legitimacy, proximity to the victim, and the presence of dissenting voices all affect obedience levels.
Group Dynamics: The Power of the Collective
- Social Facilitation: Improved performance on simple or well-learned tasks in the presence of others.
- Social Loafing: The tendency for individuals to exert less effort when working in a group than when working alone.
- Group Polarization: The enhancement of a group's prevailing attitudes through discussion within the group.
- Groupthink: The mode of thinking that occurs when the desire for harmony in a decision-making group overrides a realistic appraisal of alternatives.
Prejudice, Discrimination, and Aggression: The Dark Side of Social Behavior
This section delves into the negative aspects of social interaction.
Prejudice and Discrimination: Understanding Bias
- Prejudice: A negative attitude toward a group and its members.
- Discrimination: Unjustified negative behavior toward a group and its members.
- Stereotypes: Generalized beliefs about a group of people.
- In-group Bias: The tendency to favor one's own group.
- Out-group Homogeneity: The perception that members of an out-group are more similar to each other than are members of an in-group.
Aggression: Understanding Violence
- Biological Factors: Genetics, neurochemicals (like testosterone), and brain structures are implicated in aggression.
- Psychological Factors: Frustration, social learning, and cognitive factors contribute to aggressive behavior.
- Social-Cultural Factors: Cultural norms, media influences, and situational factors play a role in aggression.
Prosocial Behavior: Helping Others
This section contrasts with the previous one, examining positive social interactions.
- Altruism: Selfless concern for the well-being of others.
- Bystander Effect: The tendency for any given bystander to be less likely to give aid if other bystanders are present.
- Diffusion of Responsibility: The phenomenon wherein each bystander's sense of responsibility to help decreases as the number of witnesses increases.
This study guide provides a framework for understanding the key concepts of AP Psychology Unit 7. Remember to supplement this with your textbook, class notes, and practice questions. Good luck with your studies!
