AP Psychology Flashcards: Psychology of Social Situations
Written by AP Content Team, Verified for 2026 AP Exams, Last updated: May 2026
Review key ideas with interactive flashcards. This set includes 36 cards to help you master important concepts.
What is the primary focus of research on obedience?
Research on obedience seeks to clarify the conditions that strengthen an individual's compliance with commands from an authority figure.
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What is the primary focus of research on obedience?
Research on obedience seeks to clarify the conditions that strengthen an individual's compliance with commands from an authority figure.
What is the primary focus of research on conformity?
Research on conformity aims to clarify the specific conditions that strengthen an individual's adherence to unspoken group rules.
What is individualism as a cultural phenomenon?
Individualism is a cultural orientation that emphasizes personal goals, uniqueness, and self-reliance over group identity and obligations.
A charity first asks for a large donation of $500. When you refuse, they ask for a smaller donation of $20. What technique is this?
This is the door-in-the-face phenomenon, a persuasion technique where a large, rejected request is followed by a more reasonable one.
What is social loafing?
Social loafing is the tendency for individuals to exert less effort on a task when they are working in a group versus when they are working alone.
What is altruism?
Altruism is selfless behavior and concern for the well-being of others, which can be explained by social norms like reciprocity and responsibility.
What is group polarization?
Group polarization is a phenomenon where discussion among like-minded group members strengthens their pre-existing attitudes.
How do cultural phenomena like individualism and collectivism affect people?
These cultural phenomena influence an individual's self-perception and their behavior towards other people.
What is persuasion?
Persuasion refers to the techniques used to convince other people of particular ideas, actions, or beliefs.
An emergency occurs on a busy street, but no one calls for help, assuming someone else has already done so. What concepts explain this inaction?
This inaction is explained by the bystander effect and the diffusion of responsibility among the crowd.
What are superordinate goals?
Superordinate goals are shared objectives that require cooperation between groups and can be used to overcome intergroup conflict.
What is the door-in-the-face phenomenon?
This is a persuasion technique where turning down a large initial request increases the likelihood of agreeing to a smaller, more reasonable second request.
How does group membership impact an individual's psychology and actions?
Being in a group can affect an individual’s behavior and mental processes through various phenomena like social loafing or groupthink.
What is deindividuation?
Deindividuation is a loss of self-awareness and personal responsibility that can occur when an individual is part of a group.
Two rival groups of campers must work together to fix the camp's only water supply. What is the shared problem an example of?
This is an example of a superordinate goal, which is a shared objective that unites groups and requires their cooperation.
What are social norms?
Social norms are the defined societal expectations and roles that guide behavior within a culture or group.
How does prosocial behavior influence individuals?
Prosocial behavior, or voluntary actions intended to help others, affects the behavior and mental processes of both the helper and the recipient.
A company wants to improve teamwork and resolve conflicts between two departments. What kind of psychologist would be best suited for this task?
An Industrial-organizational (I/O) psychologist would be best suited, as they study how people perform in the workplace.
In social psychology, what is the relationship between a social situation and an individual's inner life and actions?
The social situation directly affects an individual's behavior and mental processes.
What is the focus of Industrial-organizational (I/O) psychology?
Industrial-organizational (I/O) psychologists study how people perform in the workplace and apply psychological principles to optimize productivity and well-being.
What is the foot-in-the-door phenomenon?
This is a persuasion technique where compliance with a small initial request increases the likelihood of compliance with a larger subsequent request.
What is the false consensus effect?
The false consensus effect is a cognitive bias where an individual overestimates the extent to which others share their own opinions, beliefs, and behaviors.
According to social influence theory, what are the two types of pressure that lead to conformity?
Social influence theory proposes that pressure to conform can be either normative (a desire to fit in) or informational (a belief that the group has accurate information).
What is collectivism as a cultural phenomenon?
Collectivism is a cultural orientation that emphasizes the goals, harmony, and interdependence of the group over individual desires and achievements.
What are the five examples given of how group membership can influence behavior?
Group membership can influence behavior via group polarization, groupthink, diffusion of responsibility, social loafing, and deindividuation.
What is diffusion of responsibility?
It is a phenomenon where a person is less likely to take responsibility for action or inaction when others are present.
In a group project, one member contributes very little, assuming the others will handle the work. What phenomenon does this illustrate?
This illustrates social loafing, which is the tendency for an individual to exert less effort when working as part of a group.
What is groupthink?
Groupthink is a mode of thinking that occurs when the desire for group harmony overrides a realistic appraisal of alternatives, often leading to poor decisions.
What are the two pathways to persuasion described by the elaboration likelihood model?
The elaboration likelihood model outlines the central route (persuasion through logic and facts) and the peripheral route (persuasion through superficial cues).
What is the bystander effect?
The bystander effect is a social psychological phenomenon where individuals are less likely to offer help to a victim when other people are present.
What are two social norms that can explain altruistic behavior?
Selfless altruistic behavior can be explained by the social reciprocity norm (helping those who help us) and the social responsibility norm (helping those in need).
What is social facilitation?
Social facilitation is the tendency for the presence of others to improve a person's performance on simple or well-learned tasks.
After a discussion about their favorite candidate, a group of supporters becomes even more convinced of the candidate's merits. What is this an example of?
This is an example of group polarization, where group discussion strengthens the members' dominant, pre-existing attitudes.
What predicts the likelihood of someone helping in an emergency, according to research on the bystander effect?
The bystander effect demonstrates that situational variables, such as the number of people present, are strong predictors of the likelihood of helping someone.
What are social traps?
Social traps are situations where individuals acting in their own rational self-interest result in a collective detriment for the group.
A politician's speech uses emotional appeals and celebrity endorsements rather than facts and figures. Which route to persuasion is being used?
This is an example of the peripheral route to persuasion, as it relies on superficial cues rather than the central route's focus on logic and evidence.