Social Influence & Conformity

🤝 Social Influence & Conformity

Part 1 of 7 — Social Psychology Introduction

Social psychology studies how people's thoughts, feelings, and behaviors are influenced by the actual, imagined, or implied presence of others. The central lesson: situations are more powerful than we think.

Key Definitions

The FAE in Action

Why this matters for the AP exam: The FAE is one of the most tested concepts in social psychology. You must recognize it in scenarios AND explain why it occurs (we focus on the person, not the situation — the person is "figural" while the situation is "background").

Concept Check 🎯

📚 Attribution Biases Compared

Why the FAE Occurs

Cultural Differences in Attribution

AP Connection: The cultural difference in FAE connects to cross-cultural psychology. Don't say the FAE is "universal" — it's WEAKER in collectivist cultures.

Recall Practice ✍️

Classify the Attribution Bias 🔍

🎯 AP Strategy: Attribution Questions

Common Misconceptions:

Quick Decision Tree:

1. Is the judgment about YOURSELF or OTHERS?
   • Others → Could be FAE or actor-observer
   • Yourself → Could be self-serving or actor-observer
2. Is it about SUCCESS vs. FAILURE of your own behavior? → Self-serving bias
3. Is it comparing YOUR explanation vs. explanation of OTHERS for similar behavior? → Actor-observer bias
4. Is it simply attributing OTHERS' behavior to their personality? → FAE

AP Tip: The phrase "fundamental attribution error" implies it's a MISTAKE. We SHOULD consider situational factors but we DON'T. On the AP exam, FAE almost always involves someone judging another person harshly without considering circumstances.

Applied Scenarios 🔬

🤝 Social Influence & Conformity

Part 2 of 7 — Conformity

Conformity is adjusting your behavior or thinking to match a group standard. It's not always bad — it helps society function. But it can lead us to say things we don't believe.

Key Definitions

Asch's Conformity Experiment (1951)

Factors That Increase/Decrease Conformity

AP Key: The most important finding from Asch is that ONE dissenter dramatically reduces conformity. This shows conformity depends on UNANIMITY, not just majority size.

Concept Check 🎯

📚 Normative vs. Informational: The Key Distinction

Sherif's Autokinetic Effect (1935) — Informational Influence

Asch vs. Sherif: A Crucial Comparison

AP Tip: When an AP question presents AMBIGUITY or UNCERTAINTY → informational influence. When it presents CLEAR answers with group pressure → normative influence. This distinction is one of the most commonly tested.

Recall Practice ✍️

Classify the Influence Type 🔍

🎯 AP Strategy: Conformity Questions

Common Misconceptions:

Asch Study Numbers to Memorize:

• 75% — Percentage who conformed at least once
• 37% — Overall conformity rate across all critical trials
• < 1% — Error rate when participants judged alone
• 4-5 — Group size at which conformity plateaus
• ~80% — Reduction in conformity when ONE dissenter is present

AP Tip: When describing Asch in an FRQ, mention: (1) the LINE JUDGMENT task, (2) confederates gave unanimous WRONG answers, (3) ~75% conformed at least once, and (4) this was primarily NORMATIVE influence.

Applied Scenarios 🔬

🤝 Social Influence & Conformity

Part 3 of 7 — Obedience

Obedience is changing behavior in response to a direct command from an authority figure. Milgram's obedience study is one of the most famous — and disturbing — experiments in psychology.

Key Definitions

Milgram's Obedience Study (1963)

Factors Affecting Obedience

The lesson: Obedience is NOT about "bad people." Ordinary people obey destructive commands because of situational pressures — authority, legitimacy, gradual escalation, and diffusion of responsibility.

Concept Check 🎯

📚 Zimbardo's Stanford Prison Experiment (1971)

Criticisms of the Stanford Prison Experiment

Conformity vs. Obedience vs. Compliance

AP Connection: Both Milgram and Zimbardo demonstrate the SAME theme: the power of the SITUATION over the individual (dispositional factors). This directly connects to the fundamental attribution error — we underestimate how much situations influence behavior.

Recall Practice ✍️

Classify the Social Influence 🔍

🎯 AP Strategy: Obedience Questions

Common Misconceptions:

Milgram's Key Numbers:

• 65% obeyed to 450V (original study)
• 21% obeyed when authority gave instructions by phone
• 10% obeyed when peers refused
• ~1% was the predicted obedience rate by psychiatrists

Ethical Issues with Both Studies:

• Participants experienced genuine psychological distress
• Informed consent was compromised (deception about shocks/study purpose)
• Right to withdraw was pressured (Milgram's prods encouraged continuation)
• These studies led to stricter IRB (Institutional Review Board) guidelines

AP Tip: Never say "Milgram's study proved all people are evil." The correct interpretation is: "Situational factors (authority, legitimacy, gradual escalation) can lead ordinary people to obey destructive commands."

Applied Scenarios 🔬

🤝 Social Influence & Conformity

Part 4 of 7 — Group Behavior

How do groups change individual behavior? Sometimes groups make us perform better, sometimes worse. Understanding these effects is essential for the AP exam.

Key Definitions

Social Facilitation (Zajonc, 1965)

The mechanism: Others → increased arousal → dominant response strengthened. If the dominant response is correct (simple task) → better performance. If the dominant response is wrong (complex task) → worse performance.

Real-World Example

A professional basketball player shoots free throws BETTER with a crowd watching (simple, well-practiced). But a beginning player shoots WORSE with a crowd (complex, unfamiliar task). Same situation, opposite effects — all explained by arousal level and task difficulty.

Concept Check 🎯

📚 Groupthink (Janis, 1972)

Groupthink occurs when the desire for unanimity in a cohesive group overrides the motivation to realistically evaluate alternatives.

Symptoms of Groupthink:

Historical Examples:

• Bay of Pigs invasion (1961): Kennedy's advisors suppressed doubts about the plan
• Challenger disaster (1986): Engineers' concerns about O-ring seals were overridden by pressure to launch
• Enron collapse: Corporate culture silenced dissent

Preventing Groupthink: Assign a "devil's advocate," encourage dissent, bring in outside experts, allow anonymous feedback

Group Polarization

Why does polarization happen? (1) Social comparison — people shift to be more extreme to gain group approval. (2) Persuasive arguments — hearing ONLY one side's arguments strengthens that position.

Deindividuation

Classic finding (Zimbardo, 1970): Participants in hoods and coats (anonymous) delivered longer shocks than those wearing name tags. Online trolling is a modern example — anonymity + group membership → reduced self-restraint.

Social Facilitation vs. Social Loafing

Recall Practice ✍️

Identify the Group Phenomenon 🔍

🎯 AP Strategy: Group Behavior Questions

Hardest AP Distinctions:

AP Tip: The word "HARMONY" = groupthink. The word "EXTREME" = group polarization. The word "ANONYMOUS" = deindividuation. The word "AUDIENCE" = social facilitation.

Applied Scenarios 🔬

🤝 Social Influence & Conformity

Part 5 of 7 — Persuasion & Attitude Change

How do people change others' attitudes? The Elaboration Likelihood Model explains two pathways, and compliance techniques exploit psychological principles to get people to say "yes."

Key Definitions

Elaboration Likelihood Model (Petty & Cacioppo, 1986)

Key insight: The SAME message can be processed via different routes by different people. A doctor evaluates a drug's research data (central route). A patient might just trust the doctor because "she seems smart" (peripheral route).

Concept Check 🎯

📚 Compliance Techniques Deep Dive

Cognitive Dissonance (Festinger, 1957)

When behavior contradicts beliefs, people experience uncomfortable tension (dissonance) and are motivated to reduce it.

Ways to Reduce Dissonance:

Festinger & Carlsmith (1959) — The $1/$20 Study

AP Connection: Insufficient justification = MORE attitude change. This is counterintuitive and frequently tested. The LESS external reward, the MORE people internalize the attitude change.

Foot-in-the-Door vs. Door-in-the-Face

Recall Practice ✍️

Identify the Persuasion Technique 🔍

🎯 AP Strategy: Persuasion Questions

Common Misconceptions:

Quick Decision Guide:

• Person carefully analyzes evidence → Central route
• Person influenced by celebrity/emotions/attractiveness → Peripheral route
• Small request then large request → Foot-in-the-door
• Large request refused, then smaller request → Door-in-the-face
• Low price then hidden costs → Lowball
• Behavior contradicts beliefs, person feels uncomfortable → Cognitive dissonance

AP Tip: The $1/$20 study is a TOP AP exam topic. Remember: $1 = MORE attitude change. The key term is "insufficient justification" — when external justification is weak, people must justify internally by changing their attitude.

Applied Scenarios 🔬

🤝 Social Influence & Conformity

Part 6 of 7 — Problem-Solving Workshop

This section integrates ALL social influence concepts into a decision framework for AP exam scenarios.

Social Influence Identification Framework

The Hardest AP Distinctions

Concept Check 🎯

📚 Multi-Concept Scenario Analysis

Scenario: A Workplace Meeting

A tech company is deciding whether to launch a risky new product. Analyze each event:

Common AP Scenario Types

Type 1: "Which concept explains...?"

• Look for the KEY behavioral indicator (direct order? group pressure? attitude change?)
• Use the identification framework above

Type 2: "Which study is MOST relevant?"

• Match the scenario to the closest classic study:
  • Authority figure + harmful behavior → Milgram
  • Group pressure + obvious answer → Asch
  • Ambiguous situation + group convergence → Sherif
  • Role behavior + power → Zimbardo
  • Boring task + small reward → Festinger & Carlsmith

Type 3: "What would MOST likely happen?"

• Apply the research findings:
  • 65% obey authority to max (Milgram)
  • 75% conform at least once (Asch)
  • Groups become more extreme (polarization)
  • Less reward = more attitude change (dissonance)

Recall Practice ✍️

Identify the Concept 🔍

🎯 AP Strategy: The "Process of Elimination" Method

When a social influence question is tricky, systematically eliminate:

Step 1: Is there an authority figure giving orders?

• YES → Obedience (not conformity)
• NO → Continue

Step 2: Is there a group?

• YES → Could be conformity, groupthink, polarization, facilitation, loafing, deindividuation
• NO → Could be persuasion, compliance, dissonance

Step 3: What is the group effect?

• Adjusting to match the group → Conformity (normative or informational?)
• Suppressing dissent for harmony → Groupthink
• Becoming more extreme → Group polarization
• Performing better/worse with audience → Social facilitation
• Less effort in group → Social loafing
• Acting impulsively while anonymous → Deindividuation

Step 4: Is it persuasion?

• Evaluating argument quality → Central route
• Influenced by superficial cues → Peripheral route
• Small then large request → Foot-in-the-door
• Large then small request → Door-in-the-face
• Behavior contradicts beliefs → Cognitive dissonance

AP Tip: The most commonly tested distinction is normative vs. informational influence. Ask: "Is the person worried about being REJECTED (normative) or worried about being WRONG (informational)?"

Applied Scenarios 🔬

🤝 Social Influence & Conformity

Part 7 of 7 — Synthesis & AP Review

Master Integration Table

The Big Theme of Social Psychology

"The power of the situation" — Social psychology's central lesson is that we DRASTICALLY underestimate how much situations influence behavior (FAE) and DRASTICALLY overestimate how much personality/character drives behavior. Milgram, Asch, Zimbardo, and Festinger all show this same theme.

Concept Check 🎯

📚 Cross-Unit Connections

FRQ Template: Social Influence

Sample Prompt: "Maya is a new employee at a company. Using social psychology concepts, explain the following behaviors."

Model Answer Structure:

Maya agrees with her team's marketing strategy even though she privately thinks it's flawed. → This illustrates normative social influence — Maya publicly conforms to the group's opinion to gain social acceptance and avoid being seen as a troublemaker. She maintains her private belief but adjusts her public behavior, which is compliance rather than acceptance. This parallels Asch's (1951) conformity study, where participants gave wrong answers to match the group even when they knew the correct answer.

Maya's team, which initially slightly favored a risky advertising campaign, decides unanimously to pursue an extremely aggressive version. → This demonstrates group polarization — the team's initial lean toward the risky campaign became MORE extreme after discussion. This occurs because members heard predominantly one-sided arguments and engaged in social comparison (wanting to be at least as bold as others). Note: this is NOT groupthink, because there's no evidence of suppressed dissent — the team genuinely agreed and became more extreme.

Maya's boss tells her to inflate the sales figures in a report, and she complies despite knowing it's unethical. → This is obedience — Maya follows a direct order from an authority figure (her boss), even though it conflicts with her values. This parallels Milgram's (1963) study, where 65% of participants obeyed destructive commands from an authority figure. The situational factors facilitating Maya's obedience include: the boss's perceived legitimacy, institutional authority, and the gradual escalation (it may have started with small compromises).

Final Recall Challenge ✍️

Match Researcher to Concept 🔍

🎯 AP Exam: High-Frequency Social Influence Topics

1. Asch conformity — 75% conformed once, factors affecting conformity
2. Milgram obedience — 65% to max, factors increasing/decreasing obedience
3. FAE — overestimate dispositional, underestimate situational
4. Normative vs. informational — fitting in vs. being right
5. Cognitive dissonance — $1/$20, insufficient justification
6. Central vs. peripheral route — ELM model
7. Groupthink vs. group polarization — suppressed dissent vs. becoming more extreme
8. Foot-in-the-door vs. door-in-the-face — consistency vs. reciprocity

Common Misconceptions

Final AP-Style Questions 🔬