AP Psychology Lesson: Psychology of Social Situations 

Unit: Social Psychology and Personality
Lesson: 3 of 6
AP Exam Weighting: 15%–25%

Warm-Up: “Social Situation Snapshots”
Write 1–2 sentences for each:

  1. Why might you act differently in a group than when alone?

  2. How could a crowd influence your decision to help someone?

  3. When has a social setting made you conform to others’ behavior? What happened?

Key Concepts 
Social Influence
Social influence describes how others’ presence affects behavior.

Conformity
Adjusting behavior to match a group (e.g., wearing similar clothes). Asch’s line experiment showed people conform to incorrect answers under group pressure.

Bystander Effect
Reduces helping behavior in crowds due to diffusion of responsibility (e.g., fewer people help if others are present).

Social Facilitation
Improves performance on simple tasks in others’ presence (e.g., running faster in a race). Zajonc’s theory explains arousal from evaluation.

Obedience
Following authority figures’ commands (e.g., Milgram’s shock experiment where participants obeyed up to 450 volts).

Groupthink
Poor decisions due to group pressure for consensus (e.g., ignoring risks in teams). Symptoms include illusion of invulnerability and self-censorship.

Example: A student conforms to a group’s study habits to fit in. Obedience to a teacher leads to completing assignments.

Additional AP Vocabulary to Strengthen Understanding

  • Diffusion of Responsibility – assuming others will help in a group

  • Social Loafing – reduced effort in group tasks

  • Deindividuation – loss of self-awareness in groups, leading to impulsive behavior

  • Pluralistic Ignorance – mistaking others’ inaction as approval

  • Asch Conformity – line judgment experiment showing group pressure

  • Milgram Obedience – electric shock study on authority

  • Zimbardo Prison Experiment – role conformity in simulated situations

  • Janis Groupthink – symptoms like mindguards and overestimation of group morality

  • Zajonc Social Facilitation – arousal theory for performance in presence

  • Foot-in-the-Door Technique – small compliance leading to larger (applied to obedience)

Concept Questions
Write your own definitions:

  1. Define social influence: _______________________________

  2. Define bystander effect: _____________________________

  3. Define conformity: _______________________________

  4. Explain how social facilitation influences a behavior, using a specific example:

  5. Explain how obedience influences a behavior, using a different example:

  6. How does the bystander effect reduce helping behavior in emergencies?

  7. Why might groupthink lead to poor group decisions?

  8. How could cultural norms affect conformity in social situations?

Vocabulary Practice Activity 1: Matching
Match each term to the correct description:

A. Pluralistic ignorance
B. Milgram obedience
C. Social facilitation
D. Bystander effect
E. Deindividuation
F. Asch conformity
G. Groupthink
H. Obedience
I. Social loafing
J. Diffusion of responsibility

  1. Mistaking others’ inaction as approval ______

  2. Reduced effort in group tasks ______

  3. Loss of self-awareness in crowds leading to impulsivity ______

  4. Following authority even against morals ______

  5. Assuming others will help in a group ______

  6. Poor decisions from pressure for consensus ______

  7. Improved performance on simple tasks in presence ______

  8. Line judgment experiment showing group pressure ______

  9. Electric shock study on authority ______

  10. Reduced helping in crowds due to responsibility spread ______

Vocabulary Practice Activity 2: Apply-It Sentences
Write your own example for five of the following terms:

  • Bystander effect _______________________________

  • Social facilitation _______________________________

  • Obedience _______________________________

  • Groupthink _______________________________

  • Diffusion of responsibility _______________________________

  • Pluralistic ignorance _______________________________

  • Deindividuation _______________________________

  • Social loafing _______________________________

  • Asch conformity _______________________________

  • Milgram obedience _______________________________

NEW Guided Activities (Stronger, No Role Play, No Debate)
Activity 1: Influence Identification Grid
Read each scenario and identify:

  • Conformity

  • Bystander effect

  • Social facilitation

  • Obedience

  • Groupthink

  • Diffusion of responsibility

  • Pluralistic ignorance

  • Deindividuation

  • Social loafing

Then explain why.

Scenario

Term

Why?

A runner performs better with spectators cheering.

    

Students in a group project do less because they think others will cover.

    

A person doesn’t speak up in a meeting because everyone seems to agree.

    

In a riot, individuals act more aggressively than they would alone.

    

No one helps a fallen stranger because the crowd assumes someone else will.

    

A team ignores risks to maintain harmony on a decision.

    

An employee follows a boss’s unethical order.

    

Classmates all choose the same wrong answer to fit in.

    

Shoppers don’t report a theft, thinking it’s not their problem.

    

Activity 2: “Situation Detective”
For each situation:

  1. Identify the social influence

  2. Explain how it affects behavior

  3. Suggest one way to counteract it

Situations:

  • A student skips studying because friends are hanging out.
    Influence: _______________________________
    Effect: _______________________________
    Counteract: _______________________________

  • During a fire alarm, no one moves because others stay seated.
    Influence: _______________________________
    Effect: _______________________________
    Counteract: _______________________________

  • A group chat pressures someone to share a rumor.
    Influence: _______________________________
    Effect: _______________________________
    Counteract: _______________________________

  • An athlete chokes under pressure from the crowd.
    Influence: _______________________________
    Effect: _______________________________
    Counteract: _______________________________

  • A committee approves a bad idea to avoid conflict.
    Influence: _______________________________
    Effect: _______________________________
    Counteract: _______________________________

Activity 3: “Experiment Breakdown”
Analyze 3–5 provided experiment descriptions (teacher shows digital or printed).
For each:

  1. Key concept (e.g., obedience, conformity)

  2. How it demonstrates the concept

  3. Real-world application

  4. Ethical issue

Experiment

Key Concept

How It Demonstrates

Real-World Application

Ethical Issue

Asch Line

        

Milgram Shock

        

Zimbardo Prison

        

Latané & Darley Bystander

        

Triplett Social Facilitation

        

Activity 4: “Micro Case Study Builder”
Write a 3–4 sentence mini case study that includes:

  • A social situation

  • The influence at play

  • At least two vocabulary terms (label them)

Example:
In a crowded subway, a woman drops her bag, but no one helps (bystander effect). The crowd assumes someone else will act (diffusion of responsibility), leading to inaction.

Students then answer:
Which two terms did you use, and how do they appear?

Class Assignment: Refer to the assignment file for this lesson
Instructions: Complete the tasks below to deepen your understanding of social situations.
Study Summary 1: A 2018 study found that people were less likely to help a stranger in a crowded urban area, supporting the bystander effect.
Question 1: How does this study demonstrate the impact of the bystander effect, and what might reduce its occurrence?

Study Summary 2: A 2020 study showed that social facilitation improved athletes’ performance in front of supportive crowds but worsened it under hostile audiences.
Question 2: Evaluate how this study illustrates the role of social facilitation in behavior, and suggest one factor that might influence its effects.

One Concept I’ll Use in Real Life”
Choose one:

  • A time you conformed to a group

  • A moment of obedience to authority

  • A situation where you experienced groupthink

  • An example of the bystander effect you’ve seen

Write 2–3 sentences.

AP Exam Connection: This practices analyzing and evaluating research, a key skill for FRQs.

AP Exam Practice
Instructions: Answer the question below. We’ll review answers as a class to learn exam strategies.
Free-Response Question (FRQ):
Explain how conformity, the bystander effect, and groupthink interact to influence a specific behavior (e.g., decision-making, helping, or group performance). Provide one example for each factor (conformity, bystander effect, groupthink) and analyze how they interact to shape the behavior.

Closure
Instructions: Write a brief summary (2–3 sentences) of two key ideas you learned today about how social situations influence behavior.

Extended Practice
Instructions: Complete the tasks below based on today’s lesson to reinforce AP skills.

  1. Review your answers from this lesson.

  2. Write a detailed paragraph (5–7 sentences) applying today’s topic to a real-life behavior (e.g., how social situations affect your choices in school or groups). Include references to conformity, the bystander effect, and groupthink, and explain their interaction.

  3. Find a short article or study on social influence or situations (e.g., via apa.org) and write 2–3 sentences summarizing its relevance to today’s lesson. Cite the source (e.g., website or article title).

Extended Practice

Instructions: Complete the tasks below based on today’s lesson to reinforce AP skills.

  1. Review your answers from this lesson.
  2. Write a detailed paragraph (5–7 sentences) applying today’s topic to a real-life behavior (e.g., how you act in groups or emergencies). Include references to conformity, bystander effect, and social facilitation, and explain their interaction.
  1. Find a short article or study on social influence or group behavior (e.g., via apa.org) and write 2–3 sentences summarizing its relevance to today’s lesson. Cite the source (e.g., website or article title).
Last modified: Tuesday, 18 November 2025, 7:46 PM