UNIT OUTLINE/ASSIGNMENTS/TERMS TO KNOW FOR
AP PSYCHOLOGY UNIT 8 – SOCIAL PSYCHOLOGY
UNIT 8 OBJECTIVES
This part of the course focuses on how individuals relate to one another in social situations. Social
psychologists study social attitudes, social influence, and other social phenomena.
AP students in psychology should be able to do the following:
 Apply attribution theory to explain motives (e.g., fundamental attribution error, self-serving bias).
 Describe the structure and function of different kinds of group behavior (e.g., deindividuation, group
polarization).
 Explain how individuals respond to expectations of others, including groupthink, conformity, and
obedience to authority.
 Discuss attitudes and how they change (e.g., central route to persuasion).
 Predict the impact of the presence of others on individual behavior (e.g., bystander effect, social
facilitation).
 Describe processes that contribute to differential treatment of group members (e.g., in-group/out-group
dynamics, ethnocentrism, prejudice).
 Articulate the impact of social and cultural categories (e.g., gender, race, ethnicity) on self-concept and
relations with others.
 Anticipate the impact of behavior on a self-fulfilling prophecy.
 Describe the variables that contribute to altruism, aggression, and attraction.
 Discuss attitude formation and change, including persuasion strategies and cognitive dissonance.
 Identify important figures in social psychology (e.g., Solomon Asch, Leon Festinger, Stanley Milgram,
Philip Zimbardo).
Date
Tuesday, April 21
Wednesday, April 22
Thursday, April 23
Friday, April 24
Monday, April 27
Tuesday, April 28
Wednesday, April 29
Thursday, April 30
Friday, May 1
Monday, May 4
Topics Discussed/Assignments Due
Discuss Unit 6 take-home test
Personality Theory
Handout – Unit 8 Outline
Fundamental Attribution Error
Attitudes and Actions
Cognitive Dissonance Theory
Conformity and Obedience
Group Behavior
Social Loafing
Group Think
Prejudice and Discrimination
Aggression
Attraction
Altruism
Unit 8 Quiz
Review – History, Perspectives, Biological Bases of Behavior, Sensation &
Perception
Review – States of Consciousness, Motivation & Emotion, Abnormal
Psychology, Therapies
Review – Social Psychology
Timed practice test – multiple choice
FRQ practice tips
Review
Review – Good luck on Monday!
AP Psychology Exam!!!!
Unit 8 Terms to Know – Social Psychology
Attribution Theory
Fundamental Attribution Error
Attitudes
Foot-In-The-Door Phenomenon
Cognitive Dissonance Theory
Chameleon Effect
Mood Linkage
Conformity
Normative Social Influence
Informational Social Influence
Asch Conformity Experiment
Milgram Experiment
Social Facilitation
Social Loafing
Deindividuation
Group Polarization
Groupthink
Prejudice
Stereotype
Discrimination
Ingroup
Outgroup
Ingroup Bias
Scapegoat Theory
Just-World Phenomenon
Aggression
Frustration-Aggression Principle
Conflict
Social Traps
Mere Exposure Effect
Companionate Love
Equity
Self-Disclosure
Altruism
Bystander effect
Social Exchange Theory
Reciprocity Norm
Social-Responsibility Norm
Superordinate Goals
GRIT