AP Psychology: Social psychology projects
“Actions speak louder than words!”
Choose one of the following projects to complete individually or with partner(s):
Project & Presentation Due: A Wednesday May 30th; B Thursday May 31st
Option 1: Social Norms
A. According to social psychologists, our behavior is often controlled by unwritten standards of what is
socially acceptable in given situations. We call these standards social norms. Often it is only by
behaving in a way that violates the normative standard that we become aware of its existence or
potency.
PROCEDURE:
1. Select a social norm to break.* (Choose from the list or think of your own.)
2. Break the norm and note the reactions of others as well as your own feelings while you are
acting as the deviant. Be sure to document your experiences through videotape, photographs,
observation notes, tape recording, etc.
3. Violate the norm at least 5 different times. (If you are working with classmates, increase the
number of trials by 5 per group member.)
4. Be sure to DEBRIEF anyone who needs to be informed that you are doing a social psychology
project after violating your norm.
IDEAS FOR BREAKING A NORM:
 In a restaurant, café, or coffee shop, sit down at the same table with two strangers. Strike up a
conversation with them or study/eat/drink without acknowledging their presence.
 Enter a restaurant with a friend and sit at a table or counter seat recently vacated. While you wait for
new service, eat some of the food left over from the previous diner. Eat something packaged (ex:
crackers) to avoid health concerns or have a confederate leave some food untouched and take a bite.
 At lunch, eat a banana horizontally, peeling back only the top strips of peel while holding it in both
hands like a watermelon.
 For several days, whenever someone says, “Hi, how are you?” or any version of the question, give a
substantive answer describing in detail how you are feeling or what you’ve been doing or thinking. Try
being perfectly honest or emphasize positive/negative things.
 When talking to another person, either stand very close (within a foot) or else maintain a distance of
nearly three feet.
 Dress in a fashion that is atypical for you (ex: wear a suit if you normally wear jeans).
WRITE-UP (1 ½ -2 pgs.):
Part I

Describe your behavior—i.e., when, where, and how you broke a social norm.

Predict (hypothesize) how it may affect others & what your feelings may be.
Part II

Discuss what you actually observed in the reactions of others & what you actually felt while
acting as the deviant.
Part III

Explain what you learned about social psychology and/or discuss how your experiment relates
to theories presented in your textbook.
You must also include evidence that you conducted the experiment, such as videotape,
photographs, a tape recording, detailed observation notes, data tables, etc.
Option 2: Compliance
Fundamental to social life is the necessity for individuals to comply with the requests, needs, or demands,
of other individuals at least some of the time. A community where everyone did his or her own thing,
oblivious or indifferent to what others wanted, would at first seem to promote individual freedom but might
be more likely to create social anarchy and widespread frustration. “Optimal” individual freedom often
involves some measure of altruistic sacrifice in a community where others can be counted on to do
likewise. This balance between doing for others and doing what is best for oneself is indeed a tenuous
one, since we know too well that it is easy for some people to be excessively compliant, to diminish their
own independence by doing what they are told or, more subtly, what they are expected to do.
PROCEDURE:
5. Think of a scenario that involves a compliant request.* (Choose from the list or think of your
own.)
6. Seek compliance to your request. Be sure to document your experiences through videotape,
photographs, notes, etc.
7. Repeat the scenario at least 5 times. (If you are working with classmates, increase the number
of trials by 5 per group member.)
8. Be sure to DEBRIEF anyone who needs to be informed that you are doing a social psychology
project after making your request and receiving a response.
IDEAS FOR SEEKING COMPLIANCE:
 Ask to make a long-distance phone call on a stranger’s cell phone.
 As you drop your notebook and the pages fly out, request help from one or more strangers
nearby. You can do the same with a shopping bag with a bottom that easily opens up. Or spill
a box of paper clips and then ask for help collecting them.
 Pass out leaflets on a campus and try to get a passerby to help you distribute them.
 Take a camera to a shopping center and ask randomly selected individuals if they will do you a
favor by letting you take their picture as they make a funny face, jump in the air, skip a rope, etc.
 Park a car by an expired meter and then ask passersby for money for the meter.
WRITE-UP (1 ½ -2 pgs.):
Part I

Describe your request—i.e., the when, where, & how of the situation.

Predict (hypothesize) the rate of compliance you will experience.
Part II

Discuss what you actually observed, & discuss any factors that may have influenced the rate of
compliance, such as the characteristics of the situation, the source of the compliant request,
and/or the person who receives the request.
Part III

Explain what you learned about social psychology and/or discuss how your experiment relates
to theories presented in your textbook.
You must also include evidence that you conducted the experiment, such as videotape,
photographs, a tape recording, detailed observation notes, data tables, etc.
*You may not break a social norm or make a request if your actions involve a dangerous situation or
could cause physical or emotional distress to others. Nothing illegal, nothing immoral, and nothing that
would indicate any sort of mental disorder. Don’t be too obnoxious or too harmful to your subjects.
Attempt to repair any disturbances afterwards. EXPLAIN.
Also, always select your subjects in a highly safe public place (ex: school) during daylight hours only.
It is preferable to have one or two other people with you as a safety precaution.
Option 3: Smile!
The purposes of this experiment are to explore the expression of emotions, including individual and sex
differences in such expression; to demonstrate the power of nonverbal communication; to increase
awareness of how self-image is affected by the responses of others; to develop your skills as
experimenters; and to study the influence of experimental variables.
PROCEDURE:
1. In a public place, record at least 15 people’s responses to you depending on whether you are smiling or
not smiling at them. (Increase trials by 15 per classmate). You must abide by the following rules:
 Every subject must be a stranger to you.
 You must gain eye contact with the subject to be sure she or he has seen you. Maintain eye
contact for a second or two while you either smile or don’t smile at the subject.
 Decide if you are going to smile or not smile before approaching a subject, and then stick to
your decision.
 Whenever possible, pick a subject who is alone. It may affect the results if a subject if with
other people.
 You may wish to record additional data such as the date, the time of day, or the location of the
experiment.
2. Create a data table for documenting your responses. Consider the sample recording sheet—see
attached.
Description of response categories:
Smile—subject clearly initiates a smile or responds to your smile
No smile—subject clearly does not initiate a smile or does not respond to your smile
Acknowledgement without smile—subject nods head, raises a hand, or shows some other form of greeting
without smiling
Avoidance—subject quickly looks away and avoids a further response
Other—any other response
3. After completing the experiment, add the total responses for each category. You may then wish to go a
step further and determine the percentage of total responses in each category.
WRITE-UP (1 ½ -2 pgs.):
Part I

Discuss your feelings about the experiment. How did it feel not to smile? Was it easy or hard
not to smile when a person initiated a smile? How did it feel to smile if your subject did not
smile back?
Part II

Describe patterns in your data. What differences did you find between male and female
responses? Why do you suppose this difference (or lack thereof) exits? What difference do
you think your sex as experimenter made on the results you found?
Part III

Analyze what you think smiling really means? What “message” is being communicated? Also
consider what circumstances might have changed your results, such as time of day, season,
area of country, setting, etc.
You must also include evidence that you conducted the experiment, such as videotape, photographs, a
tape recording, detailed observation notes, data tables, etc.
Presentation requirements for ALL options:
 In a 3-5 minute presentation, describe your experiment set up, predictions,
and observations/results

Use at least one visual aid (power point, video tape, pictures)
Total Points:
75 points!