AP Psychology Study Guide: Social Psychology

Hey there, future AP Psych pro! 👋 Let's dive into social psychology. This guide will help you nail those concepts and feel super confident for the exam. Remember, you've got this!

Attribution Theory: Why We Do What We Do

Attribution theory is all about how we explain behavior—both our own and others'. It's like being a detective, trying to figure out the 'why' behind actions. Let's break it down:

• Attributions: These are the explanations we come up with for why people (including ourselves) act the way they do. 🧠

• Dispositional (Internal) Attributions: We blame it on the person's character or personality. Think of it as something inside them. Example: "They failed because they're not smart enough."

• Situational (External) Attributions: We blame it on the circumstances or environment. Think of it as something outside them. Example: "They failed because the test was too hard."

  

  Caption: A visual representation of attribution theory, showing the interplay between internal (dispositional) and external (situational) factors in explaining behavior.

Explanatory Styles: Are You an Optimist or a Pessimist?

• Explanatory Style: This is your go-to way of explaining why things happen, especially good and bad events. It's like your personal spin on life.
• Optimistic Style: Good things are because of you (internal), will always be true (stable), and affect everything (global). Bad things are because of something else (external), won't last (unstable), and just this one thing (specific). Example: "I aced the test because I'm brilliant!" (optimistic)
• Pessimistic Style: Good things are because of luck (external), won't last (unstable), and just this one thing (specific). Bad things are because of you (internal), will always be true (stable), and affect everything (global). Example: "I failed because I'm just dumb." (pessimistic)

• Actor-Observer Bias: We blame our actions on the situation, but blame others' actions on their personality. It's like we're the hero in our own story, but others are just characters.
  • Example: "I was late because of traffic, but they were late because they're lazy."
• Fundamental Attribution Error: We overemphasize personality and underemphasize the situation when explaining others' behavior. We jump to conclusions about people's character too quickly.
  • Example: Assuming a quiet person is shy without considering they might be tired or having a bad day.
• Self-Serving Bias: We take credit for our successes (internal) and blame our failures on external factors. It's like we're always trying to protect our ego.
  • Example: "I aced the test because I'm smart!" vs. "I failed the test because it was unfair!"

Locus of Control: Who's in Charge?

Locus of control is all about whether you believe you're in control of your life or if outside forces are. It's a big deal for motivation and mental health.

• Internal Locus of Control: You believe you control your own destiny. "I make things happen!"
• External Locus of Control: You believe that fate, luck, or other people control your life. "Things happen to me!"

Applications of Locus of Control:

• Internal Locus: Usually leads to better mental health, higher motivation, and better coping with stress. They take charge and make things happen.

• External Locus: Can lead to learned helplessness and less motivation to change. They may feel like they're at the mercy of fate.

  

  Caption: A visual representation of the internal and external locus of control, showing how each affects an individual's perception of their influence on life events.

Person Perception: How We See Others

Person perception is how we form impressions of others. It's a complex process influenced by many factors. Let's explore some key concepts:

Mere Exposure Effect: Familiarity Breeds Liking

• Mere Exposure Effect: The more we're exposed to something, the more we tend to like it. It's like that song you didn't like at first, but now you can't stop singing. 🎵
  • Examples: Liking a song more after hearing it on repeat, developing a preference for a brand after seeing its ads.

Self-Fulfilling Prophecies: Beliefs Become Reality

• Self-Fulfilling Prophecy: Your beliefs about someone (or yourself) can lead you to act in ways that make those beliefs come true. It's like a prediction that makes itself happen.
  • Example: A teacher who believes a student is not smart might give them less attention, which leads to the student performing poorly, confirming the initial belief.

Social Comparison: Keeping Up with the Joneses

• Social Comparison: We evaluate ourselves by comparing ourselves to others. It's like checking where you stand in the social pecking order.
• Upward Social Comparison: Comparing yourself to someone who's better off. Can be motivating but can also hurt self-esteem.
• Downward Social Comparison: Comparing yourself to someone who's worse off. Can boost self-esteem but might hinder motivation to improve.
• Relative Deprivation: Feeling deprived of something you think you deserve, often based on social comparisons. It's like seeing someone else get a bigger slice of pie.

Final Exam Focus

Alright, let's get down to brass tacks. Here's what you absolutely need to focus on for the exam:

• Attribution Theory: Know the difference between internal and external attributions, and understand the common biases (actor-observer bias, fundamental attribution error, self-serving bias).
• Locus of Control: Understand the concepts of internal and external locus of control and how they relate to motivation and mental health.
• Person Perception: Be familiar with the mere exposure effect, self-fulfilling prophecies, and social comparison types.
• Connections: Look for ways these concepts connect. For example, how might a pessimistic explanatory style relate to an external locus of control?

Exam Tips:

• Time Management: Don't spend too long on any one question. If you're stuck, move on and come back to it later.
• Read Carefully: Pay close attention to the wording of the questions. A small detail can change the answer.
• FRQs: Make sure to define all the terms in the prompt and apply them to the scenario. Use examples to illustrate your points.

Practice Question

Practice Questions

Multiple Choice Questions

1. A student attributes their success on a test to their hard work and intelligence. This is an example of: (a) Situational attribution (b) External locus of control (c) Dispositional attribution (d) Self-serving bias

2. The tendency to overestimate the impact of dispositional factors and underestimate the influence of situational factors when explaining others' behavior is known as: (a) Actor-observer bias (b) Self-serving bias (c) Fundamental attribution error (d) Mere exposure effect

3. Which of the following best describes the mere exposure effect? (a) The tendency to attribute one's success to internal factors and failures to external factors (b) The phenomenon where people tend to like a stimulus more simply because they've been exposed to it repeatedly over time (c) The belief that one's own actions determine outcomes (d) The tendency to attribute one's own behavior to situational factors, but attribute others' behavior to dispositional factors

Free Response Question

Sarah is a new teacher who believes that some students are naturally more intelligent than others. She tends to give more attention and support to the students she perceives as "smart" and less attention to those she perceives as "less intelligent." Over the course of the semester, the students she perceived as "smart" perform well, while the others struggle.

(a) Explain how Sarah's beliefs demonstrate a self-fulfilling prophecy. (2 points) (b) Explain how Sarah's actions might be influenced by the fundamental attribution error. (2 points) (c) Describe how a student with an internal locus of control might react to a failing grade in Sarah's class. (2 points) (d) Describe how a student with an external locus of control might react to a failing grade in Sarah's class. (2 points)

FRQ Scoring Breakdown

(a) Self-fulfilling prophecy (2 points) - 1 point for defining self-fulfilling prophecy: A belief that causes itself to come true. - 1 point for applying it to the scenario: Sarah's belief that some students are more intelligent leads her to treat them differently, which in turn causes the students to perform differently.

(b) Fundamental attribution error (2 points) - 1 point for defining fundamental attribution error: The tendency to overemphasize dispositional factors and underemphasize situational factors when explaining others' behavior. - 1 point for applying it to the scenario: Sarah is attributing the students' performance to their inherent intelligence (dispositional) rather than considering the impact of her own teaching (situational).

(c) Internal locus of control (2 points) - 1 point for defining internal locus of control: The belief that one's own actions determine outcomes. - 1 point for applying it to the scenario: A student with an internal locus of control might react by taking responsibility for their grade and studying harder next time.

(d) External locus of control (2 points) - 1 point for defining external locus of control: The belief that outside forces determine outcomes. - 1 point for applying it to the scenario: A student with an external locus of control might react by blaming the teacher or the test for their failing grade, feeling helpless to improve.

You've got this! Go rock that exam! 🚀