AP Psychology 4.3.B: Group Behavior
Explore AP Psychology 4.3.B questions on group influence, conformity, deindividuation, social facilitation, cultural patterns, and group decision-making.
- Syllabus
- Effective Fall 2025
- Course
- AP Psychology
Exam points
- Explain how group membership produces conformity, deindividuation, polarization and groupthink.
- Apply social facilitation, loafing and false consensus to behavior in groups.
- Explain how culture, shared goals and social traps influence interactions among groups.
4.3.B—Explain how being in a group can affect an individual’s behavior and mental processes question 1
[Maximum number: 2]
A survey was conducted to determine the state of the physical and psychological health of high school students.
Part B
Some of the survey questions related to risky behaviors. The results indicated that 90 percent of high school
students' risky behaviors were influenced by social factors.
Explain how each of the following may contribute to an increase in risky behaviors.
- Deindividuation
- Normative social influence
Point 4
The response must include that the presence of other people diminishes one's sense of self-awareness OR
increases feelings of anonymity OR diminishes one's sense of individual responsibility or inhibition. This
increases one's engagement in risky behavior.
- Score: "A person feels anonymous in large groups, so they do irresponsible things."
- Score: "Drew is at a concert with 100,000 other people, so he loses his sense of self-awareness and tosses
his empty soda can on the field instead of throwing it in the recycle bin like he normally would do."
- Do NOT score other group-related phenomena such as groupthink, group polarization, social facilitation,
social loafing, bystander effect.
Point 5
The response must indicate that a person engages in risky behavior in order to fit in/gain social approval or avoid
social disapproval.
- Score: "People might do risky things because they think it will make them look cool in the eyes of
others."
- Score: "Susie has never stolen anything, but when she is shopping with friends, she sees them
shoplifting, so she steals to fit in with her classmates."
- Do NOT score references to informational social influence or simply learning by observation or
conformity.
Note: A response can use descriptions of fitting in, such as belonging.
Note: Using "normal" alone is not enough to indicate social approval. If a response uses the word "normal," it
must also clearly describe social approval in the eyes of others.
Part C
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