AP Syllabus focus:
‘Social norms define expectations and roles, and social influence can be normative or informational.’
Social behavior is shaped by what we think others expect and by cues from the situation. In social psychology, norms, roles, and social influence explain why people often act predictably in groups, even without direct pressure.
Social Norms: Shared Expectations That Guide Behaviour
What social norms do
Social norms are group-based expectations about appropriate behavior. They reduce uncertainty and coordinate interaction, helping people navigate everything from classroom etiquette to online communication.
Norms are learned through socialization (family, peers, school, media).
Norms are enforced through approval (praise, acceptance) and disapproval (criticism, exclusion).
Norms are context-dependent: what is acceptable in one setting may be unacceptable in another.
Social norm: A shared rule or expectation within a group about how members should think, feel, or behave in a given situation.
Norms can be powerful even when unspoken because people anticipate social consequences and monitor others’ reactions.
Types of norms
Psychologists often distinguish between two complementary kinds of norms:
Descriptive norms: perceptions of what most people actually do (e.g., “Most students bring a laptop to class”).
Injunctive norms: perceptions of what people approve or disapprove of (e.g., “It’s rude to text while someone is talking”).
Confusing these can change behavior: believing “everyone does it” (descriptive) can increase a behavior even if it is disapproved of (injunctive).
Social Roles: Behaviour Linked to Positions in a Group
Roles are bundles of expectations tied to social positions (student, captain, employee). Roles help groups function by clarifying responsibilities and predicting others’ actions.
Social role: A set of expected behaviours, obligations, and norms associated with a particular status or position in a social context.
Role expectations can influence:
Attention: people notice information relevant to their role.
Behaviour: people adjust speech, posture, and decision-making to fit role demands.
Identity: people may internalize role-consistent traits (“I’m a leader, so I should be decisive”).
Role conflict occurs when expectations from different roles clash, and role strain occurs when a single role’s demands are difficult to meet. Both can increase stress and change behaviour in predictable ways (e.g., cutting corners to meet competing deadlines).
Social Influence: How Others Shape Our Choices
Social influence refers to changes in behaviour or thinking caused by real or imagined presence of others.
In AP Psychology, two central forms are normative and informational social influence.
Normative social influence (fitting in)
Normative influence is driven by the desire to be accepted and avoid rejection.
Stimulus cards from the Asch line-judgment task: one reference line (left) is compared to three labeled options (right). Because the correct match is typically obvious, conformity in this paradigm is interpreted as stemming largely from normative pressure (fitting in) rather than genuine uncertainty about the answer. Source
People often comply publicly with group expectations even if privately unconvinced.
Normative social influence: Conforming or going along with others to gain social approval or avoid social disapproval.
Key features:
Stronger when belonging matters (new group, high-status group, close friends).
Stronger under public observation (others can see and judge your response).
Often produces compliance: outward agreement without full private acceptance.
Normative pressure can be subtle, such as adjusting opinions to match a group’s tone, laughing at jokes to signal affiliation, or dressing to match a peer group’s style.
Informational social influence (being right)
Informational influence is driven by the desire for accurate beliefs and correct actions, especially in uncertain situations. People treat others as a source of evidence about reality.
Informational social influence: Conforming or accepting others’ views because they are perceived as a credible source of information about what is true or appropriate.
Key features:
Stronger when the situation is ambiguous (unclear rules, unfamiliar task).
Stronger when others seem knowledgeable (expertise, experience, confidence).
Often produces internalization: private acceptance that can persist beyond the immediate group.
Informational influence is common when people look to others to interpret events (e.g., whether something is dangerous, whether a comment was offensive, what the “right” procedure is).
How Norms, Roles, and Influence Work Together
In real settings, norms and roles create a behavioural “script,” and social influence helps maintain it.
Norms set the standard (“this is what people do/should do here”).
Roles assign responsibility (“this person is supposed to handle that”).
Normative influence maintains group cohesion (approval/disapproval signals).
Informational influence supports shared reality (common understanding of events).
The same behavior can reflect different influence processes. For example, a student might remain quiet in a seminar because they want to avoid negative evaluation (normative) or because they assume others understand the topic better (informational). Distinguishing the motive—acceptance versus accuracy—is essential for AP-level analysis.
FAQ
Descriptive norms signal what is common, while injunctive norms signal what is approved.
When people prioritise “what most do,” behaviour can increase even if it is socially disapproved (or the reverse).
Public settings raise the social cost of disagreement.
Evaluation concerns (looking foolish, being excluded) make approval more salient, so compliance becomes more likely.
It is more likely when the source is seen as credible and the situation feels genuinely uncertain.
Private acceptance (internalisation) can persist after the group is gone.
They engage in rapid social sampling: watching what others do, noticing reactions to rule-breaking, and adjusting behaviour iteratively.
They also rely on role cues (who leads, who decides, who explains).
Clarity, visibility, and reinforcement increase role power.
Roles tend to be strongest when expectations are explicit, rewards/sanctions are consistent, and the role is central to one’s identity or goals.
Practice Questions
Outline the difference between normative and informational social influence. (2 marks)
1 mark: Normative influence is driven by wanting approval/avoiding rejection.
1 mark: Informational influence is driven by wanting correct information/accuracy, especially in ambiguity.
Explain how social norms and social roles can shape behaviour in a new student joining an unfamiliar club. In your answer, refer to both normative and informational social influence. (6 marks)
1 mark: Accurate description of social norms as shared expectations guiding behaviour.
1 mark: Accurate description of social roles as position-based expectations.
1 mark: Application of normative influence (e.g., acting to gain acceptance/avoid disapproval).
1 mark: Application of informational influence (e.g., copying others due to uncertainty).
1 mark: Clear link between norms/roles and the student’s behaviour in the club context.
1 mark: Uses appropriate psychological terminology with coherent explanation (not just labels).
