What to focus on
Social psychology courses consistently test three areas: social influence (conformity and obedience), social cognition (attribution, stereotyping, social perception), and group dynamics (groupthink, social loafing, bystander effects).
For each topic, know: the key researchers and their landmark studies; the mechanism behind the effect; real-world implications; and the methodological critiques. Milgram and Asch are almost always on the exam — go beyond just knowing what they found to understanding *why* obedience and conformity occurred (situational authority, gradual commitment, normative vs informational influence).
Also prioritise the cross-disciplinary areas that appear at Swedish universities: the distinction between evolutionary and social-learning accounts of aggression and attraction; and the role of norms and moral emotions in cooperation. These require you to compare frameworks, not just describe one.
Key terms to memorise
Normative social influence · informational social influence · conformity · obedience · compliance · identification · internalisation
Attribution · fundamental attribution error · actor-observer asymmetry · self-serving bias · social perception · stereotype threat
Groupthink · social loafing · deindividuation · social facilitation · diffusion of responsibility · bystander effect
Kin selection · reciprocal altruism · parental investment theory · social dilemma · prisoner's dilemma · prosocial behaviour
Going deeper: apply, compare, and critique
Apply to examples: Scenario questions ask you to identify a named phenomenon in a situation. Practice writing the definition *before* applying it — "social loafing is the reduction in individual effort when working collectively, and this matches the scenario because..." This signals precision to the examiner.
Compare frameworks: The most productive comparisons in this subject are biological vs social-learning accounts of aggression and attraction; and normative vs informational influence (Asch demonstrates normative — the answer is objectively obvious; Sherif's autokinetic effect demonstrates informational — the task is genuinely ambiguous).
Critique: Know Milgram's ethical problems (deception, psychological harm) and what they mean for external validity. The replication crisis has hit social psychology hard — ego depletion, many priming studies, and some conformity findings have failed to replicate. Naming a limitation isn't enough: explain *what it undermines* about the conclusion. For cross-disciplinary questions, use specific examples: "Daly and Wilson (1988) used evolutionary reasoning to explain homicide patterns — a pattern that social-learning accounts alone cannot predict."
Why it still matters
Social psychology explains why ordinary people commit extraordinary acts of harm or heroism. Milgram's findings on obedience are cited every time an institution fails to prevent wrongdoing. Asch's conformity research underpins understanding of groupthink and echo chambers. Attribution theory is applied in clinical psychology (cognitive distortions), organisational behaviour (performance appraisals), and legal settings (eyewitness testimony). The bystander effect has shaped emergency response training. These are not historical curiosities — they're frameworks that predict real-world behaviour.
Common exam pitfalls
Using terms loosely: social loafing requires group context and reduced effort; conformity requires a change due to social norms; groupthink requires a specific cluster of symptoms. Apply the precise definition, not a vague synonym.
Confusing normative and informational influence: normative = going along to fit in; informational = going along because you believe others know better. Asch tests normative (the answer is obviously wrong — participants yield anyway). Don't swap these.
Describing studies without evaluation: naming Milgram and what he found gets partial credit. What earns full marks is the methodological critique *and* an explanation of what it means for the validity or generalisability of the conclusion.
Forgetting the cross-disciplinary dimension: at many universities (especially KI), exam questions ask you to connect social psychology to evolutionary biology, neuroscience, or sociology. Prepare at least one concrete example per disciplinary connection.