1|Page
PSYCHOLOGY GRE SUCCESS DOCUMENT 2026-2027: A
COMPREHENSIVE, PEER-REVIEWED COLLECTION OF
THE MOST CURRENT VERIFIED QUESTIONS AND
ANSWERS WITH IN-DEPTH EXPLANATIONS –
ENGINEERED FOR PSYCHOLOGY STUDENTS SEEKING A
GUARANTEED A+ PASS
Social approval influences behavior - ANSWER-Verplank
An evaluation that changes will have more of an impact
than an evaluation that remains constant - ANSWER-
Gain-Loss Principle
Studied conformity by asking subjects to compare the
lengths of lines - ANSWER-Asch
Adjusting our behavior or thinking to coincide with a
group standard - ANSWER-Conformity
,2|Page
Developed the social learning theory, which focuses on
learning through social contexts - ANSWER-Bandura
The theory that we learn social behavior by observing
and imitating - ANSWER-social learning theory
Developed self-perception theory as an alternative to
cognitive dissonance theory - ANSWER-Bem
The theory that when our attitudes and feelings are
uncertain or ambiguous, we infer these states by
observing our behavior and the situation in which it
occurs - ANSWER-self-perception theory
Performed study on doll preferences in African-American
children; the results were used in the 1954 Brown v. The
Topeka Board of Education Supreme Court case. -
ANSWER-Clark, K. and Clark, M.
Clark; demonstrated negative effects that group
segregation had on African-American children's self-
,3|Page
esteem, they thought white dolls were better - ANSWER-
Doll preference studies
Proposed that there were two factors that could lead to
non-helping: social influence and diffusion of
responsibility - ANSWER-Darley and Latane
The effect that the words, actions, or mere presence of
other people have on our thoughts, feelings, attitudes, or
behavior - ANSWER-social influence
Reduction in sense of responsibility often felt by
individuals in a group; may be responsible for the
bystander effect - ANSWER-diffusion of responsibility
Suggested that gender differences in conformity were
not due to gender per se, but to differing social roles -
ANSWER-Eagly
Developed cognitive dissonance theory; also developed
social comparison theory - ANSWER-Festinger
, 4|Page
Inner tension that a person experiences after recognizing
an inconsistency between behavior and values or
opinions - ANSWER-cognitive dissonance
The hypothesis that people compare themselves to other
people in order to obtain an accurate assessment of their
own opinions, abilities, and internal states - ANSWER-
social comparison theory
Studied norms for interpersonal distance in interpersonal
interactions - ANSWER-Hall
Four distance zones within which different human
interactions occur: intimate, personal, social, and public
distance. - ANSWER-interpersonal distance
Developed balance theory to explain why attitudes
change; also developed attribution theory and divided
attributions into two categories: dispositional and
situational - ANSWER-Heider
PSYCHOLOGY GRE SUCCESS DOCUMENT 2026-2027: A
COMPREHENSIVE, PEER-REVIEWED COLLECTION OF
THE MOST CURRENT VERIFIED QUESTIONS AND
ANSWERS WITH IN-DEPTH EXPLANATIONS –
ENGINEERED FOR PSYCHOLOGY STUDENTS SEEKING A
GUARANTEED A+ PASS
Social approval influences behavior - ANSWER-Verplank
An evaluation that changes will have more of an impact
than an evaluation that remains constant - ANSWER-
Gain-Loss Principle
Studied conformity by asking subjects to compare the
lengths of lines - ANSWER-Asch
Adjusting our behavior or thinking to coincide with a
group standard - ANSWER-Conformity
,2|Page
Developed the social learning theory, which focuses on
learning through social contexts - ANSWER-Bandura
The theory that we learn social behavior by observing
and imitating - ANSWER-social learning theory
Developed self-perception theory as an alternative to
cognitive dissonance theory - ANSWER-Bem
The theory that when our attitudes and feelings are
uncertain or ambiguous, we infer these states by
observing our behavior and the situation in which it
occurs - ANSWER-self-perception theory
Performed study on doll preferences in African-American
children; the results were used in the 1954 Brown v. The
Topeka Board of Education Supreme Court case. -
ANSWER-Clark, K. and Clark, M.
Clark; demonstrated negative effects that group
segregation had on African-American children's self-
,3|Page
esteem, they thought white dolls were better - ANSWER-
Doll preference studies
Proposed that there were two factors that could lead to
non-helping: social influence and diffusion of
responsibility - ANSWER-Darley and Latane
The effect that the words, actions, or mere presence of
other people have on our thoughts, feelings, attitudes, or
behavior - ANSWER-social influence
Reduction in sense of responsibility often felt by
individuals in a group; may be responsible for the
bystander effect - ANSWER-diffusion of responsibility
Suggested that gender differences in conformity were
not due to gender per se, but to differing social roles -
ANSWER-Eagly
Developed cognitive dissonance theory; also developed
social comparison theory - ANSWER-Festinger
, 4|Page
Inner tension that a person experiences after recognizing
an inconsistency between behavior and values or
opinions - ANSWER-cognitive dissonance
The hypothesis that people compare themselves to other
people in order to obtain an accurate assessment of their
own opinions, abilities, and internal states - ANSWER-
social comparison theory
Studied norms for interpersonal distance in interpersonal
interactions - ANSWER-Hall
Four distance zones within which different human
interactions occur: intimate, personal, social, and public
distance. - ANSWER-interpersonal distance
Developed balance theory to explain why attitudes
change; also developed attribution theory and divided
attributions into two categories: dispositional and
situational - ANSWER-Heider
