riots

Meaning: A riot is a violent, disorderly outburst by a crowd. It is an example of collective behavior, which is relatively spontaneous, unstructured group action without established rules or leaders. Three accounts explain it. Contagion theory says anonymity and shared emotion spread through the crowd, so people act as they would not alone (deindividuation). Convergence theory says like-minded people gather, so the crowd reveals attitudes they already held. Emergent-norm theory says new norms form in the situation and members conform to them.

On the MCAT: A passage describes a crowd turning violent, and you choose the theory that fits. Emotion spreading through the crowd points to contagion. People with shared grievances assembling beforehand points to convergence. Rules forming on the spot points to emergent-norm theory. Relative deprivation, the feeling of being worse off than expected or than others, is often cited as a cause.

Common confusion: A riot is not a social movement. A social movement is organized and sustained in order to promote or resist change, while a riot is brief and unorganized. A riot can arise during a movement without being the movement itself.