1) Social Influence Flashcards

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1
Q

What was the procedure for Milgram’s research?

1963

A
  • 40 male participants. Each person drew lots for their role. There was a confederate “learner”, participant as the “teacher” and an experimenter.
  • “Learner” was strapped in a chair in another room wired with electrodes. “Teacher” was asked to administer an electrical shock to the “learner” when an incorrect answer was given.
  • Participants were unaware that the shocks were fake.
  • Shocks ranged from 15V to 450V, labelled as severe, but at 315V the “learner” would pound on the wall and stop responding.
  • If the “teacher” felt unsure about continuing, the “experimenter” would say “please continue” and “the experiment requires you to continue”.
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2
Q

What were the conclusions for Milgram’s Research?

A
  • No participants stopped below 300V but 65% continued to 450V.
  • Observations formed qualitative data and indicated that participants showed signs of tension, many would sweat, tremble and bit their lips. Three had uncontrollable seizures.
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3
Q

What happened during the debriefing of Milgram’s Experiment?

A

Participants were assured their behavior was normal.

A follow-up questionnaire reported that 84% were glad to have participated.

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4
Q

How did Milgram recruit his participants?

A

Through newspaper ads and postal flyers to take part in a “memory study”

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5
Q

Who were Milgram’s participants?

A

40 Males, aged between 20 and 50 from a range of jobs.

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6
Q

What was the effect of proximity on obedience?

A
  • Fell from 65% to 21% when the experimenter was in another room (talking via telephone) showing a decrease in obedience when the authority figure is further away.
  • Obedience fell to 30% when the teacher was asked to force the learners hand onto a shock plate, showing a decrease in obedience when a the participant is closer to the harm.
  • This is because they feel more responsible for their actions.
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7
Q

What was the effect of location on obedience?

A
  • Dropped from 65% to 48% when the location was changed from the prestigious university setting to a run-down building.
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8
Q

What was the effect of uniform on obedience?

A
  • The experimenter was “called away” because of a phone call and an ordinary member of the public stepped in wearing ordinary clothes rather than a lab coat.
  • Obedience dropped to 20%, lowest of all variations showing that uniform is a strong visual authority symbol.
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9
Q

What is the agentic state?

A

Carrying out another person’s orders as you feel less responsible.

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10
Q

What is the autonomous state?

A

When we see ourselves as being responsible for our own behaviour.

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11
Q

What is an agentic shift?

A

Moving from the autonomous state to the agentic state

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12
Q

What are binding factors?

A

Aspects of a situation that allow a person to obey by:

  • Ignore the damaging effect of their behaviour.
  • Reduce moral strain so they allow a person to stay in the agentic state.
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13
Q

What is a legitimate authority figure?

A

Someone who is perceived to be in a position of social control.

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14
Q

Why does a figure of authority influence a shift to the agentic state?

A

They are viewed as a legitimate figure of authority.

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15
Q

What are dispositional explanations?

A

Explanations proposing that:

obedience is caused by personality characteristics

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16
Q

What was Adorno et al’s (1950) study on the authoritarian personality?

A
  • Studied more than 2000 white middle-class, Americans and their unconscious attitudes towards other racial groups.
  • The F-Scale was developed (fascism) to measure AP.
    These people who scored higher identified with “strong” people and were dismissive of the “weak”. Conscious of their own status and of others higher than them.
    Have fixed stereotypes
  • A strong correlation between authoritarianism and prejudice.
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17
Q

What is the authoritarian personality caused by?

A
  • Result of an authoritative parenting style with an emphasis on obedience and physically punishing their children.
18
Q

What is social support?

A
  • Assistance from other people
  • Allows a person to act freely (Do not feel judged)
  • Provides a role model
19
Q

How does SS lead to resisting social influence?

A

Enables people to resist pressures from a majority

20
Q

What is the Locus of Control?

A

A person’s perception of personal control over their own behavior.

21
Q

(LOC) What are the features of an Internal?

A
  • Take more responsibility for their actions
  • Less likely to conform/obey
  • Strong Internals believe that what happens to them is due to their own ability and effort.
22
Q

(LOC) What are the features of an external?

A
  • Take less responsibility for their actions
  • More likely to conform/obey.
  • Strong externals believe what happens to them is due to external actions.
23
Q

Explain Moscovici et al’s (1969) research into minority influence?

A

Blue or Green Slide Study

  • In a group of six, two confederates consistently said that a blue side was green to see whether the other four would be influenced by the minority.
  • When the minority consistently claimed that the blue was green, the majority were influenced about 8% of the time.
  • When the minority was inconsistent about 1% of the time.
24
Q

What did Moscovici claim about the conversion to a minority position?

A

Tends to be deep and long-lasting.

25
Q

How does consistency lead to minority influence?

A
  • Minority tends to be synchronic (consistent between each other) and diachronic (consistent over time) .
  • Makes the majority pay attention
26
Q

How does commitment lead to minority influence?

A

Augmentation Principle - Minority must show they believe enough in the cause to make personal sacrifices.

27
Q

How does flexibility lead to minority influence?

A
  • Rigid views can be off-putting to the majority.
28
Q

What is the snowball effect?7

A

Over time as more people join the minority, the faster the rate of conversion.
Eventually, the minority view becomes the majority view.

29
Q

How does social support affect conformity?

A
  • Breaks the unanimity of the majority.

- Allows people to act on their own, freeing them

30
Q

How does social support affect obedience?

A
  • Disobedient peers act as role models which a person can base their behaviour on.
  • Allow us to remove ourselves from a situation where we are expected to obey.
31
Q

What are the types of resistance to social influence?

A

Locus of Control

Social Support

32
Q

How is a figure of authority viewed as a legitimate figure of authority?

A

If they are a part of an institutional structure.

(e.g. military).

33
Q

What is legitimacy of authority?

A

There is a heirachy of authority

34
Q

What is an example of a dispositional explanation ?

A

Authoritarian personality

or

Locus of Control

35
Q

What did Adorno argue about people with the authoritarian personality?

A
  • They see this as the norm as it was learnt by imitation.

- Making them more likely to obey.

36
Q

Why does an agentic shift happen?

A
  • Happens to maintain a positive self-image
37
Q

What happens to the person’s beliefs when an agentic shift occurs?

A

Believe that they are no longer responsible for their actions

38
Q

What are the situational variables of obedience?

A

Location
Proximity
Uniform

39
Q

What are the Psychological Factors which affect Obedience?

A

Legitimacy of Authority

Agentic State

40
Q

Who conducted the authoritarian personality study?

A

Adorno et al

41
Q

Who conducted research into minority influence?

A

Moscovici