1 - Social Influence Flashcards
What are the 3 types of conformity?
Compliance, identification and internalisation
What does ‘compliance’ mean?
Agreeing to avoid rejection
What does ‘identification’ mean?
When someone agrees with a group’s views (internalisation) because they want to be associated with that group (compliance)
What does ‘internalisation’ mean?
Agreeing because you share the same opinions
What are the 2 explanations for conformity?
Normative and informational social influence
What does ‘normative social influence’ mean?
When someone conforms to avoid rejection
What does ‘informational social influence’ mean?
When a person conforms because they believe someone else is ‘right’
What was the aim of Asch’s line study (1956)?
To discover whether people would conform in unambiguous circumstances
Describe the sample/method used in Asch’s line study (1956)
SAMPLE
- Sample of 123 American male uni student volunteers
METHOD
- Volunteers seated with 6-8 confederates
- Asked to determine which comparison line matched the stimulus line on 18 trials
- The panel took turns to answer
- 12/18 trials were ‘critical’
What were the findings of Asch’s line study (1956)?
- Ppts gave wrong answers 33% of the time on the critical trials
- 75% of ppts conformed at least once on critical trials
- 50% of ppts conformed at least 6 times on critical trials
- 5% of ppts conformed on all critical trials
What 3 factors were shown to affect conformity in Asch’s line study (1956)?
- Group size
- Unanimity of the majority
- Task difficulty
Describe how group size affected the level of conformity in Asch’s line study (1956)
3-6 confederates was the most persuasive majority
- Asch found very little conformity when the majority consisted of 1-2 confederates
- 7+ was too many because it started to not affect the conformity levels
Describe how unanimity of the majority affected the level of conformity in Asch’s line study (1956)
Conformity fell to 5.5% with a dissenter
Describe how task difficulty affected the level of conformity in Asch’s line study (1956)
When task difficulty increased, levels of conformity increased
In the context of Zimbardo’s Stanford Prison Study (1973), what does ‘deindividuation’ mean?
Losing your sense of identity
In the context of Zimbardo’s Stanford Prison Study (1973), what does ‘disinhibition’ mean?
Losing your self control
What was the aim of Zimbardo’s Stanford Prison Study (1973)?
To examine whether or not people would conform to social roles of ‘prisoner’ and ‘guard’ when places in a mock prison environment
Describe the sample/method used in Zimbardo’s Stanford Prison Study (1973)
SAMPLE
- 24 male participants
- Volunteer sample
METHOD
- Split into prisoners and guards
- The prisoners were arrested without warning
The guard were told to maintain order
- Experiment was going to be run for 2 weeks, but had to be stopped after 6 days (following ethical concerns)
What were the findings of Zimbardo’s Stanford Prison Study (1973)?
- Guards became abusive with prisoners
- Symptoms of PTSD, anxiety and depression developed amongst prisoners
- Guards felt guilty and were shocked that they treated the prisoners in that way
What was the conclusion of Zimbardo’s Stanford Prison Study (1973)?
Conformity to social roles is very powerful
In the context of Milgram’s shock study (1963), what does ‘autonomous state’ mean?
When a person acts independently
In the context of Milgram’s shock study (1963), what does ‘agentic state’ mean?
When a person carries out the orders of an authority figure
In the context of Milgram’s shock study (1963), what does ‘agentic shift’ mean?
The transition from the autonomous to agentic state
In the context of Milgram’s shock study (1963), what does ‘legitimacy of authority’ mean?
The qualities of a person which makes us obey them
What was the aim of Milgram’s shock study (1963)?
To see how many people will obey an order, if given enough legitimacy of authority
Describe the sample/method used in Milgram’s shock study (1963)
SAMPLE
- 40 American men recruited through a newspaper ad
- Volunteers paid $4.50
METHOD
- 1 participant (‘teacher’) and 1 confederate (‘learner’)
- Teacher asked learner questions
- Wrong answers = fake shock, of increasing voltage, for learner
- Shocks ranged from 15V → 450V (lethal)
- Confederate “passed out” at 300V
What were the findings of Milgram’s shock study (1963)?
- 100% of participants went to 300V
- 65% went to 450V
What 3 factors were shown to affect situational obedience in Milgram’s shock study (1963)?
- Proximity
- Location
- Uniform
Describe how proximity affected situational obedience in Milgram’s shock study (1963)
When the teacher and learner were in the same room, 40% of ppts went to 450V
With the experimenter absent, 21% went to 450V
Describe how location affected situational obedience in Milgram’s shock study (1963)
When the study was conducted in an office block, obedience (to go to 450V) fell to 48%
Describe how uniform affected situational obedience in Milgram’s shock study (1963)
Different uniforms caused differences in the % of people going to 450V
- Policeman - 72%
- Businessman - 48%
- Tramp - 52%
What was the conclusion of Milgram’s shock study (1963)?
Under the right situational circumstances, ordinary people will obey unjust orders from perceived legitimate authority figures.
Who devised the ‘F-Scale’?
Theodor Adorno
What do high scores in the F-Scale suggest about a person’s upbringing?
They were brought up within an authoritarian family
Who came up with the concept of right-wing authoritarianism (RWA)?
Robert Altemeyer
What is RWA?
RWA is certain personality traits that are associated with a RW attitude to life
What are the 3 characteristics of RWA?
- Conventionalism
- Authoritarian aggression
- Authoritarian submission
In the context of RWA, what does conventionalism mean?
The commitment to norms
In the context of RWA, what does authoritarian aggression mean?
Aggressive feelings towards those who stray away from norms
In the context of RWA, what does authoritarian submission mean?
Uncritical submission to genuine authorities
What was the aim of Elms and Milgram’s self-shock study (1966)?
To find out how personality factors compare with situational factors relating to obedience
Describe the sample/method of Elms and Milgram’s self-shock study (1966)
SAMPLE
- 20 obedient ppts (went to 450V in Milgram’s shock study)
- 20 defiant ppts
METHOD
- Each ppt was given the F-Scale and MMPI, in order to identify levels of authoritarianism
- Also asked open-ended questions
- Asked to shock themselves at the end, for “not trying hard enough” if they answered questions wrong
What were the findings of Elms and Milgram’s self-shock study (1966)?
- More than 80% of participants shocked themselves
- Little difference between obedient and defiant participants on MMPI
- Big differences between the obedient and defiant that were consistent with ideas of AP
What was the conclusion of Elms and Milgram’s self-shock study (1966)?
People with an AP were more obedient to authority figures.
In the context of resisting social influence, what does social support mean?
Social support is having a dissenter or an ally.
In the context of resisting social influence, what does locus of control mean?
The extent to which people believe they have control over their lives
In the context of resisting social influence, what does internal locus of control mean?
When people believe their actions are dependent on what they do
In the context of resisting social influence, what does external locus of control mean?
When people are dependent on events that are outside of their control to determine their actions
What are 3 features of an effective influential minority?
- Consistency
- Commitment
- Flexibility
In the context of an influential minority, what does consistency mean?
Having a clear, consistent message that doesn’t change over time
In the context of an influential minority, what does commitment mean?
How greatly a minority is dedicated to their cause
In the context of an influential minority, what does flexibility mean?
Being willing to compromise and flexibly negotiate - this is better at persuading others than not listening
What was the aim of Moscovici’s coloured tile study (1969)?
To test if a consistent minority could influence a majority to give an incorrect answer
Describe the sample/method used in Moscovici’s coloured tile study (1969)
SAMPLE
- 172 Female ppts
METHOD
- Split into groups of 4 ppts and 2 confederates
- Shown 36 blue slides of varying intensity and had to state, out loud, the colour of the slides
- Confederates in Condition 1 answered consistently (all were green), Condition 2 answered inconsistently (24 G, 12 B)
What were the findings of Moscovici’s coloured tile study (1969)?
- Consistent minority condition influenced participants to say green on 8% of trials
- Inconsistent minority condition exerted very little influence
What was the conclusion of Moscovici’s coloured tile study (1969)?
Moscovici’s results show that a consistent minority is almost 7% more effective than an inconsistent minority - consistency is an important factor in exerting minority influence.
What are 3 examples of famous minority influence?
- Suffragette movement
- Civil rights movement
- Gay rights movement
What are the 6 steps in how minority influence creates social change?
- Drawing attention to an issue
- Consistency of position
- Deeper processing
- Augmentation principle
- Snowball effect
- Social cryptomnesia
In the context of social change, describe the its 1st step (drawing attention to an issue)
Drawing attention to an issue creates cognitive conflict (majority thin more deeply about the minority’s issue)
In the context of social change, describe the its 2nd step (consistency of position)
Displaying an unswerving message and intent means it’s more likely that social change will happen
In the context of social change, describe the its 3rd step (deeper processing)
The more people think about the issue, the more they’ll be able to challenge existing social norms to bring about change
In the context of social change, describe the its 4th step (augmentation principle)
When the majority pays attention to the minority’s selfless and risky actions
In the context of social change, describe the its 5th step (snowball effect)
When the minority view has got attention from some of the majority group members, more and more people begin to pay attention, making the minority view gather momentum
In the context of social change, describe the its 6th step (social cryptomnesia)
When the majority remember that change has occurred, but have forgotten how it happened
