2.1 Factors influencing behaviour (c7) Flashcards
define social influence
Social influence is the process by which attitudes, perceptions and behaviours can be influenced by the real or implied presence of others
social influence may involve…
compliance where one publicly acts according to perceived norms while privately disagreeing with such norms
criteria for a social group
Two or more individuals or ‘members’.
The members interact with each other.
The members influence each other (thoughts or behaviours).
Common goal or purpose shared by the group.
define culture
the way of life of a particular society or community that sets it apart from other societies and communities.
what does culture include
language, customs, traditions, beliefs, values, attitudes, norms, food, art and music.
is culture passed on from generation to generation
yes
what is status and power based on
Status (importance) and Power (control & Influence) within a group are often based on an individual’s position in the ‘pecking order’.
what is status
Status is the perception of an individuals position within a group and contribution to a group, as perceived by members of that group.
what does power involve
Power involves the extent to which an individual can influence or control another individuals thoughts, feeling and behaviours.
do people exert their power either consciously or unconsciously?
yes
what is reward power
power through control over rewards
what is the source of reward power
ability to give positive consequences or remove negative consequences in response to specific behaviour
an example of reward power
an employer has the power to give a pay rise or promotion
a teacher can reward students with grades, praise and privileges
what is coercive power
power through control over punishments or other force
what is the source of coercive power
ability to give negative consequences or remove positive consequences in response to specific behaviour
an example of coercive power
an employer can dismiss an employee
a teacher can give detention
what is legitimate power
power through a right to require and demand obedience
what is the source of legitimate power
an individual’s status or position in a group, institution or society in general gives them the right (authority) to exercise power over those with a lower status or less authority
an example of legitimate power
a group leader, manager or captain of a team has the right to exercise power over members of a group
what are the 6 types of power
reward, coercive, legitimate, referent, expert, informational
what is referent power
power through respect
what is the source of referent power
individuals are attracted to respect, and identify with or want to be just like or liked by the pweron
an example of referent power
A social influencer, celebrity you respect and want to be like or a friend who you want to be liked by
what is expert power
power through superior abilities
what is the source of expert power
having special knowledge and skills that are desirable or needed
an example of expert power
a classroom teacher perceived knowledgeable in their subject
what is informational power
power through access to and the use of informational resources
source of informational power
having access to resources or info that are relevant to a situation and are not available elsewhere
example of informational power
Someone who knows exactly what needs to be done to meet an important team goal within a strict deadline; someone who has had a specific experience that someone else wants to know about
a role is the behaviour…
adopted by an individual or assigned to them that influences the way in which they function or act.
examples of roles
student, employee, captain of a sports team, parent, brother/sister, friend etc.
are there expectations associated with our roles
yes
do role expectations have a strong influence on an individual’s behaviour within a group?
yes
Role expectations have a strong influence on an individual’s behaviour within a group, especially when…
the role provides considerable power and status.
what is groupthink
a way of thinking by individual members of a group characterised by a strong tendency to seek agreement when decision-making or problem-solving, thereby overriding any realistic consideration of possible alternative, better options.
ways to prevent groupthink
make group members aware of groupthink, its causes and consequences
appoint a leader who will be impartial
the leader should actively encourage constructive criticism, objections and doubts
use subgroups that meet separately, then come together to compare views
invite outside experts who are not permanent members of the group to participate in the group’s meetings every so often, but at strategic times
allow group members to discuss the group’s work with trusted associates and report reactions back to the group
treat the group’s decision as a preliminary decision and have a follow-up meeting for group members to raise any remaining doubts about the decision
outside experts should attend meetings on a staggered basis and be asked to challenge the group’s views
what is group polarisation
the tendency of an individual group member, following group discussion, to shift their initially held views to a more extreme position (in the same general direction).
As a result, the group as a whole tends to respond in more extreme ways than one would expect given the sentiments of the individual members prior to the discussion
what is deindividualation
a psychological state characterised by reduced self-consciousness, inhibition, feelings of personal responsibility and inner restraint that can occur when in a group or crowd.
what does deindividualation help explain
explain the extreme behaviour of some people in groups and crowds, particularly in situations where high levels of arousal or emotion are involved;
for example, behaviour such as screaming hysterically during a rock concert or abusing an umpire, as well as less restrained, anti-social gang or mob behaviour, street riots and the violence observed in some soccer and football crowds.
A group or crowd can both incite its members to…
behave in certain ways and make them unidentifiable
In groups or crowds when people feel…
anonymous or ‘invisible’, and less accountable for their actions, they may choose to conform to the majority which is behaving in ways they otherwise would not.
when people are with others in a group, their attention is focused on
A) themselves
B) events in the environment, events “external to themselves”
which results in…
B
This results in fewer opportunities to focus on ‘internal’ thoughts.
individuals in a group are less likely to reflect on the appropriateness of their actions, and will therefore give less thought to the consequences of their behaviour.
As a result, people are …
more likely to act impulsively and conform to a group or situation.
confirming to a group or situation is intensified when…
group members act ‘as one’, such as by wearing uniforms, clapping, singing, shouting or chanting together.
obedience occurs when..
we follow the commands of someone with authority, or the rules or laws of our society.
is obedience used interchangeably with the term compliance sometimes
yes
explain compliance and why it’s not the same as obedience
complianceinvolves changing one’s behaviour in response to a request to do so, it does not necessarily involve an authority figure - obedience requires an authority figure
what are the two types of obedience
constructive, destructive
what is constructive obedience
Constructive obedienceoccurs when there is compliance with the orders of an authority that results in a positive outcome. E.g. following the commands of an emergency personnel.
what is destructive obedience
Destructive obedienceoccurs when there is compliance with the orders of an authority that results in a negative outcome. E.g. when soldiers are ordered to harm children and civilians.
outline the criticisms of Milgram’s work
Milgram’s work on obedience was attacked on ethical grounds, saying he deceived people and caused unreasonable distress.
Volunteers often showed extreme stress – sweating, trembling, stammering, even having uncontrollable fits.
outline the procedure of Milgram’s experiment
A volunteer participant comes to the lab, meets the experimenter and confederate (an actor who is in on the experiment).
Experimenter explains that this is a memory study, and assigns the participant to be a “teacher” and the confederate (actor) to be the “learner”
The teacher watches the experimenter strap down and attach electrodes to the “learner”
The “teacher” is then taken to a separate booth and instructed to read a series of questions to the “learner”
The teacher can hear the “learner,” and see the “learner’s” response to the questions on a lighted board
Each time the “learner” makes an error, the “teacher” depresses a switch on a “shock generator” to shock the learner
The shocks become more intense each time
The “learner” progressively complains about pain and asks to quit the study
The experimenter orders the “teacher” to continue
How far will the subjects obey?
No shocks are actually given, but the situation appears real to the participant (“teachers”)
results of Milgram’s experiment
All participants obeyed up to the 300 volt level (labelled extreme shock where the “learner” had been screaming in pain)
65% obeyed all the way to the 450 volt level (labelled XXX well above the “Danger” level and by which time the “learner” has become silent)
Participants were visibly upset and nervous at the situation but still followed commands
what are the three factors that influences someone to obey an authority figure
social proximity, legitimacy of authority figure, group pressure
what is social proximity
How close (physical as well as in relationship) the authority figure is to the person who they must obey. The closer we are to the authority figure, the more likely we will obey.
what is the legitimacy of authority figure
when an authority figure is perceived to have a high status, or have legitimate power, individuals are more likely to obey their commands. In Milgram’s experiment, participants were less likely to obey an ‘ordinary person’.
what does group pressure involve
group pressure involves an individual acting in a certain way or feeling like they should act in a certain way, which aligns with the behaviour of others
i.e. individuals more likely to obey when they observe others obeying. When there was a second teacher who refused the shock, the participants were more likely to also refuse.
is obedience productive
yes - Imagine if everyone disobeyed the law and ignored traffic lights. Safety on the road would be compromised.
what is conformity
the tendency to adjust one’s thoughts, feelings or behaviour so that they become more consistent with those of other people, or with accepted standards about how a person should behave in certain situations (i.e. social norms).
what are factors affecting conformity
size of group, unanimity, informational influence, normative influence, culture, social loafing
does conformity increase with group size
yes- up to four persons in the group, and then levels off.
true or false: Conformity decreases when there is unanimity or complete agreement among other group members.
false- conformity increases when there is unanimity or complete agreement among other group members.
true or false:
an ally in dissent: the presence of a single confederate who disagrees with the majority reduces conformity
true
what is normative influence
Our response in a group situation is guided by one or more social norms. When individuals conform to the expectations/rules of society, they are increasing their likelihood of fitting in with others and therefore more likely to be accepted by society.
what is informational influence
the influence of the observable information or behaviours of others in new situations and environments on an individual’s own behaviour.
example of informational influence
E.g. you might be uncertain on how to behave on your first day at a new school and rely on the observable information or behaviours.
do collectivist cultures have the highest level of conformity
yes
what is social loafing
The tendency for people in a group to exert less effort when pooling efforts toward a common goal than if they were individually accountable.
can conformity be a way of exerting less effort
yes
do social loafers conform to their group, but with less effort?
yes
do people work harder in a group situation than when they work alone?
yes- but there is also a cultural difference in social loafing
what is technological determinism
technology unavoidably determines cultural and social change.
does social media give rise to positive influences on behaviour?
yes
can media negatively influence behaviour
yes
what is anti-conformity
the deliberate refusal to comply with accepted standards in a society.
what does anti-conformity involve
consciously making a decision to refuse to go along with the group and take a stand against whatever the group is thinking, planning or doing.
according to the reactance theory..
a person will experiencepsychological reactance(or, more simply,reactance) in response to a perceived threat to — or loss of —their freedom to think, feel or behave as they want to. It is a motivational state characterised by distress, anxiety, resistance, and the desire to restore that freedom.
When people feel that they are being forced to agree with or do something, they will react against the coercion, and they may think, feel or behave opposite to that which is desired
do people feel better when they see themselves as unique
yes
do people act in ways that set them apart and maintains their sense of individuality? give an example
yes
participants were asked to complete a questionnaire and then given results that led them to believe that they were either distinct from or nearly identical to the attitudes of10 000other students. They were then asked to participate in a conformity experiment. The results showed that those who had been deprived of their feeling of uniqueness were most likely to assert their individuality by non-conformity
