4.1.1 social influence Flashcards
what is conformity
yeilding to group pressure.
occurs when an indiviuals behaviour and/or beliefs are influenced by a larger group of people, which is why conformity is known as majority influence
what is compliance
an individual adjusts their behaviour and opinions to those of a group to be accepted or avoid disproval.
includes public but not private acceptance of the majority’s behaviour and attitudes
weak and temporary
what is identification
individuals adjust their behaviour and opinion to that of the group as membership of the group is desirable.
stronger form of conformity where there’s private and public acceptance.
is not maintained when individuals leave the group
what is internalisation
true conformity
individuals genuinely adjust their behaviours and opinions to the rest of the group
involves individuals being exposed to the belief systems and having to decide what they believe in.
if the groups beliefs are seen as correct, it will lead to public and private acceptance.
isnt dependent on the presence of the group for maintenance
what is informational social influence as an explanation for conformity
humans have aa basic need to feel confident their ideas and beliefs are correct so they feel in charge of their lives
when individuals are uncertain about things, they look at the behaviour and opinions of others which helps them shape their own thoughts and behaviours
tend to believe the opinions adopted
what did Jenness’’ experiment consist of?
estimate the number of jellybeans in a jar (unknown)
- made individual private estimates
- then discussed the estimates either in a large group or in smaller ones. found estimates differed
- after discussion, group estimates were made
- then made own individual estimate
what did Jenness’ experiment found
typicality of opinion was increased- 2nd estimate tended to move towards the group estimate
the average change of opinion was generally among females
what did Abrams et al. (1990) say about ISI?
we are only influenced by other’s opinions in ambiguous situations where we see ourself as sharing characteristics with them
so are less likely to internalised the opinion of a stranger
what is normative social influence
indiviudals wants others to like and respect them and not reject and ridicule them
need to be accepted by others
what was Asch’s (1955) experiment on NSI?
everyone was confederates but 1
had to compare a line to another and say what lines were the same length
confederates said the wrong answer
what was Asch’s variations?
difficulty increased
majority increased
1 or more confederates gave correct answer (presence of allies)
what was Asch’s (1955) findings?
37% conformed
63.2% didnt conform
people did change their answer to fit in
what are variables affecting conformity?
situational variables i.e. size of group unanimity task difficulty
what are situational variables
qualities of an environment that influences the levels of conformity- which have an influence over the degree to which people conform
what does size of group have to do with conformity?
research indicates that conformity rates increases as the size of a majority influence increases but there is a point where the size of the majority no longer increase conformity
what did Asch (1956) find about the size of the group and conformity
with 1 real participant and 1 confederate conformity was low, rising to 13% with 2 confederates and 32% with 3. adding anymore (up to 15) had no effect
what did Bond and Smith (1996) find about size of a group and conformity
performed a meta-analysis of 133 Asch style studies from 17 countries and found conformity peaks with about 4/5 confederates
what does unanimity have to do with conformity
conformity rates have been found to decline when majority influence isn’t unanimous
important factor though would seem to be the reduction of in the majority’s agreement, rather than an individual being given support for their opinions, as conformity drops if a rebel goes against the majority who dont support the viewpoint
what does Asch (1956) find about unanimity and conformity
if there was 1 confederate who went against the other confederates, conformity dropped from around 32% to 5.5% but if the ‘rebel’ went against the confederates and the real ps, conformity still dropped to 9%
what does task difficulty have to do with conformity
greater conformity rates are seen when task difficulty increases, as the right answer becomes less obvious
means that individuals will look to others more for guidance as to what the correct response is, suggesting that the ISI is the dominant force
what does Asch (1956) find about task difficulty and conformity
increased task difficulty by making the comparison lines similar to each other, finding that when he did so participants were more likely to conform to wrong answers, thus demonstrating the effect of task difficulty on conformity
what is conformity to social roles
the parts individuals play as members of a social group, which meet the expectations of that situation
indiviudals learn to behave by looking at the social roles other people play in such situations and then conforming to them
involves identification
what were Zimbardo’s hypothesis in regards to prison systems
dispositional where the degradation of prisons was due to the nature of people found in the system
situational where the degradation as a product of the ‘prison soil’ in that the conditions were to blame
what was Zimbardo’s sample
average people with no criminal history or violence
randomly allocated prisoners and guards
from a newspaper ad
uni students
what was the process of zimbardo’s experiment
75 male uni students responded to an AD for volunteers paying 15 a day.
basement of Stanford uni was converted to a mock prison and the experience was made as realistic as possible. with prisoners being actually arrested
9 prisoners were placed 3 to a cell and a regular routine of shifts, meal times ect. was established as well as visiting times, a parole and disciplinary board and a prisoner chaplain
what was done to decrease humanisation in zimbarodo’s experiment
prisoners:
- wore numbered smocks
- nylon stocking caps ( imitate shaved heads)
- wore a chain around the ankle
guards: - wore khaki uniforms
- reflective sunglasses ( avoid eye-contact)
- issued with keys, truncheons and handcuffs
what did zimbardo find?
all settled into a routine. after an initial rebellion, dehumanisation was increased with the guards become more sadistic (taunting and giving meaningless activities)
prisoners became increasingly submissive and unquestioning
some sided with the guards if rebellion occurred
after 36 hours, a prisoner was released after fits of crying and rage. 3 more developed similar symptoms
was stopped after 6 days instead of 14
what is obedience
complying with the demands of an authority figure
what was Milgrams hypothesis
Germans are different ( with their obedience during the war)
to see if individuals would obey the orders of an authority figure that incurred negative consequences and went against moral code.
what was Milgram’s sample?
40 Americans (20-50 years old) responded to a newspaper article about a study on memory
what was Milgrams experiment
what is the agentic state as an explanation for obedience?
devised via Milgram (1974)
the way an individual may obey an order, perhaps to do something they may see as wrong because the individual hands over the responsibility for the outcome of the action to the authority figure.
sees themself as acting as an agent for the authority figure and therefore doesn’t feel responsible
what is the legitimacy of authority as an explanation for obedience
accept the power and status of authority figures to give orders; are seen as in charge
the degree to which individuals are seen as justified in having power over others
what did Milgram (1963) find in terms of legitimacy of authority
reported that some participants in his study ignored the learners apparent distress, showing little sign of harm themself, but instead focused on following the procedure
what is the external explanation in regards to siutuational variables affecting obedience?
situational variables form an external explanation of obedience where features of an environment are seen as affecting obedience levels
what does proximity have to do with obedience?
involves how aware individuals are of the consequences of their actions in obeying authority figures.
when the physical distance between the teacher and learner in Milgram’s study was made closer, participants were less able to distance themselves and so obedience levels were lower
what does location have to do with obedience
the location of an environment can be relevant to the amount of percieved legitimate authority a person giving orders is seen to have. in location that add to it will have higher obedience levels
what does uniform have to do with obedience
the wearing of a uniform can give a perception of added legitimacy to authority figures when delivering ordersm thus increasing obedience
what is the authoritarian personality?
a dispositional explanation for obedience
description of a person who holds rigid beliefs, is intolerant of ambiguity, submissive to authority and hostile to those of lower status or members of an out-group
what is social support as an explanation to resistance to social influence
the perception of assistance and solidarity available from others
what is locus of control as an explanation to resistance to social influence
the extent to which individuals believe that they can control events in their lives
internal LoC- the belief that things happen as a result of an individuals life choices and decisions
external LoC- the belief that things happen as a result of fate, luck or other uncontrollable external forces.
those with internal LoC are more resistant to social pressure
