5 - Social Influence Flashcards
describe reactance
deliberately reacting against social influence, often when influence attempt is obvious
list 3 reasons for reactance
asserting uniqueness so not too similar to others
uphold opinions
behave in way that than influencer wants us to
what can we do to assert uniqueness
endorse messages by minority groups
list 3 reasons why disobedience occurs
feel responsible for own actions
have time to think about what we’re being asked to do
reacting attempts to restrict freedom
what happens during unanimity
group is more cohesive so members more attracted to each other so group has more powerful over the individual
why do we agree if everyone else is
fear group disapproval, ridicule, rejection, so comply
what is more important when it comes to group size
the number of perceived independent sources of influence as one collective view less influential
what two things affect how influenced we are by group size
motivation
judgement type
when is the effect of group size linear
taste
as no objective standard so deviating from group means fitting in
when does increasing group size have no effect
a judgement task with no objective stanrd
how does prior commitment affect the likelihood of us changing our mind if we already made a decision aloud
unlikely to change as stubbornness, lose respect/authority if we change our mind, be seen as fickle
how does perceived interdependence have an effect
if group members liked, conformity more likely as think our fate relies on group members and need to work together
list 4 dispositional factors affecting influence susceptibility
authoritarian personality
gender
culture
status
how does gender affect susceptibility to influence
females more susceptible, males more resistant to win social approval in public
3 cultural factors increasing conformity
strong traditions
communal social organisation
authoritarian structure
why do individualistic cultures conform less than collectivistic
closeness is more important in collectivistic so social norms govern behaviour
differences in how conformity is seen in individualistic and collectivistic cultures
seen positive in collectivistic as cohesion increased
negative in individualistic as no independence
how does status affect conformity
low skilled occup workers conform more poss. due to being unable to express views w higher status
list 7 situational factors affecting obedience
perceived authority of the situation status of the experimenter proximity of learner proximity of experimenter disobedient role models emotional distance group pressure
how does perceived authority of the situation affect obedience
prestigious place makes authority fig seem trustworthy
and situation is seen as meaningful to advance science
how does experimenter status affect obedience
ppl disobey low status people so uniform can help show power
legitimacy of experimenter is important
how does proximity of experimenter affect obedience
further away makes us less likely to obey e.g. less people obeyed when instructions given over the phone
how does proximity of learner affect obedience
when can only hear learner, obedience is higher as can’t see consequences of actions
touch proximity = even higher
how does emotional distance affect obedience
being physically closer can make us aware of person’s humanity so we empathise
further distance can lead to dehumanisation
