Chapter 7 Flashcards
What is Social Influence?
Process whereby attitudes and behaviour are influenced by the real or implied presence of other people.
What are norms?
Attitudinal and behavioural uniformities that define group membership and differentiate between groups. They are arbitrary regularities.
What is a reference group?
Kelley’s term for a group that is psychologically significant for our behaviour and attitudes.
What is a membership group?
Kelley’s term for a group to which we belong by some objective external criterion.
What is the Dual-process dependency model?
General model of social influence in which two separate processes operate – dependency on others for social approval and for information about reality.
What is power?
Capacity to influence others while resisting their attempts to influence.
What is an agentic state?
A frame of mind thought by Milgram to characterise unquestioning obedience, in which people as agents transfer personal responsibility to the person giving orders.
What is conformity?
Significant modification of private, internal attitude/attitude change, typically due to persuasion.
What is a frame of reference?
Complete range of subjectively conceivable positions on some attitudinal or behavioural dimension, which relevant people can occupy in a particular context.
What is informational influence?
An influence to accept information from another as evidence about reality. Formed from a desire to form an accurate judgement about the world, especially with ambiguity and social disagreement.
What is normative influence?
An influence to conform to the positive expectation of others, to gain social approval or to avoid social disapproval. It is caused by the ned for approval and inclusion and makes people susceptible to social pressure.
What is referent informational influence?
Pressure to conform to a group norm that defines oneself as a group member. People conform because they are group members (not for info or approval), they only conform to the norm (not to others) and if the norm is internalised
What is the meta-contrast principle?
The prototype of a group is that position within the group that has the largest ratio of ‘differences to ingroup positions’ to ‘differences to outgroup positions’.
What is minority influence?
Social influence processes whereby numerical or power minorities change the attitudes of the majority.
What is conformity bias?
Tendency for social psychology to treat group influence as a one-way process in which individuals or minorities always conform to majorities.
What is the conversion effect?
When minority influence brings about a sudden and dramatic internal and private change in the attitudes of a majority.
What is social impact?
The effect that other people have on our attitudes and behaviour, usually as a consequence of factors such as group size, and temporal and physical immediacy.
Is there a unique self bias?
Possibly, as research shows that we tend to think that we are more unique than our peers but may not necessarily be so. We also think others are more susceptible to trends/others.
What is the difference between implicit and explicit norms?
Explicit norms are written or spoken rules that are recognized and enforced by an authoritative entity, while implicit norms are unstated rules that are understood and followed because of societal expectations or behaviors
Why do we have social norms?
In order to regulate behaviours, regulate relations and to predict/coordinate
How do social norms differ per culture?
There are tight and loose social norms, with tight social norms being endorsed by the majority of people in a culture and with strict social control while loose social norms are more flexible/less censored deviations to social norms.
What is compliance?
Superficial, public and transitory change in behaviour and expressed attitudes in response to requests, coercion or group pressure.
What is compliance based on?
It is based on power, the control of other’s through domination.
What did Moscovici say about power?
Moscovici contrasts power and influence, saying if you have power you do not need influence and if you have influence you do not need power.
When does conformity emerge?
It emerges under uncertainty
What factors are associated with conformity?
- Group Size
- Unanimity
- Sex-stereotypical items
- Culture - strength of conformity differs per culture
- Individual factors - low self-esteem, status and IQ
What are the situational determinants to the Milgram study?
- Entrapment - luring by an authority figure of a person into committing a crime
- Escalation of commitment/ entrapment - small, gradual increments that are sunk costs, similar to the foot-in-th-door technique
- Proximity of the victim
- Proximity of authority figure
- Group pressure
- Authority legitimacy
- Individual determinants - authoritarianism and empathy
What is moral disengagement?
Where people disengage with immoral actions, typically justification from obeying orders
What is the general view of social influence in science?
The general image of social influence is focused on individuals and numerical minorities yielding to a majority. This is due to a conformity bias in science.
How can minorities influence the majority?
Via leadership in individuals and legitimate power in sub-groups
What is the differential-influence hypothesis?
Idea that majority influence produces more public/direct influence than private/indirect influence while minority influence is the opposite
How can minorities influence the majority?
- If they are active/outspoken
- Consistent but not rigid
- Perceived to make personal sacrifices
- Perceived as part of the ingroup
