Chapter 9: Social Influence Flashcards
define social influence
ways people affect one another through changing attitudes, beliefs, feelings, or behaviors resulting from the real or imagined presence of other
define conformity
changing behaviors or beliefs in response to explicit or implicit pressure from others (do as others command)
define compliance
responding favorably to an explicit request by another person (do as others ask)
define obedience
in an unequal power relationship, submitting to the demands of the person in authority (do as others command)
define automatic mimicry
unconsciously imitating the behavior of others (yawning)
who is more likely to automatically mimic others
People high in empathy or need to affiliate with others
what is the mimicry experiment (Chartrand & Bargh, 1999)?
Participant asked to describe photographs alongside another participant
The second participant was actually a confederate
Confederate made motions like rubbing their face or shaking their foot
Participant mimicked confederate’s movements
define ideomotor action
thinking about a behavior makes performing it more likely
define informational social influence
using others’ commands or actions as information about what is correct, proper or effective
a. more likely to accept this new beliefs as the truth
b. changes your beliefs
define normative social influence
using others’ behaviors as guides for how to fit in and avoid disapproval or social ridicule
a. changes behavior, but doesn’t change inner belief
what is the Autokinetic illusion experiment (Sheriff 1936)?
Participants saw a stationary light in the dark in multiple trials
Participants asked to estimate how much the light moved between trials
Multiple participants then put in a room together and called out estimates
Participants’ estimates converged into a group norm
Estimates remained at group norm a year later
a. People internalized their results and BELIEVED IT TO BE TRUTH
when is informational social influence is likely to occur?
The situation is difficult or ambiguous
In other words, when we feel low in knowledge or competence about a task or topic, so we need help
what is the Asch’s Conformity Experiment (1956) ? what is it an example of?
Participants did the line task
Participants called out the answers
BUT 7 out of 8 participants were confederates
From the third task on, confederates called out wrong answers over 2/3 of the time (11 out of 16 remaining trials)
Participants conformed to majority 1/3 of the time
¾ of participants called out the wrong answer at least once
example of normative social influence
what are 3 reasons for conformity?
Social repercussions
Uncertainty
Dispersal of risk
how does group size factor into conformity
Conformity increases as group size increases
WITH a ceiling effect at a group size of three of four other
define internalization
private acceptance of majority position
does informational social influence lead to internalization? does normative social influence?
Informational social influence leads to internalization, normative social influence does not
if you are more knowledgeable in a subject than others, are you likely to conform? what if they are more knowledgeable?
no
yes, you are more likely to conform to others when they are more knowledgeable than you
define loose cultures
weak norms about behavior and more tolerance for deviation (close to individualistic)
define tight cultures
strong norms about behavior and less tolerance for deviation
which culture, tight or loose, is more likely to be susceptible to social influence?
Collectivist/eastern cultures
what is likely to lead to tightness in cultures?
High population, high threats, and low resources tend to lead to tightness
which type of information do minorities rely on?
informational influence
can the majority be swayed by normative social influence?
no
define norms of reciprocity
you help others who help you
-this is universal
what is the painting/coke study
Participant rates paintings alongside confederate
Confederate brings participant coke or does not (control)
Confederate asks participate to buy raffle tickets
If the confederate brought the participant coke, the participant feels more compelled to buy the raffle tickets
define door in the face technique
Person A asks for a big favor and when person B declines, Person A asks for a small favor instead which Person B is more likely to grant
what is the juvenile zoo study?
Condition 1: chaperone a group of juvenile delinquents on a zoo day trip
Condition 2: counsel juvenile delinquents 2 hours/week for 2 years? FOLLOWED by chaperone a group of juvenile delinquents on a zoo day trip.
Condition 1 compliance = 17%, condition 2 compliance = 50%
what is the foot in the door technique?
making an initial small request to which people comply and following up with a larger request
what is the drive carefully study?
Homeowners asked to put up large “drive carefully” billboard (17% agree)
Other homeowners asked tp put up small sign “be a safe driver” in window
Two weeks later, homeowners who put up small sign asked to put up the billboard (76% agree)
what does emotion-based compliance say about positive moods and negative moods?
positive mood: people who are feeling positive are more likely to comply to request
Negative mood: some types of bad moods can also increase compliance
-If people feel guilty, they’re more likely to comply
what is the gift and phone call study?
One group of participants given a free sample of stationary, the other (control) is not
Participants receive a call saying they dialed a wrong number and please dial a specific number and relay the message
Participants who did not receive a gift complied much less (10%) than participants who did (80+%)
define mood maintenance:
it feels good to feel good and we want to keep feeling good. Helping others feel good
what is the cookie study
Participants asked to serve as a confederate
Receive a cookie
Participants asked to either help the “true” participant or hinder them
Compliance increased for the helping condition but not the hindering
what is the catholic confession study
Catholics asked to donate to charity either right before going to confessional or directly after
Catholics right before confessional donated more
define negative state relief hypothesis
people jump at the chance to relieve negative emotions and feel better about themselves
what is the lab rat shock study?
Participants watch lab rat getting “accidentally” shocked
Participants who’d seen the poor lab donated more money to charity than those who hadn’t
what is the israel parole study (Danzinger et al 2011)?
If judges have just finished a meal, prisoners have ⅔ chance of parole
If judges are hungry and waiting for lunch, prisoners have 0 chance of parole
define norm based compliance
Using conformity to get people to comply
The power of social norms
what is the homeowner energy study?
Homeowners told (through a hang-tag on their doors) how much energy they used and how much energy their neighbors used on average
Homeowners who used more than average decreased energy use
Homeowners who used less than average increased energy use
BUT not when a signal of approval/disapproval was added (smiley face vs frowny face)
what is the binge-drinking study?
Students answered anonymously how much they drank and how much they thought other drank
Answers were aggregated and shown on screen
Students’ belief of how much the average student drank was much more than how much they actually drank
Follow-up survey showed students drank less than controlled group
define descriptive norms
behavior exhibited by most people in a given context
-what is
define prescriptive norms
way a person is supposed to behave in a given context
What ought to be
what is the Petrified Forest National Park Theft Rate Study?
Descriptive Norm: Signs placed saying “Many past visitors have removed petrified wood from park, changing the state of Petrified Forest”
Prescriptive Norm: Sign replaced with one saying “The vast majority of past visitors have left the petrified wood in the park, preserving the natural state of the Petrified Forest”
Theft was four times lower with second sign than first
in the Milgram variations, which factors INCREASED obedience? which factors DECREASED obedience?
INCREASED
-making participant feel less responsible
-participants reading out the questions but not pressing button
-increasing authority
DECREASED
-experimenter gave instructions over telephone
-reduced authority
-conflict between two experimenters that were giving orders
-they see the pain of the learner
