Compliance, Conformity, Obedience Flashcards
Memorise for exam
Define ‘Stereotype’
A widely help but fixed and oversimplified image or idea of a particular type of person oe thing.
Beliefs about the characteristics of a member of an identifiable group. Can be positive or negative. Often based on prejudice and discrimination
Define ‘Prejudice’
A negative emotional attitude held against members of a particular group of people
Define ‘Discrimination’
Treating members of various social groups differently in circumstances where their rights or treatments should be identical
Define historical and economic emphasis as a cause of prejudice
Cannot fully understand causes of prejudice without looking at the history. Many prejudices have a long history, for example, anti-black prejudice in the United States stems from slavery and owner treatment of black families. Some historically oriented theories of prejudice emphasize economic factors. Advocates of the theories of Karl Marx see prejudice as a way of allowing the rulers to exploit the laboring class.
“Race prejudice is a social attitude propagated amoung the public by an exploiting class for the purpose of stigmatizing some group as inferior so that the exploitation of…the group itself or its resources may both be justified”
Define sociocultural emphasis as a cause of prejudice
Sociologists and anthropologists emphasize sociocultural factors as determinants of prejudice and discrimination. These factors include characteristics of the society or culture that increase the liklihood of discrimination, such as a cultural emphasis on competence and training in combination with scarcity of jobs and competition for jobs
Other sociocultural factors:
1: increased urbanisation, mechanisation, and complexity
2: The upward mobility of certain groups
3: Population imcreases in the face of a limited amount of usable land and lack of adequate housing
4: The inability of many people to develop internal standards, leading to reliance on others and conforming type of behaviour
5: Changes in the role and function of the family, with concomitant changes in standards of morality
Define situational emphasis as a cause of prejudice
The most social-psychological one. Focuses on current forces in the environment as the cause of prejudice. Within this emphasis, conformity to others strongly influences prejudice
Define psychodynamic emphasis as a cause of prejudice
Sees prejudice as a result of the prejudiced persons own conflicts and maladjustments. Two approaches. One assumes that prejudice is rooted in the human condition because frustration is inevitable in human life. The second approach assumes the prejudice develops only in people who have a personality defect or weak character structure
Define phenomenological emphasis as a cause of prejudice
The individuals perception of the world is more important than any objective features of that world. Stresses the immediate perceptions of a person.
Define emphasis on earned reputation as a cause of prejudice
Postulates that minority groups possess characteristics that provoke dislike and hostility
Scapegoating
Blaming a person or a group for the actions of others or for conditions not of their making
Superordinate Goals
A superordinate goal exceeds or overrides other lesser goals
Intergroup contact/Equal-status contact
Contact between members of different groups. Effective at reducing mutual prejudice and increase trust and prejudice
Social interaction tbat occurs on an equal footing, without obvious differences in power or status
In and out groups
In-group: any group to which an individual belongs
Out-group: any group to which an individual does not belong
“Robber’s Cave” experiment
Boys at summer camp were split into two groups and housed separately. At first they were kept apart to build separate group identities and friendships. Each group had it’s own territory. Groups were then placed in competition; they quickly started to hate eachother, starting fights and raiding the other groups cabin. A superordinate goal was then created (damages water supply) which required groups to work together to repair it. This combined with other superordinate goals restored peace
Conformity
A type of social influence involving a change in beliefe or behaviour in order to fit in with a group. E.g. starting to wear dresses instead of jeans because everyone else in the group wears dresses. Can be in response to real or imagined pressure.
Asch’s experiment
The more people in the group, the more likely an individual will conform. There is an upper level; after which adding more people will not increase conformity, but it will instead level off kr dcrease slightly, he determined this number was 7. If there was a dissenter (someone not conforming) conformity rates frop to nearly zero. When responses are made public, conformity is higher, when responses are private, conformity levels are lower.
Experiment with lines, choose which line (A, B, C) matches the ‘target’ line
Obedience
A special form of compliance, in response to a direct request made in the form of an order
Milgram’s experiment
‘Teachers’ were to ask ‘students’ (actors) questions, if they got the question wrong they were electrocuted. 65% of the ‘teachers’ proceeded to the highest level of volts (450) and all proceeded to 300 volts. Ordinary people are likely to follow orders from a figure of authority, even to the extent of killing. People tend to obey orders from other people if they recognise their authority as morally right and/or legally absed (legitimate authority). People have two states kf behaviour when they take responsibility, autonomous state and agentic state
The autonomous state
People direct their own actions and they take responsibility for the results of those actions
The agentic state
People allow others to direct their actions and then pass off the responsibility for the consequences to the person giving the orders. In other words, they act as agents for another person’s will
Coercive power
Uses the threat of force to gain compliance from another, e.g. your boss says you’ll be fired if you don’t complete your work
Reward power
Offering a reward for a certain behaviour or action. E.g. a parent offering their car for their child to borrow but only if they empty the dishwasher
Note: muct benefit both parties
Legitimate power
Power derived from a position or a set of formal relationships. Leaders in hierarchies and elected officials have legitimate power. People are influenced by legitimate power and they will do what they are told due to the rules of society snd the workplace
Expert power
Derives from an individual’s expertise. Their level of skill, competence and experience helps make them trustworthy and influential to others
Referent power
Based on being liked and respected as an individual. It’s derived from an individuals perceived value, worth or attractiveness.
Compliance
In response to a direct request, the person agrees to behave in accordance with that request.
Agreeing with and following a persons direct request
Difference between Conformity and Compliance
Compliance involves a explicit request, whereas conformity involves people adhering to ‘unspoken rules’ (E.g. not talking in cinema)
Foot in the door
The tendency for a person who has first complied with a small request yo be more likely later to fulfill a larger request
Door in the face effect
The tendency for a person who has refused a major request to subsequently be more likely to comply with a minor request
Lowball technique
A strategy in which commitment is gained first to reasonable or desirable teems, which are then made less reasonable or desirable.
E.g. Agreeing to pay one car price to which salesman approves, salesman then checks with manager and proce is suddenly increased. The commitment makes it harder to back out
The Lure
Begins when someone is enticed by aj extremely attractive offer, e.g. 25% off a blender. The individual decides to take the offer, but then discovers the offer is no longer available, maybe colour isn’t in stock anymore. The salesman then displays a similar item that is available but at regular price
Prosocial behaviour
Behaviour that benefits others or has positive social consequences
Kitty Genovese Case
Was stabbed repeatedly onnthe street, many people in surrounding buildings and streets heard but no one did anything, about 40 minutes after the screaming stopped someone called the police. She died before help got there
Latane and Darley
First to study bystander effect. Three reasons for the bystander effect (1) social influence, (2) audience inhibition, (3) Diffusion of responsibility
(1) look to others to determine what to do, if othrrs do nothing the need for help is deemed less great
(2) worried how others will evaluate their behaviour
(3) when others are their, responsibility for acting is divided, meaning each individual is less likely to take on the responsibility of acting
