Compliance + obedience

Question 1

Explain Isen’s study using emotion-based compliance

Answer 1

Call - spent last time on misdialled phone call, request to dial intended number and relay message. 1 - received call (control), 2 - receive small gift 20mins before (positive mood induction). 10% vs 100% made call to help they stay in positive mood

Question 2

Explain reactance

Answer 2

When freedom is threatened, you experience negative arousal and re-assert freedom by engaging in forbidden behaviour (react against complying)

Question 3

Summarise Schultz’s research into amount of electricity used

Answer 3

Homeowners received message about amount of electricity used in previous week and neighbourhood average. Used more than average = started using less, if used less = began to use more

Question 4

Goldstein’s study into normative info on hotel towels concluded what?

Answer 4

1 - No normative info. 2 - Majority of past guests have refused towels. 3 - Majority of guests in room reused towels. Stronger normative = more compliance

Question 5

State the 3 reasons why positive mood increases compliance

Answer 5

Construal - feel happy and good, will assume others intentions are good. Positive mood maintenance - to stay feeling good, you have to comply. Negative mood - increases compliance due to guilt

Question 6

Explain Forgas & East’s study on construal and theft

Answer 6

Watched a sad/happy/neutral clip, then watched truthful or deceptive interviews of people denying theft, Positive = increase trust, decrease lie detection. Negative = decrease trust, increase lie detection

Question 7

Summarise Isen & Levin’s research on positive mood maintenance and cookies

Answer 7

Given cookie (positive mood) or not (negative mood). Asked to serve as a confederate. 50% told role to help, 50% told to harm. Positive mood increased compliance for helping task only.

Question 8

Describe Harris’ study on negative mood and church donations

Answer 8

1 - Asked to donate to March of Dimes whilst walking into confession. 2 - Asked to donate whilst walking out of confession. More donations made before due to guilt as motivated to get rid of bad mood.

Question 9

Descriptive norms are…

Answer 9

Objective factual description of what most people do. Informational influence. More likely to work than prescriptives.

Question 10

Define prescriptive norms

Answer 10

What most people should do according to rules/traditions. These can elicit conformity. Normative influence

Question 11

Cialdini’s study into the Petrified forest found what?

Answer 11

Sign 1 - past visitors took wood, help to stop them. 2 - past visitors didn’t take wood. Theft 4x lower for sign 2. Highlighting what people do wrong encourages wrong

Question 12

Explain the conditions of Milgram’s experiment and results

Answer 12

Shocks 15v-450v. Confederate states they’re in pain, screams and goes quick but experimenter prompts to continue, do due to power of situation. 66% went to 450v

Question 13

List which factors Milgram manipulated to see effects on conformity (4)

Answer 13

Proximity to victim, proximity to authority, legitimacy of experiment, location of experiment

Question 14

Describe why this study is ideal for obedience (3)

Answer 14

Released from responsibility, step-by-step, lack of practice disobeying authority

Question 15

Which conditions make it easier to disobey? (2)

Answer 15

Easier if victim is closer (more salient), easier if experimenter is further away (less salient)