Conformity Flashcards
Reward Power
Something that makes us feel good causing us to confrom
Coercive Power
If we don’t conform something bad will happen to us
Legitimate Power
Someone has the actual power to make us conform
Expert Power
We believe someone else has more knowledge than you, so you do what they say
Information Power
When you need information so you do what people want you to do in order to get information
Referent Power
When you admire someone so you do what they say
Normative Influence
Changing your response because of pressure from others in non-ambiguous situations
Name and describe the two types of normative influence
Compliance: Doing something only as long as the pressure is there i.e. getting robbed
Identification: Doing something until you don’t identify with the group i.e. joining new friend group
Informational Influence
Gathering information from the situation in an ambiguous situation in order for you to be correct
Internalization
Not knowing what to do so copy other people because you assume they know what to do
Muzafer Seriff Experiment
Small light in a dark room that appears to move. Individual would come to a conclusion on how far it moves each time and then the individual was put in a room with other people and did the same thing. They would all eventually come to the same conclusion even though there is no correct answer and each person sees it differently.
Solomon Asch Experiment
The experiment where they every person gives their answer as to what line is the longest and every confederate gives the wrong answer to see if the individual will conform.
Lone Dissenters
Someone who goes against the normative conclusion. If one person goes against everyone else it makes it easier for other people to disagree as well
Milgram’s Experiment
Had participant shock a confederate with increased intensity all the way up to dangerous levels. Tested to see if they would continue all to follow experimenter’s orders all the way through
What were the results of Milgram’s Experiment
65% of the participants obeyed the experimenter, following all the way through to 400 volts
What was the point of no return for Milgram’s experiment
If the participant kept going after 150 volts and the pleas that the confederate was making, then there was an 80% chance they’d follow all the way through
Why did people obey Milgram’s experiment
People were placed in a very strong situation, in which how they should behave was strongly implied and also “enforced” by an authoritative figure.
Also there is a belief that people found it harder because of the increase in small increments called “slippery slope theory”
What is considered a weak situation
A situation where you are uncertain what you are supposed to do. Your behaviour and preferences have a lot more influence in these situations.
i.e. a yellow light
What does the proximity to the victim tell us about the experiment
The closer the victim is to the participant, the more likely the participant is to resist. Also, what the victim says has no impact whatsoever on the participant’s likelihood of obeying
What does the proximity to the victim tell us about the experiment
The further the experimenter was to the participant the less likely they were to obey, demonstrating that the experimenter loses social power the further away he is
Describe the dissenting peers version of Milgram’s Experiment
The experiment has 3 teachers. The two teachers who are confederates eventually back out so it is just the participant continuing. The participant almost always stops
Why does the participant usually stop in the dissenting peers experiment
The situation of the experiment changes due to normative and informational influences. The peers set a norm to not hurt people and you are given information that its okay to quit. Also the experimenter loses social power due to the coercive power of the confederates.
What happened in the Abdicating Responsibility Milgram experiment
The participant was tasked to tell another person to shock the victim. The experimenter was still present and told the participant to continue telling the confederate to shock the victim. 92.5% of the participants obeyed
Why did the participants obey during the Abdicating Responsibility Milgram experiment
The participant continued because of pluralistic ignorance and diffusion of responsibility. The participant didn’t feel wholly responsible for the actions and they believed that if the teacher kept going then it must be okay.
The power of the experimenter is also enhanced because you are not directly performing the action
What was the legitimacy of Milgram’s experiment
People were found to obey just as much at Yale as they were at a strip mall, so the experiment is quite legit
Did Milgram’s experiment show that people are innately aggressive
No. When people were given the choice to use whatever voltage level they wanted, they almost never chose more than 75 volts
