Conformity to Social Roles

Question 1

What is Normative Social Influence?

Answer 1

An individual conforms to the group norm to fit in, feel good and to be accepted.

Question 2

What is Informational Social Influence?

Answer 2

An individual conforms to the group because they believe the group is competent and has the correct information when a task or situation is ambiguous.

Question 3

What is a social role?

Answer 3

A pattern of behaviour that is expected of a person in a given setting or group.

Question 4

What is a social norm?

Answer 4

A group’s expectation of what is appropriate and acceptable behaviour for its members.

Question 5

What is a script?

Answer 5

An individual’s knowledge about the sequence of events expected in a specific setting.

Question 6

How were volunteers collected in the Stanford Prison Experiment?

Answer 6

• An advertisement was placed in a newspaper asking for male volunteers to participate.
• The 70 men who volunteered underwent psychological testing to eliminate candidates who had underlying psychiatric issues, medical issues or a history of substance abuse.
• The pool of volunteers was narrowed down to 24 male college students.
• They were randomly assigned to play the role of either a ‘prisoner’ or a ‘guard’ and were padi $15 per day.

Question 7

Where was the mock prison constructed and how did the ‘prisoners’ arrive there?

Answer 7

• The mock prison was constructed in the basement of the psychology building at Stanford.
• The ‘prisoners’ were ‘arrested’ by police officers and taken to the mock prison.

Question 8

How did the ‘prisoners’ conform to social roles?

Answer 8

• They assumed their role with great energy.
• On day two some of the prisoners revolted.
• After being harrassed by the ‘guards’ they began to show signs of severe anxiety and hopelessness.
• They began to tolerate the ‘guards’ abuse.

Question 9

How did the ‘guards’ conform to social roles?

Answer 9

• They quelled the ‘prisoners’ rebellion by threatening them with night sticks.
• They harrassed the ‘prisoners’ in a sadistic manner.
• They used a complete lack of privacy, took away their mattresses, made them do degrading chores and late-night counts.

Question 10

What was the outcome of the Stanford Prison Experiment?

Answer 10

It ended after six days due to the participants’ deteriorating behaviour.

Question 11

How did the Stanford Prison Experiment highlight the power of social roles?

Answer 11

The ‘guards’ and ‘prisoners’ enacted their social roles by engaging in behaviours appropriate to the roles.

Question 12

How did the Stanford Prison Experiment highlight the power of social norms?

Answer 12

• Social norms required the ‘guards’ to be authoritarian and the ‘prisoners’ to be submissive.
• When the ‘prisoners’ rebelled they violated these social norms which led to upheaval.

Question 13

How did the Stanford Prison Experiment highlight the power of scripts?

Answer 13

The specific acts engaged by the ‘guards’ and ‘prisoners’ derived from scripts.

Question 14

What was the method in Orlando (1973)?

Answer 14

• 51 staff members took part.
• 29 volunteered as mock psychiatric ward patients.
• 22 worked their job as normal.

Question 15

What were the results in Orlando (1973)?

Answer 15

• The mock patients quickly began acting like normal patients, conforming to their given role.
• Lots of patients showed signs of having withdrawl and depression.
• Six mock patients attempted to escape the ward.
• Some mock patients admitted to feelings of lost identity.

Question 16

What were the strengths of Orlando (1973?

Answer 16

• Gave an insight into real patients’ experiences in hospital.
• Influenced hospital staff to empathise more with patients.