Conformity VCE ~ 14/10/23 Flashcards
How are people influenced by the presence of others?
Their behaviours, feelings and thoughts change
What are the 4 types of influences?
- Real
- Imagined
- Intentional
- Unintentional
What is an aggregation?
A collection of people in one location with no obvious social status or organisation that lack interdependence and barely have any direct interaction
What is a social group?
Any collection of two or more people that share a common purpose and interact whilst influencing one another
What is culture?
The way of life of a particular society or community which sets it apart from other societies and/or communities
How is culture passed down?
Generation to generation
What is culture the basis for?
Everyday behaviours and practices
What are some examples of culture?
- Music
- Traditions
- Beliefs
- Food
- Attitudes
- Language
- Art
- Customs
- Values
Norms
What can culture refer to?
Social groups within a community or perhaps places in which we interact
How does culture influence conformity?
Encouraging us to adjust our thoughts, feelings and behaviour in order to fit expected standards and be consistent to a group
Who conducted the experiment on conformity?
Asch
According to Asch’s experiment, where did low levels of conformity occur?
In individualist cultures
According to Asch’s experiment, where did high levels of conformity occur?
In collectivist cultures
What is social loafing?
Tendency of an individual to make less effort when involved in a group activity
When was social loafing first systematically studied and observed?
In a tug-of-war experiment involving 2 teams of 8 people
What were the results of the tug-of-war experiment?
Collective effort exerted by each team did not match the total of the individual efforts
What do social loafers do?
Conform to their group by applying less effort and agreeing to their group’s decisions
What do social loafers believe?
Their conforming will not make a difference in the group’s decisions
Who discovered social loafing?
Two American psychologists named Steven Karu and Kipling Williams
When was the social loafing experiment conducted?
1993
What did Karu and Williams do?
Analysed the results of 78 research studies
What did Karu and Williams discover?
Social loafing is less likely to influence conformity when:
- The group is small
- All group members place maximum effort
- The task is important, challenging or appealing to those performing it
What factors influence conformity?
- Group size
- Unanimity
- Informational influence
- Normative influence
- Culture
- Social loafing
- Group think
- Deindividuation
How did Asch use group size in his experiment?
- Asch varied group size in his experiments
- 1, 2, 3, 4, 6, 7, 9 or 15 confederates
What did Asch’s results indicate about unanimity?
- Difficult to be a minority of one
- Difficult to stand against a group (regardless of when everyone is wrong and your right)
- Only takes one person to disagree to significantly affect conformity
When does informational influence occur?
When conformity results from a need for direction + information on how to respond in a specific situation
What does informational influence do?
Leads people to accept other people’s view when they are uncertain
When is informational influence more likely to lead to conformity?
- Participants feel incompetent due to a difficult task
- Participants are concerned about being right
When does normative influence occur?
- When conformity results from a need to be liked and accepted
- When our response in a group situation is guided by one or more social norms
When was the group polarisation research study conducted?
1960s
Who conducted the group polarisation experiment?
Brehm and Kassin
What does group discussion do?
Leads individuals to strengthen their original views
What happens to individuals after group discussions?
They are more likely to end up with more extreme positions
What does talking it over intensify?
Pre-existing attitudes, beliefs and opinions
What is anti-conformity?
Deliberate refusal to comply with accepted standards in society
What expressions is anti-conformity often accompanied by?
- Ideas
- Beliefs
- Judgements that challenge those standards
What are anti-conforming people more likely to be motivated by?
Rebelliousness or stubborness
What is independence?
Freedom from the influence or control of other individuals or groups
What happens when social pressure to conform becomes so strong?
It threatens independence which causes rebelliousness
What are the positive influences of television?
- Develops learning skills
- Expands knowledge + understanding of other languages
What are the negative influences of television?
- Leads to a lack of sleep
- Damages eye sight
What are the positive influences of video games?
- Develops problem solving skills
- Improves decision making
What are the negative influences of video games?
- Encourages violence + inappropriate language
- Causes detachment from reality
What are the positive influences of social media?
- Build relationships
- Helps find your voice
What are the negative influences of social media?
- Exposes people to bullying, rumours, discrimination, peer pressure, sexualising etc
- Mentally and emotionally draining
What are the positive influences of advertising?
- Helps in market penetration
- Encourages companies to compete in order to make new + better products
What are the negative influences of advertising?
- Promotes more consumerism
- Encourages people to carelessly spend money
What is a controlled variable?
A variable that remains constant and unchanged throughout the experiment with no effect on the DV
What is primary data?
Data collected by the researcher to test a hypothesis
What is secondary data?
Data collected by someone other than the original user and is used for their own purpose
What is quantitative data?
Numerical information on the amount of what is being studied
What is qualitative data?
Information about the characteristics of what’s being studied often in the form of descriptions, words or pictures
What are extraneous variables?
Any variable other than the IV that can cause a change in the DV in an unwanted way
How do extraneous variables effect the experiment results?
It makes it difficult to confidently conclude that the change in the DV was purely caused by the presence of the IV and not any other variables
What are confounding variables?
Any variable other than the IV that has unwanted effects on the DV which makes it impossible to determine which of the variables produced the predicted change in the DV, thus confusing the results
What are the types of extraneous variables?
- Participant variables
- Situational variables
- Demand characteristics
- Experimenter effects
- Placebo effect
What is a participant variable?
Individual characteristics such as IQ, experience or age
How can participant variables be controlled?
- Random allocations
- Experimental and control groups have similar characteristics
- Even spread of people (good balance between their individual characteristics)
What are situational variables?
External factors that correspond to the participant’s experimental setting
What do situational variables do?
They have the potential to influence a participant’s responses
What are some examples of situational variables?
- Temperature
- Sound
- Light
How can situational variables be controlled?
Keep participants in observed environments
What are demand characteristics?
Cues in an experiment that may influence or bias a participant’s response
What do demand characteristics do?
Suggests what responses the experimenter wants or expects
How does demand characteristics affect participants?
Leads them to respond in a certain way
What is the placebo effect?
Administered or fake medication that can be applied to our daily lives
How does the placebo effect affect participants?
Participants act according to the drug by acting as if its effective
How can the placebo effect be controlled?
Switch groups
What is the experimenter effect?
Any influence the experimenter may have on the results
How does the experimenter effect work?
The experimenter’s presence impacts the participant’s behaviour
What are ethics?
Standards that quide individuals to identify good, desirable or acceptable conduct
What are the 5 ethical concepts?
- Beneficence
- Integrity
- Justice
- Non-maleficence
- Respect
What is beneficence?
Maximising benefits and minimising risks and harm when taking a course of action
What’s an example of beneficence?
There must be better health outcomes for the participants than risks associated with the particular drug in a drug study
What is integrity?
Honest reporting of results regardless of whether they’re favourable or not
What is justice?
Ensuring fair consideration of competing claims without any unfair burdens on a particular group
What’s an example of justice?
Researchers must use fair procedures and ensure that the research benefits would fairly benefit the participants and wider population
What is non-maleficence?
Avoiding the causation of harm
What happens if maleficence (harm) is caused?
It should be disproportionate to the benefits
What’s an example of non-maleficence?
In a drug study, experimenters must ensure there is no harm caused and if there potential to inflict harm then it should be justified and outweighs the benefit
What is respect (ethics)?
To consider that living things have intrinsic and instrumental value
What are some examples of respect (ethics)?
- Regard their welfare
- Liberty
- Perceptions
- Autonomy
- Customs
- Culture heritage of the individual and the collective
What are the ethical guidelines/ethical considerations?
- Confidentiality
- Debriefing
- Informed consent procedures
- Use of deception in research
- Voluntary participation
- Withdrawal rights
What is confidentiality?
Privacy, protection and security of a participant’s personal information
What happens to unneeded personal informaton?
It should be destroyed or de-identified
What is debriefing?
At the end of the experiment, the experimenter informs participants on the aim of the experiment as well as the results they gained and the conclusions they made so that the participants leave with an understanding of the purpose of their participation and the effect it had
What happens during the debriefing stage to ensure the wellbeing of the participants?
Support is provided to ensure no harm from their involvement in the study and addressing any harm caused to the participant is essential
What is informed consent procedures?
Participants are aware of personal risks before agreeing to participate in the study and have an understanding of the experiment’s nature and purpose
What happens if participants can’t provide consent?
A parent or guardian should provide consent for them
What happens if participants aren’t competent to give informed consent?
Research should obtain appropriate consent
Is the use of deception in research allowed?
Yes but its usually discouraged
What is the purpose of the use of deception?
To avoid fake behaviour
Who is the use of deception allowed for an why?
Participants who know the true purpose of the study (avoid fake behaviour)
What is voluntary participation?
Voluntary consent
What are the rules surrounding voluntary participation?
- Participants can not be coerced or pressurised into participating
- Participants shouldn’t experience negative consequences for rejecting the offer to participate
What are withdrawal rights?
Participants have the rights to discontinue at any time during or after the conclusion of an experiment without penalty
What happens if participants withdraws?
Their data should be removed
What is compliance?
Changing one’s behaviour in response to a request to do so, even if not made by an authority figure
What is constructive obedience?
When there is compliance with the orders of an authority that results in a positive outcome
What is constructive obedience?
When there is compliance with the orders of an authority that results in a positive outcome
What is deindividuation?
Reduced self-awareness, inhibition, feelings of personal responsibility and inner restraint that can occur when in a group or crowd
What is destructive obedience?
When there is compliance with the orders of an authority that results in a negative outcome
What does the term group polarisation mean?
The tendency of an individual group member, following group discussion, to shift their initially held views to a more extreme position (in the same general direction)
What is groupthink?
The strong tendency to seek agreement when decision-making or problem-solving
What is obedience?
Following the commands of someone with authority, or the rules or laws of our society
What is psychological reactance?
An unpleasant motivational reaction that occur when people experience a threat to eliminate specific behavioral freedoms
What is reactance?
A response to a perceived threat to freedom that may cause an individual to rebel
What is social comparison?
The process of evaluating our attitudes and abilities by comparing ourselves to others
What is social influence?
The effects of the presence or actions of others, either real or imagined, on the way people think, feel and behave
What is social media?
Apps and website that enable users to create and share content or to participate in social interaction
What are the symptoms of groupthink?
- lllusion of invulnerability
- Moral correctness
- Collective rationalisation
- Outgroup stereotypes
- Self-censorship
- Direct pressure on dissenters
- Illusion of unanimity
- Self-appointed mind guards
Who discovered groupthink?
Irving Janis
When was groupthink discovered?
1972
What did Janis do?
Analysed historical records of participants and observers involved in bad group decisions of national significance
Why does Janis use the term ‘symptom’?
He viewed groupthink as a social disease that could infect a group
What were the suggestion Janis made on how to prevent groupthink?
- Make conscious efforts to consider all information carefully and accurately
- Groups should consult widely with outsiders (non-group members)
- Should thoroughly and critically review the decisions once reached (before settled or implemented)
- Groups should have a leaders who genuinely encourages constructive criticism
What is social proximity?
The tendency for individuals to form interpersonal relations with those who are close by
