Definitions Flashcards
Conformity
A form of social influence where a person follows the majority
Compliance
Publicly, but not privately going along with the majority to gain approval
Identification
Publicly and privately accepting the majority in order to gain group acceptance
Internalisation
Public and private acceptance of majority influence, through adoption of the majority belif system because it is a view consistent with their own
Normative social influence
Where we conform to the majority to gain social approval or to avoid social disapproval, we do something in order to be liked
Informational social influnce
We have the need to be right. When the situation is uncertain or ambiguous, we look to others to know what to do. Follow others if we assume they may be an expert
Dispositional factor
Personality factor or characteristic
Who first proposed the authoritarian personality?
Fromm suggesting it was a way of explaining those holding right-wing views
Authoritarian personality
Personality type characterised by a belief in absolute obedience to authority and domination of minorities
What was the F-scale developed as?
A questionnaire to measure the levels of authoritarian personality
What does the F-scale stand for?
The potential for fascism
What was the procedure for the F-scale?
Asking 200 middle class white American’s to answer the questionnaire
What was the problem with the sample used for the F-scale?
Cultural and class bias is not representative of obedience
What traits are those with an authoritarian personality more likely to show?
-Hostile towards those who are inferior to them
-Black and white thinkers
-Inflexibilty to rules/laws
What did Adorno believe authoritarian personality developed?
Early childhood, gaining information about obedience to authority from parents
How can authoritarian personality be taught in early childhood?
-Punishing/shaming for minor offensives
-Making them hostile to those who are inferior
Socio-psychological explanation?
The influence others have on your own behaviour rather than other external factors (situational)
Agentic state
When a person sees themselves as an agent for carrying out another person’s wishes
Where do those in an agentic state believe responsibility is held?
By the authority figure
People move from the autonomous state where they take responsibility for?
Their own actions to the agentic state
Why do people stay in the agentic state even when they are being asked to do something negative?
We are social people looking for approval therefore following social etiquette of the situation. This is the building factor which holds the situation and makes us obey
In Milgram’s study participants following social etiquette were those who?
Agreed to do the experiment and therefore appearing rude or arrogant if he refused to continue
Legitimate authority
Someone we perceive to be in a position of power and therefore has control over the situation
Milgram believed what about legitimate authority?
People presume that in most situations there is a person who has control over the situation.
What did Milgram find in his study about legitimate authority?
Participants have the expectation that someone will be in charge of the experiment and when the experimenter presents himself he makes it clear he is in charge. Allowing him to be identified as a legitimate authority figure
What is an example of legitimate of authority causing people to behave in a negative way?
The experimenter in Milgram’s experiment. These are called destructive authority figures
What is a real life example of destructive authority figures?
American soldiers in the village of My Lai who murdered 500 villagers after expecting Vietnamese fighters to be there but just villagers. On trial they claimed they were just following the orders of their superior officer
What does resistance to social influence involve?
Disobedience and non-conformity
Resistance to social influence can occur in what two ways?
-Independence (lack of consistent movement either towards or away from social expectancy)
-Anti-conformity (consistent movement away from the majority group views)
Locus of control was identified by?
Rotter as a personality dimension trait.
Locus of control
The extent to which people believe they’re in control of their own lives
High internal locus of control
You affect the outcomes of situations
High external locus of control
You believe that things turn out in certain ways regardless of your actions
Why are those with a high internal locus of control more likely to resist social influence?
They believe things happen as a result of their own decision rather than due to luck or fate
Those with a high internal locus of control perceive themselves as having?
Free choice to conform or obey
Social support
Feeling of solidarity among yourself and others makes you less likely to conform in a social situation.
What does Asch’s study show about social support?
That people feel a strong need to fit in (normative social influence) and need to act in the right way (informational social influence)
What does Milgram’s study show about social support?
When 2 participants were giving electric shocks (1 confederate which had to refuse to continue and leave at a point) obedince dropped from 65% to 10%
Minority influence
Form of social influence in which the majority of people are persuaded to adopt the beliefs, attitudes and behaviours of the minority
What is minority influence driven by?
The need to be right (informational social influence)
why do people have the drive in minority influence?
To do the right thing as they publicly and privately believe it’s the best thing to do, internalisation
What needs to happen for a change of majority opinion to occur?
A minority must show particular behaviour style of being committed, consistent and flexible
Commitment (minority influence)
Degree to which members of a minority are dedicated to a cause/activity. The greater the perceived assurance, the greater the influence
Consistency (minority influence)
Minority influence is most effective when there is stability in the expressed position over time and agreement among the members of the minority
Flexibility (minority influence)
A willingness to be adaptable and to compromise when expressing a position can increase the belief in the minorities influence
What was Moscovichi et al procedure for research to support minority influence?
6 people including 2 confederates were asked to identify in turn whether a slider was blue or green.
What were the two conditions in Moscovichi et al research to support minority influence?
The consistent experiment the 2 confederates consistently said the wrong answer
The inconsistent experiment they said the wrong answer on 2/3 of the trials
What were the findings of Moscovichi et al research to support minority influence?
Condition 1 found that the consistent minority had an effect on the majority (8.42%) where as the inconsistent minority (1.25% said green).
32% judged the slide to be green at least once
What can we can conclude from Moscovichi research to support minority influence?
Minorities can influence a majority, but not all the time and only when they behave in certain ways (consistent bahviour)
Social change
When society adopts a new belief or way of behaving. This then becomes widely accepted as the norm.
Example of social change
Using the internet for studying instead of a textbook
What influence can social change happen through?
Minority or majority influence
What are the 5 steps in social change?
-Drawing attention
-Cognitive conflict
-Consistency of position
-Auguementation principle
-Snowball effect
What is drawing attention?
Making people aware
What is cognitive conflict?
Drawing attention to the issue makes people think about an idea that they may not have before, therefore thinking more deeply about it
What is consistency? (social change)
Everyone saying the same message with the same intent, over a long period of time
What is Augmentation principle?
People risking their lives for a cause makes you think about it more
What is the snowball effect?
Once one person agrees with an idea it convinces two more, who convince 2/3 more etc.
What is social cryptomnesia?
People remember the changes that occurred but not how it happened
