Deindividuation

Question 1

Definition of deindividuation and what are the two ways it occurs

Answer 1

To lose ones sense of individuality and self

1. Becoming part of a crowd
2. identifying with a particular role

Question 2

Le Bon’s theory

Answer 2

Become aggressive when part of a large crowd because you feel less identifiable so the normal constraints that prevent aggression are lost. A shared responsibility reduces individual guilt

Question 3

Diener

Answer 3

Environmental factors:
-Strong feelings of group membership
-Increased arousal
-Focus on external events 
-Feelings of anonymity 
These cause reduced self awareness which leads to deindividuation

Question 4

Prentice-Dunn and Rogers

Answer 4

Public self awareness- concerned with the impression we give to others
Private self awareness- impression of self, morals and values
A reduction in PRIVATE self awareness is what leads to deindividuation

Question 5

Zimbardo AO1

Answer 5

Drugs and alcohol also influence aggressive behaviour

Can be prosocial being deindividuated e.g. Charity events

Question 6

Zimbardo prison

Answer 6

Stanford prison experiment

The guards wore kakhi uniforms and became deindividuated - made ‘prisoners’ carry out degrading acts

Question 7

Zimbardo 1969

Answer 7

2 groups of female undergraduates
1. Wore coats and hoods 2.large name tags. Both watched A) nice interviewee and B) obnoxious interviewee
Judged performances applying shocks Group 1 - equal shocks
Group 2 - shocked obnoxious one more

Question 8

Malmuth and Check

Answer 8

1/3 of undergrad students said they’d co spider rape if they knew there was no chance of them being identified

Question 9

Mann

Answer 9

Looked at 60 newspaper articles of suicides.
Found that there was a baiting crowd when the crowd was:
1. Far away from jumper
2. It was dark
3. There was a large crowd

Question 10

Mullen

Answer 10

Looked at lynchings in southern US States between 1870-1930.
Lynchings were the most brutal when there was a larger group

Question 11

Watson

Answer 11

Tribes who deindividuated themselves before war (paint and ceremonies) were more aggressive in battle

Question 12

IDAs

Answer 12

Nature/nurture - ignores nature completely despite evidence for biology’s influence (MAOA)
Watson’s study may be influenced by cultural bias as to what is aggressive in battle.