Deindividuation

Question 1

Define deindividuation and individuation

Answer 1

Deindividuation = loss of self-awareness, forgetting others will judge, thinking they can act how they want and get away with it
Individuation = sense of individuality, enjoy having own opinions/views

Question 2

Describe Festinger et al (1952)

Answer 2

• Students asked about their parents and variations included were: 1. Wearing own clothes, sat in a normal, well-lit room and 2. Wore a lab coat and sat in a dark room
• Found that students who had identity taken away spoke more negatively and made obscene comments
• Taking away identity led to ambiguity of identity which led to breaking social rules

Question 3

Describe Zimbardo (1970)

Answer 3

• Parents dressed either in own clothes or hooded cloaks
• Participant received electric shocks in paired learning task
• Found those who were cloaked usually shocked 2x as long (cloak made identity ambiguous)

Question 4

Describe the Stanford Prison Experiment (Zimbardo, 1970)

Answer 4

• 24 middle class Americans
• Built a prison simulation in Harvard uni and participants played role of either prisoner or guard
• Prisoners wore smocks, referred to only as number, lived in cells
• Guards wore sunglasses and wore uniform
• Both had loss of identity (deindividuation)
• Ended early as guards began abusing authority. tormenting prisoners and showing sadistic tendencies

Question 5

Describe the model of deindividuation

Answer 5

• Created by Diener, 1980
  1. Environmental conditions lead to reduced self-awareness

2. Environmental conditions:
   - Anonymity
   - High arousal
   - Close group unity
   - Focus on external events
3. Reduced self-awareness leads to deindividuation
4. Deindividuation leads to:
   - Weakened restraints against impulsive behaviour
   - Increased sensitivity to immediate cues/emotional states
   - Inability to monitor/regulate own behaviour
   - Lessened concern about evaluations by others
   - Lowered ability to engage in rational planning

Question 6

Johnson and Downing (1979)

Answer 6

- Examined 4 different types of deindividuation
4 conditions:
1. Dressed as KKK, given name tag
2. Dressed as KKK, no name tag
3, Dressed as nurse, given name tag
4. Dressed as nurse, no name tag

• Paired learning task where give each other shocks
• Personal identity taken away by dressing as something else; even more when no name tag given
• Found KKK, no name tag received highest shock
• Found nurse, name tag received lowest shock
• Participants associate the individual with what they are wearing

Question 7

Describe the Two-Part Model of Deindividuation

Answer 7

• Created by Carter and Sheier (1981)

Private self-awareness: attention to your private self (feelings, thoughts, attitudes)
Public self-awareness: how you wish others to view your conduct