Deindividuation - Commentary

Question 1

Describe what the notion of importance of local group norms suggests.

Answer 1

That any behaviour produced is a product of local group norms.

Question 2

What study was conducted into local group norms and what were the results?

Answer 2

Same as Zimbardo, but with mask and overalls. Participants shocked more than a control condition (in KKK uniforms), but shocked less than nurse condition.

Question 3

What does this suggest and how does it impact the theory?

Answer 3

This suggests that people respond to normative cues associated with the context they are in. This supports the reliability of the theory as results show an increase of shocks when anonymous, but also decreases validity as the study shows that there is more to deindividuation than anonymity, but also social context.

Question 4

Describe how deindividuation lacks support.

Answer 4

Deindividuation has insufficient support from a meta analysis.
Research found that disinhibition and antisocial behaviour aren’t more common in large groups/anonymous areas.
There isn’t much evidence to validate the association between deindividuation and reduced self awareness.

Question 5

What is the impact of deindividuation’s lack of support?

Answer 5

It reduces validity of the theory as research suggests there isnt an increase in disinhibition.
It reduces reliability as there is conflicting research for and against the theory, suggesting it is an unreliable theory

Question 6

Describe what studies into prosocial consequences of deindividuation have found.

Answer 6

Deindividuation may also increase the incidence of prosocial behaviour, depending on situational factors.
During prosocial events, deindividualisation significantly increased altruistic acts and reduced antisocial acts compared to a control.

Question 7

Describe the impact of prosocial consequences.

Answer 7

This supports deindividualisation as it shows that it can be applied to other social circumstances, and has real world applications. Adolescents feel more comfortable seeking mental help through deindividualistic circumstances of internet chatrooms.

Question 8

How does gender differences impact the theory?

Answer 8

Gender differences go against the