EFFECTS OF SITUATIONAL FACTORS ON BEHAVIOUR

Question 1

GROUP NORM ON CONFORMITY

Answer 1

Majority influence= when a person is exposed to the beliefs/ behaviours of a
larger group of people & they change their attitudes/ actions to go along the group.

Compliance = conform to the group behaviour to gain their approval, but will
privately disagree.

Internalisation = majority opinion has led you to change your opinion.

Question 2

DEINDIVIDUATION & COLLECTIVE BEHAVIOUR

Answer 2

Individuals become part of a faceless group in crowds and take on collective behaviour of the crowd & do not think about consequences.

Question 3

CULTURE ON PRO-SOCIAL & ANTI-SOCIAL BEHAVIOUR

Answer 3

Individualist culture = focused more on personal goals -> more anti-social

Collectivist culture = focused on the needs of the community -> more pro-social.

Question 4

AUTHORITY FIGURES

Answer 4

Milgram and The Electric Shock study – with the presence
of an authority figure people will commit unreasonable acts.

Question 5

AGENCY THEORY

Answer 5

Autonomous state = we feel responsible for our own actions.

Agentic state = do not feel responsible as acting under orders from authority figure.

Question 6

LIMITATIONS (1)

EFFECTS OF SITUATIONAL FACTORS ON BEHAVIOUR

Answer 6

Ignores individual differences within collectivist cultures. E.g. some tribes have a
complete absence of pro- social behaviour for evolutionary reasons.

Question 7

LIMITATIONS (2)

EFFECTS OF SITUATIONAL FACTORS ON BEHAVIOUR

Answer 7

Ignores free will research shows that individuals do have free will and there are
many examples of independent behaviour regardless of the situational factors.