essay plans Flashcards
conformity AO1
Conformity - a change in a person’s behaviour or opinions as a result of real or imagined pressure from a person or group of people
Asch - 123 men - 5-7 confederates, compare line size - 37% conformed
Group size - 1-15 confederates - 32% with 3
Unanimity - when majority anonymous - dropped
Task difficulty - mainly ISI
conformity AO3
Artificial situation and task
Limited application
Research support + counterpoint
types and explanations AO1
Internalisation - conformity to a group because you accept norms - private and public
Identification - conforming to a group because we value the group
Compliance - only publicly agree with the group
Informational social influence - believe other more likely to be correct
Normative social influence - don’t want to be rejected
ISI and NSI are explanations of conformity
types and explanations AO3
Research support for NSI
Research support for ISI
+ counterpoint
Individual differences in NSI - nAffiliators
social roles AO1
Zimbardo - Stanford prison experiment
Procedure - 21 emotionally stable uni students, male, randomly allocated, roles of prisoners and guards in mock prison, given loose smock and cap, social roles reinforcement through instructions about behaviour - prisoners applied for parole to leave study
Findings - guards treated prisoners harshly
De-individuation - uniforms
Conclusions - social roles have strong influence
Social roles - the parts people play as members of various social groups
social roles AO3
Control
Lack of realism + counterpoint
Exaggerates the power of roles
obedience AO1
Milgram
Procedure - 40 american men given role of teacher through fixed draw - ordered to give fake shocks to learner (confederate) - increase 15 volts each mistake - experimenter in lab coat and gave prods eg please continue, you have no other choice but to continue
Findings - 100% 300v, 65% 450v
Obedience - a form of social influence in which an individual follows a direct order
Personal issuing the order usually a figure of authority that has power to punish
obedience AO3
Research support
Low internal validity + counterpoint
Alternative interpretation of findings
situational variables AO1
Proximity - obedience to 45% from 60% when learner and teacher in same room phone - 20.5
Plate - 30
Teacher cannot psychologically separate self from consequences of actions
Location - 47.5% as less credibility and legitimacy
Uniform - 20% as less legitimacy of authority
What are situational variables - features of immediate physical and social environment which may influence a person’s behaviour
situational variables AO3
Research support
Cross cultural replications + counterpoint
Low internal validity
situational explanations AO1
Agentic state - when we fail to take responsibility of our actions because we believe we are acting on behalf of an authority figure
Autonomous state - we feel free of other influences and so take personal responsibility of our actions
Agentic shift - we switch from autonomous to agentic because we perceive someone else is an authority figure to be obeyed
Binding factors - maintain us in agentic state - allow us to minimise obedient behaviour and reduce moral strain
Legitimate authority - some people have positions of authority because they have been entrusted by society with certain powers
Power - one power is the power is punish, so we obey authority out of fear of punishment, which we learn in childhood
Destructive obedience - we behave in cruel ways if the legitimate authority orders us to do something destructive
situational explanations AO3
Research support
Limited explanation
- Cant explain all disobedience
+ counterpoint of real-world crimes
Explains cultural differences
dispositional explanations AO1
Authoritarian personality and obedience - adorno et al - extreme respect for authority and obedience to it - inflexible outlook and contempt for inferiors
Origins of authoritarian personality - harsh parenting and conditional love resulting in hostility but unable to express so displaced onto weaker others (scapegoating)
Adorno et al - research - 2000 middle class white americans and unconscious attitudes to ethnic groups to develop several measuring scales
F-scale - agree / disagree with terms eg obedience and respect for authority are the most important virtues a children should learn - high f-scale linked with identification with the strong, contempt for the weak
Authoritarian personality - a type of personality that adorno argued was especially susceptible to obeying people in authority - some people thought to be submissive to those of higher status and dismissive of inferiors
Dispositional explanation - any explanation of behaviour that highlights the importance of personality
dispositional explanations AO3
Research support
+ counterpoint
Limited explanation
Political bias
resistance to social influence AO1
Resisting conformity - conformity is less likely when a dissenter breaks the unanimity of the majority - social support
Resisting obedience - obedience is less likely when a disobedient role model challenges the legitimacy of authority
Resistance - both cases show other people that resistance is possible
LOC - rotter - internals believe in control, externals due to luck
LOC continuum - scale and people vary in their position on it - high internal one end and high external at other
Resisting influence - internals more able to resist pressure to conform or obey than externals - more self-confidence or less need for social approval - externals vulnerable to opinions
Social support - the presence of people who resist pressures to conform or obey can help others to do the same
resistance to social influence AO3
Real world application
Research support
Research support for dissenting peers
Social support explanation
Limitation of contradictory research
minority influence AO1
Minority influence - one person / small group influences other people eg individuals in a bigger group
Moscovici
Leads to internalisation
Consistency - minority stays united (synchronic) and keeps same views over time (diachronic) - draws attention to minority view
Commitment - augmentation principle - dedication to their position eg personal sacrifices - show not acting out of self-interest
Flexibility - minority should accept reasonable counterarguments from majority - more effective if it shows flexibility by accepting possibility of compromise - Nemeth consistency can be offputting and make person seem dogmatic
Process of change - majority thinks deeply about minority view then snow ball effect - minority view becomes majority
minority influence AO3
Research support for consistency
Research support for deeper processing
+ counterpoint
Artificial tasks
social influence and change AO1
Minority influence - special role in social change eg civil rights movement
Processes - draw attention eg marches
Consistency - presented consistent message and intent
deeper processing - others think more deeply about issue
augmentation principle - taking risks
snowball effect - minority grows to become majority
social cryptomnesia - people forget source of change
Conformity - NSI - people change behaviour because believe majority are too
Obedience - gradual commitment - people obey instructions
Social influence - process by which individuals and groups change each other’s attitudes and beliefs - conformity, obedience, minority influence
Social change - when whole societies, rather than individuals adopt new beliefs
social influence and change AO3
Research support for normative influence
+ counterpoint
Minority influence explains change
Role of deeper processing
