Influence

Question 1

What is the Asch paradigm? What did it show?

Answer 1

Asch paradigm - cards shown with line lengths - which one matches the initial card? Very easy task - people make very few mistakes on their own

Confederates in the group get it wrong on purpose - last person is participant and they conform with the group approx 37% of the time

Showed the influence of the majority

Question 2

What are the three types/ways of conformity?

Answer 2

Compliance - external compliance - doing the same but don’t internally believe in the conformity (don’t believe the majority is right)

Convergence - believe the majority is right (belief has changed)

Congruence - everybody believes the same thing (the majority may actually be right and so everyone else also believes this)

Question 3

What are the three types/ways of nonconformity?

Answer 3

Independence - don’t believe the same thing and express it (this is difficult)

Anticonformity - disagree with the majority just to disagree (to be outside the majority)

Strategic anticonformity - devil’s advocate (may not actually believe it but there are reasons to defy the majority)

Question 4

What type of conformity or nonconformity was the modal response (most common) in the Asch paradigm?

Answer 4

independence

Question 5

Approx. how many people conformed in all of the trials of the Asch paradigm?

On average, people conform how much of the time?

Answer 5

1/12

3/8

Question 6

What are 4 contextual influences on conformity?

Answer 6

Unanimity

Numbers

Strong situations

Social impact theory

Question 7

What is unanimity and how does it affect conformity?

Answer 7

Unanimous majorities are much more influential than ones with even one other dissenter.

this is part of the reason that minority influence is so important - if there is another dissenter, then unanimity is broken

Question 8

How do numbers affect conformity?

Answer 8

Conformity pressures increase with numbers, but plateau after about three other people.

Question 9

How do strong situations affect conformity?

Answer 9

Strong situations (majority seems well-informed and cohesive, the individual is visible to the others and wants to make a good impression, etc.).

Question 10

What is the Crutchfield apparatus? How did it differ from the Asch situation? What is this an example of?

Answer 10

An experimental procedure developed by Richard Crutchfield to study conformity. Participants who signaled their responses using an electronic response console believed they were making judgments as part of a group, but the responses of the other members that appeared on their console’s display were simulated.

-lower levels of conformity from the Asch situation

The Crutchfield apparatus does not make people visible to each other, and therefore counts as a fairly weak situation that evokes lowish levels of conformity

Question 11

What does social impact theory say about contextual influences on conformity? Whose theory is it?

Answer 11

(Latané, 1981): Strength of influence, immediacy, and number of sources are all important.

Strength - of other group members (e.g., status)

Immediacy - people who are physically nearby will have more of an impact than people who are seated far away or are absent

Number - the more people, the more impact they will have on you—up to a point

Question 12

What are 5 individual personality traits that tend to have higher levels of conformity?

Answer 12

personality - Introversion, agreeableness, conscientiousness, stability,
low openness

Question 13

Is psychological masculinity highly associated with higher or lower levels of conformity

Answer 13

lower

Question 14

What are three types of people that tend to conform more?

Answer 14

High self-monitors collectivists
and those with low self-esteem.

Question 15

Is gender related to differences in conformity?

Answer 15

Psychological masculinity - aspects of psych that is masculine or feminine - highly correlated with conformity but actual gender is only weakly associated with conformity

Question 16

What did Moscovici propose? To account for what?

Answer 16

Moscovici proposed conversion theory to account for minority influence.

Question 17

What is conversion theory?

Answer 17

• people feel tension which there is pressure to resolve (like cognitive dissonance but with groups)

When a minority has a different position from the majority, the tension is aversive and people seek to resolve it.
Minorities see if they are willing to embrace the majority position, which is more comfortable and requires less processing (this is usually just public compliance, not private conversion).
If this does not happen, majorities may process minority positions more deeply.

Question 18

According to conversion theory, what happens when minority positions influence the majority?

Answer 18

-usually minorities do not result in change - but on the rare occasions that it does happen, there is more cognitive processing happening in the change of belief and it is more likely to last

the change is likely to be slower but also deeper

Question 19

What are three things that influence whether minority positions are taken seriously by the majority (and are therefore influential)?

Answer 19

Consistency in endorsing the minority belief increases persuasive power, as long as minority members are seen as being team players (a difficult line to walk).

A different idea is that of idiosyncrasy credits: People who conform and contribute early acquire high status and are better tolerated than those who deviate from the beginning and are then more likely to be able to persuade the group of their own minority position.

People who know their own position is unpopular tend to argue better than those who think they are part of the majority.

Question 20

Dynamic social impact theory was proposed by whom?

Answer 20

Latané (an expansion of his social impact theory)

Question 21

What are the four patterns of dynamic interactions within a group according to dynamic social impact theory?

Answer 21

Consolidation: Opinions gradually become more uniform with continued interaction.

Clustering: Subgroups form with continuing different opinions on hot-button issues.

Correlation: Opinions become more uniform not just on issues that are contentious but also others.

Continuing diversity: Important issues remain contentious.

Question 22

What are the four basic types of influence?

Answer 22

Implicit influence

Informational influence

Normative influence

Interpersonal influence

Question 23

What are the two types of implicit influence?

Answer 23

Mimicry - starts shortly after birth - adopting the same postures, brain synchronization, contagious yawns

Mindlessness
- Langer’s photocopier study - research asst would walk up to someone getting ready to make a copy - say, “Can I go ahead of you” - 2 variables - amount of photocopies (5 or 20) and excuse (no excuse, “I’m in a hurry” or “I need to make copies”)
- 5 copies - any excuse was enough to bud in line - not too much processing
- 20 copies - “I’m in a hurry” was enough

Question 24

What is informational influence? What is an example of this?

Answer 24

people use the group as a source of information, cf. the Sherif autokinetic effect study

Question 25

What was the autokinetic effect study? Who?

Answer 25

Sherif

This visual illusion occurs when a person stares at a pinpoint of light in an otherwise dark room. Ordinarily the visual system compensates for naturally occurring motions of the eye, but when only a single light is visible with no frame of reference, the light appears to wander in unpredictable directions and at variable speeds.

When these three people made their estimates of the movement aloud when seated together, their judgments converged. It took three meetings, but by the third session, a norm had emerged: All the members felt the light was moving about 3 inches

Over time, individuals with the highest and lowest estimates revise their judgments to match the group average.

Question 26

What are dual process theories of informational influence?

Answer 26

we are influenced by other people’s choices for two reasons:
1. Trigger thoughtful analysis because you are really looking for info to make a decision
2. Trigger mindless conformity because you’re just looking to make a quick decision which way to go

Question 27

What is normative influence?

Answer 27

people adopt the views of others in order to feel they are good members of their groups

Because individuals internalize their group’s norms, they strive to act in ways that are consistent with those norms.

Question 28

What did Cialdini say about normative influence?

Answer 28

focus theory of normative conduct
An explanation of influence that assumes descriptive and injunctive norms influence behavior when they are made salient and therefore attended to

descriptive norm defines what people typically do in any given situation—the “normal” course of action

Injunctive norms describe what people should do in any given situation

Normative influence requires more cognitive resources; only when members can focus on the injunctive norm and its implications will individuals change to comply with the norm’s standard

• triggering injunctive norm triggers deeper processing

Question 29

What is interpersonal influence?

Answer 29

group members explicitly try to change the attitudes or behaviours of other group members

• explicitly pressuring others to change their belief/attitude

Question 30

What is the bystander effect? What is it attributed to?

Answer 30

The tendency of groups of people to be unhelpful is mediated by both the ambiguity of the situation (which gives rise to informational social influence) and diffusion of responsibility.

• ambiguity of situation (emergency is nonroutine and unexpected) - people look to others for guidance (everyone is doing this and everyone is doing nothing to help) - this is informational social influence

Question 31

What does the story model claim are jurors’ two ways of approaching a decision?

Answer 31

Some are verdict driven: They come to a tentative verdict prior to deliberation and then sort evidence into that which supports the verdict and that which contradicts it.

Others are evidence driven: They resist coming to an early verdict until they have heard all the evidence and organized it into a coherent story.

Question 32

Do small minorities usually sway a jury’s decision?

Answer 32

No, rarely.

Question 33

Who tends to be more influential jurors?

Answer 33

High-status individuals tend to be more influential than low status jurors. (doctors, lawyers, business executives) in the outside world

Question 34

What is the general consensus about juries?

Answer 34

The general consensus is that most jurors take their task seriously and do it fairly well.