key terms Flashcards
group size
- asch increased the group size by adding more confederates which increased size of majority
- conformity increased but only to certain point as it levelled off once majority was greater than 3
conformity
change in persons behaviour/opinions due to imagined/real pressure from a person/group of people
unanimity
the extent to which all members of a group agree
–> in aschs studies, the majoiry was unanimous when all confederates selected the same comparison line - this produced greatest degree of conformity on naïve participants
task difficulty
aschs line-judging task became more difficult when it becomes harder to work out the correct answer
–> conformity increased as naïve participants assumed majority was right
internalisation
- deepest type of conformity where we take on majority view as we believe it’s correct
- far reaching & permanent, even in absence of group
identification
- moderate type of conformity where we take on majority/group view as we believe it’s correct
- don’t necessarily agree with everything group/majority believes
compliance
- superficial & temporary type of conformity where we go along with majority view but privately disagree
- change in behaviour lasts as long as groups monitoring us
information social influence
- explanation for conformity that says how we agree with the opinion of the majority as we believe it’s correct
- we accept it as we want to be correct
- may lead to internalisation
normative social influence
- explanation for conformity that says how we agree with the opinion of the majority as we want to gain social approval & be liked
- may lead to compliance
social roles
- ‘parts’ people play as members of various social groups
- eg. parent, child, student, passenger
- accompanied by expectations we/others have
obedience
- form of social influence where an individual follows a direct order
- order usually issued by person of authority who has power to punish when obedient behaviour isn’t forthcoming
situational variables
- features of immediate physical & social environment that may influence behaviour - eg. location, proximity & uniform
- alternative: dispositional variables = behaviour’s explained in terms of personality
proximity
- physical closeness/distance of authoritative figure to the person they’re giving the order to
- also refers to physical closeness of teacher & victim (learner) in milgrams studies
location
- place where orders are issued
- relevant factor which influences obedience is status/prestige associated with location
uniform
- people in positions of authority may have specific outfits symbolic of their authority
- eg. police, judges
- indicates how they’re entitled to expect our obedience
agentic state
- mental state where we feel no personal responsibility for our behaviour as we believe ourselves to be acting for an authority figure - eg. as their agent
- frees us from demands of our conscience & allows us to obey (even a destructive) authority figure
legitimacy of authority
- explanation for obedience that suggests we’re more likely to obey people we perceive to have authority over us
- authority is justified by individuals position of power within a social hierarchy
dispositional explanation
- any explanation of behaviour that highlights the importance of an individuals personality (eg. their disposition)
- such explanations are often contrasted with situational explanations
authoritarian personality
- type of personality that Adorno argued was especially susceptible to obeying people in authority
- submissive of those of higher status & dismissive of inferiors
resistance to social influence
- refers to ability to withstand social pressure to conform to majority & obey authority
- this ability is influenced by situational & dispositional factors
social support
- presence of people who resist pressures to conform/obey can help others do the same
- act as models & show how resistance to social influence is possible
locus of control (LOC)
- refers to the sense we each have about what directs events in our lives
- internals believe they’re mostly responsible for what happens to them (internal LOC)
- externals believe its mainly luck/other outside forces (external LOC)
minority influence
- form of social influence where a minority (sometimes 1 person) persuades others to adopt their beliefs, attitudes & behaviour
- leads to internalisation & conformity
consistency
- minority influence is most effective when minority maintains same beliefs over time & between individuals in minority
- effective as draws attention to minority view
commitment
- minority influence is more pwoerful if minority demonstrates dedication to position
- eg. person sacrifices
- effective as shows minorities not acting out of self interest
flexibility
- relentless consistency could be counter-productive if majority view it as unbending & unreasonable
- minority influence is more effective if minority show flexibility by accepting possibility of compromise
social influence
- process by which individuals/groups change each others attitudes & behaviour
- includes conformity, obedience & minority influence
social change
occurs when whole societies (not individuals) adopt new attitudes, beliefs & ways of doing things
- eg. accepting earth orbits the sun, womens suffrage, gay rights & environmental issues
