Latanes Social Impact Theory Flashcards
What does Latanes Social Impact Theory argue?
Latane argues that every individual is either a source (an authority figure) or a target (the one receiving the orders) of social influence.
What are the Three laws of Social Impact Theory?
Social force- the social impact that occurs when an individual is ordered to change their behaviour, obedience is affected by the strength (power) of the source, the immediacy of the source and the number of targets present.
Psychosocial Law- The first source giving an order has the most social impact over the target, however the level of social impact is reduced if the order is repeated by other sources meaning the individual is less likely to obey.
Diffusion of responsibility- the greater number of targets present means the level of social force is spread across more people decreasing the impact that the authority figure has.
Evaluate Latanes Social Impact Theory (8 marks)
Feasibility- Strength
Milgrams variations provided support for Latanes theory.
- 47.5% of participants obeyed all the way to 450V when the location was changed to the rundown office block, this removes the strength of the source and reduces legitimate power
-22.5% of participants obeyed all the way to 450V when the orders were given over the phone, this changes the immediacy of the source so less social force is felt by reducing coercive power.
-20% of participants went all the way to 450V when the authority figure was no longer in uniform, this removes social impact as legitimate and expert power is removed.
Suggests that obedience is impacted by the level of social force felt.
Usefulness- Strength
Explains how authority figures can change individual situation in order to increase obedience.
Psychosocial law- the first source giving an order has the most social force over the target, however every source after giving the same instruction reduces the social impact.
Diffusion of responsibility- the greater number of targets present means the level of social force is spread between the individuals decreasing the impact that it has.
Therefore, this allows authority figures to manipulate situations easily in order to achieve the greatest level of social force and obedience.
Different Theory- Weakness
Milgrams Agency Theory can be used to explain obedience in extreme contexts
Massacre at Mai Lai - American soldiers committed mass murder to Vietnamese civilians killing many people and burning villages down.
The order was given by Lt William Calley.
Milgrams theory is helpful to understand why individuals obey to violent orders given by authority figures.
Explanation - Weakness
Does not account for individual differences such as personality affecting obedience.
Individuals who have an Authoritarian personality are more likely to obey due to their values of respecting authority figures.
Describe the similarities and differences between Latanes Social Impact Theory and Milgrams Agency Theory
Milgrams Theory only explains obedience, while Latanes theory can be used to explain behaviours such as conformity as a result of the level of social force felt.
Milgrams Theory can explain all obedience, while Latanes theory can only be used to explain obedience in individual situations.
However, both theories don’t account for individual differences such as personality affecting obedience.
Both theories are useful as Milgrams can help to explain obedience in extreme contexts while Latanes can be used to explain how the manipulation of the situation can impact obedience.
What is Legitimate power?
The target accepts the norms for when the source has authority over them, however this is situation dependent.
What is Coercive power?
The source has the ability to punish the targets if they disobey by inflicting a negative stimulus (eg, pain) or removing a pleasant stimulus (eg, money).
What is Referent power?
The authority a source has because they are highly respected by targets.
What is Reward power?
The influence a source has based on their ability to provide what others want or to remove what they don’t want.
What is Expert power?
The source is considered an expert in their field so are highly respected by targets.
What is Informational power?
If the source has information the target wants then they are more likely to obey.
