Lecture 5- Social Influence Flashcards
what is social influence?
how individuals influence the way we think, feel and behave.
Obedience-Milgram:
What was Milgram’s aim?
Would ordinary individuals obey orders at the cost of harming someone?
Obedience-Milgram:
Explain milgrams study
40 men between the ages of 20-50 years were told the study was on the effects of punishment on memory. The participate was the ‘teacher’ and a confederate was the ‘learner.’ The teacher gave electric shocks to the learner every time they got an answer wrong. The learner gave answers wrong purposefully and the electric shocks were fake. Prods were given to the teacher if they wanted to stop the experiment.
Obedience-Milgram:
What were the results of Milgram’s study?
65% of participants continued to the max of 450 volts.
All continued to 300 volts.
Obedience-Milgram: Variations: Proximity study
Teacher and learner are in the same room.
40% obeyed to the highest volt.
Obedience-Milgram:
Variations: Two Peers Rebel study
More than one teacher is present and 2/3 would refuse to give higher shocks. 10% obeyed to highest volt.
Obedience-Milgram:
Variations: Gender study
Both men and women took part. 65% obeyed to highest volt. Women reported more stress.
Obedience-Milgram:
Evaluation: Ethics
Participants were deceived as they were not told the true aim of the study. However, all participants were offered debriefing and Milgram argued that the results were so significant that the deception was warranted. Many felt afterwards that they were happy they participated.
Obedience-Milgram:
Evaluation: Supporting research
Hofling
Found high obedience rates in nurses who were asked to give a patient a drug they’d never heard of before, by an unfamiliar doctor over the phone. Giving the reason that the doctors had become annoyed if they refused before. Supporting Milgram’s study has ecological validity. When the nurses had time to discuss, validity dropped, supporting the variations.
Obedience-Milgram:
Evaluation
Burger
Replicated Milgram’s study but with 2 conditions this time. Found similar results. The second condition involved a second confederate pretending to be a second confederate, they deliver the electric shocks, at 90V they stopped and the actual participant is asked to continue.
Obedience-Milgram:
Evaluation
Obedience alibi
It has been suggested that Milgram’s study offers an alibi for the obedience shown during the Holocaust by the Nazis. However, when applied to real life setting’s, thy are not shown.
Obedience: LADS Buzz of Footbal
Legitimate authority Agentic shift Disposition Social Roles Buffer Foot-in-the-door
Obedience: Legitimate authority
The participants believed the experimenter had power and so were more likely to obey them than an ordinary person. Obedience was higher when the authority figure was close by and perceived as legitimate.
Obedience: Agentic shift
Putting the blame onto someone else. When another ‘participant’ (confederate) actually flipped the switch and all the real participant had to do was something small, 93% obeyed. The confederate in the
room took blame for the harm being caused too.
Obedience: Disposition
Some people are more likely to obey than others. Milgram found differences in life produced few differences in obedience.
Obedience: Social Roles
People are more likely to obey social roles because of the disapproval they would incur if they dont obey.
Obedience: Buffers
When the learner was out of sight, obedience was highest. It dropped when they were in the same room. The wall acted as a buffer.
Obedience: Foot-in-the-door
Once people comply, they find it difficult to refuse to carry on. The gradual increase of the electric shock made it difficult to disengage from the procedure.
Conformity-majority influence: what is conformity?
A form of social influence that results from majority influence which leads to a change in behaviour/belief as a result of real or imagined group pressure.
Conformity-majority influence: what are the two types of conformity called?
Compliance
Internalisation