Lecture 5 - Social Influence

Question 1

Compliance

Answer 1

Response to a direct request

Question 2

Obedience

Answer 2

Response to authority

Question 3

Conformity

Answer 3

Response to social norms

Question 4

What is conformity?

Answer 4

A change in a person’s behaviour or belief as a result of real or imagined group norms (Myers, 1999)
A tendency for people to adopt the behaviour, attitudes and values of other members of a reference group (Zimbardo, 1995)

Question 5

What is norm?

Answer 5

The rules established by a group to regulate the behaviour of its members

Question 6

Deutsch + Gerrard (1955)

Answer 6

Developed a dual-process model
Argues that there are 2 ways people confirm
Information social influence (desire to be right)
Normative social influence (desire to be liked)

Question 7

When is conformity stronger?

Answer 7

When groups are face to face
When there is a joint group goal
When task is uncertain

Question 8

Asch (1951)

Answer 8

50 male students
Took part in a “vision test”
Used line judgement task
7 confederate
Each person in room has to state which comparison line (A,B,C) was most like the target line
There were 18 trials
12/18 trials confederate gave wrong answer
Therefore tested to see if participants answers confirmed to confederate

Question 9

What are the result of Asch experiment?

Answer 9

32% confirmed with majority
Over 12 trials 75% conformed at least once
25% of participants never conformed

Question 10

conclusion: why did they conform?

Answer 10

Some said that they didn’t believe the conforming answers but went along with it as fear of being ridiculed - want to fit in within group (normative influence)
Some said they believe the group are better informed than they are (informational influence)

Question 11

Smith and Bond (1996)

Answer 11

Meta analysis; analaysis of large number of studies in a particular way in specific area
133 studies analyses
Higher level of confirming in collectivist culture than individualistic culture
The level of conformity I.e the percentage of participants who gave the incorrect answers at least once ranged from 15% in exp with Belgian students, to 58% among Indian teachers in Fiji

Question 12

What is the strength of Smith and Bond?

Answer 12

Strict criteria so studies can be comparable

Question 13

What are weakness of Smith and Bond?

Answer 13

The study can only observe relationship
Not cause and effect
All confusions are assumptions

Question 14

Memon + Wright 1999: Oklahoma bombings

Answer 14

One witness reported seeing the assailant with another man
Although others had initially not reported a second man, they became convinced they did
3 employees were present when Timothy Mckeigh rented the truck used in bombing
Initially two of them thought Mckeigh had not been alone but after discussing with a 3rd witness who believed there has been an accomplice, these witnesses also came to believe MckVeigh has not be alone

Question 15

What is compliance?

Answer 15

A change in behaviour or expressed attitudes in response to requests, coercion or group pressure

Question 16

What are 3 types of compliance ?

Answer 16

Superficial
Public
Transitory

Question 17

What has main research paradigms have focused on?

Answer 17

Helping/volunteerism and purchasing behaviours

Question 18

Burger 1986

Answer 18

People were more likely to buy a product if they think they will get something else for free

Question 19

What are 3 powerful strategies for the tendency to agree to do things requested by others?

Answer 19

1. Foot-in-the-door
2. Door-in-face
3. lowballing

Question 20

What is foot in door?

Answer 20

The tendency for people who have first agreed to a small request to comply later with a large request

Question 21

What is door in face?

Answer 21

Tendency for people who won’t agree to a large task but then agree when a small request is made

Question 22

What is Lowballing?

Answer 22

When you are to buy a product for a certain price, you are likely to comply with a request to pay more for the product

Question 23

When does ‘Group Think’ occur?

Answer 23

When a group of people who desire conformity result in an irrational/dysfunction decision making

Question 24

What is the Bystander effect?

Answer 24

A phenomenon in which individuals do not offer help in an emergency situation when others are present

Question 25

What is the most famous case of bystander effect?

Answer 25

Kitty Genoese
Stabbed to death - 1964
38 bystander watched without intervening or notifying the police

Question 26

What are the reasons for Bystander Apathy?

Answer 26

Bystanders expect other bystanders to help
We fear making social blunders in ambiguous situations
We are less likely to help when we are anonymous and can remain so

Question 27

What is pro social?

Answer 27

Acting in ways that tend to benefit others

Question 28

What are some examples of pro social behaviours?

Answer 28

Offering assistance 
Doing favours 
Paying compliments 
Resisting temptation to insult/throtttle another person 
Simply being pleasant and cooperative

Question 29

What is Altruism?

Answer 29

The act of providing help when it is needed, with no apparent reward for doing so
People are altruistic toward those whose genes they share

Question 30

What is Reciprocal helping ?

Answer 30

One animal helps another because the other may return the favour in future

Question 31

What is obedience?

Answer 31

Doing something because a legitimate authority asked us to

Question 32

What is less frequent than conformity or compliance ?

Answer 32

Obedience

Question 33

What is obedience in response to?

Answer 33

Individual rather than group pressure

Question 34

What is obedience by?

Answer 34

Direction (being directed)

Question 35

What is conformity affected by?

Answer 35

Example (or observation)

Question 36

Who has power over us?

Answer 36

Law enforcement
Parents
Military