social influence Flashcards
Give two strengths for the different types of conformity
Research from Schulz found that hotel guests reduced towel usage by 25% when they were told that the majority of the guests reuse their towels. Therefore the theory is credible because it has a study backing it up.(Strength of normative social influence)
There is also evidence to support the role of informational social influence. For example, Lucas et al found that conformity to an obviously incorrect maths answer was greater when the question was more difficult and the participant rated their own maths ability unfavourably. This shows that individuals are more likely to turn to others when they lack the information to make their own informed decisions i.e. in an ambiguous situation.
Give a weakness for the different types of conformity
Weakness: The supporting research (Lucas et al 2006) can be criticised for age bias as it was only conducted on students. Perhaps adults may conform more or less therefore we can’t generalise findings to the wider population
Give two strengths of Ash’s study into variables affecting conforming
Supports normative social influence - participants reported that they conformed to fit in with the group, so it supports the idea of normative influence, which states that people conform to fit in when privately disagreeing with the majority.
Lab experiment - Extraneous and confounding variables are strictly controlled (high internal validity- ppts did experiment without confederates), meaning that replication of the experiment is easy. Successful replication increases the reliability of the findings because it reduces the likelihood that the observed findings were a ‘one-off’.
Give two strengths of Zimbardo’s study on conformity to social roles
Debriefing – participants were fully and completely debriefed about the aims and results of the study. This is particularly important when considering that the BPS ethical guidelines of deception and informed consent had been breached. Dealing with ethical issues in this way simply makes the study more ethically acceptable, but does not change the quality (in terms of validity and reliability) of the findings.
The amount of ethical issues with the study led to the formal recognition or ethical guidelines so that future studies were safer and less harmful to participants due to legally bound rules. This demonstrates the practical application of an increased understanding of the mechanisms of conformity and the variables which affect this.
Give two weaknesses of Ash’s study into variables affecting conforming
Lacks ecological validity (Mundane realism) - it was based on peoples’ perception of lines and so the findings cannot be generalised to real life as it does not reflect the complexity of real life conformity i.e. where there are many other confounding variables and majorities exert influence irrespective of being a large group. Also as it was a lab study with a manipulated IV.
Lacks population validity due to sampling issues - For example, the participants were only American male undergraduates, and so the study was subject to gender bias, where it is assumed that findings from male participants can be generalised to females (i.e. beta bias). Also age bias and culture bias.
Give two weaknesses of Zimbardo’s study on conformity to social roles
Lacks ecological validity - The study suffered from demand characteristics. For example, the participants knew that they were participating in a study and therefore may have changed their behaviour, either to please the experimenter (a type of demand characteristic) or in response to being observed (participant reactivity, which acts as a confounding variable). The participants also knew that the study was not real so they claimed that they simply acted according to the expectations associated with their role rather genuinely adopting it. Participants also noticed the numerous cameras placed around the prison and their cells.
Lacks population validity – The sample only consisted of American male students and so the findings cannot be generalised to other genders and cultures. For example, collectivist cultures, such as China or Japan, may be more conformist to their prescribed social roles because such cultures value the needs of the group over the needs of the individual. This suggests that such findings may be culture-bound!
Ethical issues – Psychological harm – Participants were not protected from stress, anxiety, emotional distress and embarrassment e.g. one prisoner had to be released due to excess distress and uncontrollable screaming and crying
Describe two explanations for Conformity
Informational Social Influence - When someone conforms because they want to be right, so they look to others by copying or obeying them, to have the right answer in a situation they would look to others for information. It usually leads to internalisation and occurs in situations where we do not have the knowledge or expertise to make our own decisions.
Normative Social Influence – when someone conforms because they want to be liked and be part of a group; when a person’s need to be accepted or have approval from a group
drives compliance. It often occurs when a person wants to avoid the embarrassing situation of disagreeing with the majority.
Name 3 explanations for obedience
Agentic state
Legitimacy of authority
Situational factors
