Module 42-43 (Conformity and Obedience)

Question 1

Conformity

Answer 1

-Adjusting behavior or thinking toward a group standard
-More likely when:
Group is 3 or more people, everyone else agrees, admire group members, have not made prior commitment, behavior is observable, feel insecure

Question 2

Types of conformity

Answer 2

normative social influence, informational social influence

Question 3

Normative social influence

Answer 3

to be liked or accepted

Question 4

Informational social influence

Answer 4

when we assume the behavior of the group provides accurate helpful info

Question 5

Effects of conformity

Answer 5

-Conformity can be good, bad, neutral
-Good: charitable giving
-Bad: bullying
-Neutral: online reviews

Question 6

Obedience

Answer 6

type of social influence that involves following the orders of an authority figure

Question 7

Milgram’s obedience study

Answer 7

-Authority figure instructed volunteer (“teacher”) to administer electric shocks to actor (“learner”)
-Aimed to quantify level of shock participants were willing to administer when instructed by authority figure
-65% of participants in experiment continued to obey the experimenter until the end (even under stress and knowledge of harm on learner)

Question 8

Obedience is more likely when:

Answer 8

Person giving orders is nearby and seen as a legitimate authority, the victim is at a physical and/or psychological distance, no role models for defiance

Question 9

Ethical concerns about Milgram’s experiment

Answer 9

Coercion, deception/debriefing, varied conditions produced varied results, difficulties with replication

Question 10

Prejudice

Answer 10

-an unjustifiable and usually negative attitude toward a group and its members
-Typically involves stereotyped beliefs, negative feelings, and predisposition toward discrimination

Question 11

Explicit prejudice

Answer 11

a conscious and intentional attitude or belief about a group or person that can lead to negative behavior

Question 12

Implicit prejudice

Answer 12

negative attitude against group or people that one is not consciously aware of

Question 13

Example of implicit prejudice

Answer 13

-IAT categorization task
-Two groups, one with female/career and other with male/family
-Put word “salary” on left or right

Question 14

Stereotype

Answer 14

a generalized belief about a group of people

Question 15

Discrimination

Answer 15

unjustifiable negative behaviors toward a group and its members

Question 16

Causes of prejudice and discrimination

Answer 16

-Ingroup bias, just-world phenomenon, scapegoat theory, cognitive shortcuts
-These psychological processes do not happen in a vacuum, but rather are in the context of history, policy, society, and culture

Question 17

Ingroup bias

Answer 17

favoring those who are part of one’s own ingroup rather than those who are not

Question 18

Just-world phenomenon

Answer 18

-a psychological concept that describes the idea that the world is fair and just, and that people get what they deserve
-assumptions that noble actions will eventually be rewarded and evil actions will eventually be punished
-look for ways to explain or rationalize away injustice, often blaming the person in a situation who is actually the victim (they deserve it)

Question 19

Scapegoat theory

Answer 19

-an individual, rather than accepting guilt for some failure, transfers the responsibility for failure to some vulnerable group
-used to justify prejudice and discrimination against groups, such as people of different races, religions, or sexual orientations
-ex.) group may blame an individual for their team’s loss

Question 20

Cognitive shortcuts

Answer 20

-automatic thought patterns that people use to make decision-making more efficient
-Can lead to stereotypic and discriminatory behavior

Question 21

Altruism

Answer 21

-the principle and practice of concern for the well-being and/or happiness of other humans/animals largely independent of that person’s opinion of or reaction to oneself
-Involves behaviors aimed at increasing someone else’s welfare, without direct benefits to oneself
-Helping others achieve their goals (by acting for them)
-Sharing valuable goods such as food with others
-Informing others of things they want/need to know

Question 22

Warneken and Tomasello experiment

Answer 22

-compared altruism in children vs in chimpanzees
-Humans tend to show a more complex and nuanced form of altruism than chimpanzees, such as sharing resources and info, which is less prevalent in chimps

Question 23

Helping norms

Answer 23

reciprocity norm and social-responsibility norm

Question 24

Reciprocity norm

Answer 24

a social rule that dictates that people should return favors and acts of kindness

Question 25

Social-responsibility norm

Answer 25

societal expectation that people should act in ways that benefit the community, even when there is no direct personal gain