obedience: social impact theory Flashcards
what is meant by ‘social impact theory’?
other people’s real or imagined presence can alter the way an individual thinks or acts
define ‘source’
provides the influence
define ‘target’
those being influenced
what is social impact determined by?
strength
immediacy
numbers
define ‘strength’
status, expertise and power of the source
define ‘immediacy’
recency in time and closeness of physical presence of the source
define ‘number’
the amount of sources or targets
- more targets can decrease obedience
- more sources can increase obedience
what is the multiplicative effect?
increasing the SIN of sources can significantly increase social impact
what is the divisional effect?
increasing targets can decrease social impact as the impact is divided among targets so the individual pressure is released
what is the law of diminishing returns?
once the source group exceeds 3, additional people have less of an impact
what is a strength of social impact theory (PEE)?
- supporting evidence S + J
a strength of social impact theory as an explanation for human behaviour is supporting evidence from Sedikedes and Jackson. they carried out a field experiment in a zoo and when the confederate zookeeper wore a uniform, increasing the strength, people were more obedient. therefore, this suggests that there is a bigger impact when strength is increased as the person is perceived as a legitimate authority figure. additionally, as time progressed, the level of obedience dropped which demonstrates the importance of immediacy.
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what is a strength of social impact theory (PEE)?
- supporting evidence H
a strength of social impact theory as an explanation of human behaviour is supporting evidence from Hofling. nurses were instructed over the phone to give an unsafe drug dosage to a patient. this supports the importance of strength in social impact as the nurses believed the doctor was legitimate. however, it does not highlight the importance of immediacy, since the instructions were given via telephone, yet obedience was still high.
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what is a weakness of social impact theory (PEE)?
- reductionist
a weakness of social impact theory as an explanation of human behaviour is that it could be reductionist. for example, it over simplifies complexities of predicting behaviour in social situations because people can act as both targets and sources simultaneously. additionally, this neglects how targets may influence the source. therefore, it is an incomplete explanation, limiting the usefulness of the applications.
what is an alternative theory (PEE)?
an alternate theory is Milgram’s agency theory. this theory considers the prestige of the setting impacting authority and it can provide a mathematical value. it also emphasises the role of evolution whereas SIT only focuses on interaction of social forces, without discussing moral strain. therefore, the agency theory might be a more detailed explanation of human behaviour
what are the applications? (PEE)
a strength of social impact theory is that it has applications. for example, politicians use SIT by having regular meetings with few people in them and reducing the use of TV adverts. therefore, this improves immediacy and the impact of the sources, increasing pressure on people and decreasing the divisional effect.
