Paper 1 - Social Influence Flashcards
What is compliance?
Publicly but not privately agreeing with the majority to gain approval or to avoid ridicule. It is a weak form of conformity and is therefore not permeant. Compliance can only happen in the presence of a group.
What is internalisation?
(True conformity). It’s a public and p
What is identification?
Public and private acceptance of a majority influence in order to gain group acceptance. It is a stronger form of conformity however it isn’t permanent.
They are probably internalised at the start then feel bad afterwards.
What are the three types of conformity?
Compliance
Internalisation
Identification
What are the two explanations of conformity?
ISI
NSI
What is ISI
An explanation of conformity which is a cognitive process where we agree with the majority because we want to be correct. We accept others to be correct because we want to be correct so we change our public and private views to be consistent with the majority
-We want to be right
What is NSI?
It is a explanation of conformity which is an emotional process where we agree with the opinion of the majority to gain approval and to avoid looking foolish
- We want to be liked
What type of conformity is ISI?
Internalisation
What type of conformity is NSI?
Normally compliance but it could be identification.
Simple way to remember what ISI and NSI is?
ISI - we want to be right
NSI - we want to be liked
Which Psychologists studied conformity?
Sherif
Asch
Zimbardo
How does conformity react when the task is harder?
Conformity increases
How does conformity react when the subject is familiar with the task?
Conformity decreases
How does conformity react when there is another non - conformist in the group who gives the right answer
Conformity decreases
How does conformity react when there is only 1 confederate?
Conformity decreases
How does conformity react when the task is easier?
Conformity decreases
How does conformity react when there are more people in a group giving the wrong answer? (the difference between 8 and 20)
Conformity stays the same
How does conformity react when the confederates are more expert in the task than the participant.
Conformity increases
How does conformity react when there are 4 confederates instead of 7?
Conformity stays the same
How does conformity react when there is another non conformist in the group who gives a different wrong answer?
Conformity decreases
What are confederates?
People in Asch’s study who knew about the experiment and gave the wrong answer on purpose to try and induce an atmosphere where the real participant might conform.
What are the negatives about Asch’s experiment?
It lacks temporal validity
Perrin and Spencer repeated Asch’s experiment in 1980. It showed that we are less likely to conform in today
Participants may not of followed the rules
The task may have been too easy
Only men were used so it can’t be generalised (In the 1970’s it was suggested that women would conform more) - Asch could have controlled more factors like religion, politicsl views etc.
In 2014 Fiske said that “Asch’s groups weren’t very groupy” conformity may be higher between people that you trust
Asch himself believed that the study demonstrated independence and not conformity
When was Asch’s experiments?
Why were women thought to of been more conformist as men. What research was done on this.
Initially the only research done was on men only. The results aren’t generalisable although they were generalised anyway to women.
In 1987 Eagly reanalysed data from previous studies. They proved that there were different conformity rates in men and women.
He proved that women were more likely to conform in 1987 he said that women were more concerned about group harmony. As well as the fact that assertiveness and independence are more valued male arributes
Are there different conformity rates between communists and capitalists?
Yes
Communists have a higher rate of conformity than capitalists. This is probably die to the fact that communism is about group where capitalists are more about individuals.
From Asch’s experiment in 1951 what can we conclude about conformity?
In 2/3 of the trial people DID NOT conform
What reasons may lead people to conform?
Distortion of perception
Distortion of judgement
Distortion of action
Reasons why people conform
Explain distortion of perception
People come to see things the way that others see them.
Reasons why people conform
Explain distortion of judgement
This happens because people feel doubt about the accuracy of their judgement
Reasons why people conform
Explain distortion of action
They trust in their own judgement and perception but they change their behaviour to avoid disapproval
(Compliance)
What is Meta-analysis?
A statistical process that combines the data of multiple studies to find common results and to identify overall trends.
What support is their for the existence of ISI
In 2006, Lucas’ “self efficiency /personal judgement”
What was Lucas’ “self efficiency /personal judgement” study?
He got students to answer math questions.
Conformity to incorrect questions increased as difficulty increased
The students who rated their math ability as poor conformed the most
The results showed that people conformed when they didn’t know the results
What evidence is there against NSI?
People who want to be liked conform more often
What evidence is there to suggest that ISI and NSI work together?
In1951 Asch showed that conformity decreased when there is another person decanting (saying the right answer)
This could mean - NSI has been reduced as the decanter provides social support OR - it may reduce the influence of ISI because there is someone agreeing with them so they are more confident in their answer.
This experiment casted doubt over the “Two process approach”
What is a “Two process approach”?
“Two process approach” - this suggests that behaviour is due to either ISI or NSI
This was accepted as true before Asch’s experiment
What evidence is there that supports NSI?
Asch repeated his experiment but made the participants write down their answers instead of saying them out loud. Conformity fell to 12.5%.
?????????????????
What isa social role?
The parts which people play as members of various social groups. Eg parents, Passengers.
Who did the moving dot study?
When?
Sherif (1935
What was Sherif’s study?
Participants were told to look at a dot of light which they were told was going to move. They were then asked to tell the experimenter how much the dot moved by. They were then allowed to talk to 2 other people and then they gave a new answer. Finally, they were asked again individually.
In total they were shown the light 3 times.
What were the results which Sherif found?
When alone the participants were more independent with their answers which were extremely varied through each participant. Once they spoke in a group the answers converged to be more alike.
When they were then tested again their answers were more similar to the group answer
What did Sherif conclude?
People tend to conform
In what ways was Sherif’s experiment good?
It was a Laboratory experiment meaning that there there was strict control of the control variables. This also meant that the method could be replicated.
In what days was Sherif’s experiment flawed?
The light didn’t move at all (ethical problem)
It isn’t an everyday task
It lacks ecological validity
All participants are male so they can’t be generalised to everyone
What was Zimbardo’s experiment also known as?
Stanford prison experiment
What was Zimbardo’s experiment?
Male students were recruited as either prisoners or guards (they were told that it would be randomised). The prisoners were arrested in real life and deloused (stripped naked and cleaned by chemicals(but it was fake chemicals)).
The prisoners were dehumanised by calling
them by assigned numbers.
The guards wore uniforms with mirrored glasses to create the feeling of animosity
What were the results of Zimbardo’s experiment?
At first, the guards tried to assert their authority whilst the prisoners resisted by sticking together.
Eventually, the prisoners became more passive and obedient whilst the guards invented nastier punishments. The experiment was abandoned early because prisoners became very distressed.
What was the conclusion of the Stanford Prison Experiment?
Guards and prisoners adopted their social role quickly. Zimbardo claims this shows that our social roles influence our behaviour. People changed to be mean like a prison guard.
What about Zimbaro’s experiment was good?
It was a controlled observation. There was good control of the controlled variables
How was Zimbardo’s experiment flawed?
It was an artificial experiment so the results can’t be generalised to real life
Very unethical - some participants had mental breakdowns.
Zimbardo was involved in the experiment (as the super intendant) (observer bias) he would latter admit of being too involved in the experiment
The conclusion that Zimbardo gave wasn’t a good explanation of why they accepted their social roles
The participants didn’t give full consent (being arrested in public)
They got humiliated
The ends didn’t justify the means
Zimbardo said that he spoke to participants afterwards, gave longitudinal care but this may not of happened
There were many psychological effects on the participants
What psychological effects were there on Zimbardo’s participants?
Evidence suggests
- Prisoners became subdued, depressed and anxious
- One prisoner relayed on the 1st day shows chaos.
-Two prisoners were released on the 4th day
-There were hunger strikes, people were force fed and put in the “hole”
-prisoners shunned by other prisoners
-Guards abused their power
Who put an end to Zimbardo’s experiment?
Christian Maslash - Research assistant told Zimbardo to stop
When was the replication of the Stanford Prison experiment?
Why is this significant?
2006
It has temporal validity
What was the method of the replica of the SPE?
15 male volunteers. They had daily tests to measure depression, compliance with rules and stress. The prisoners knew that in 3 days one of them (chosen at random would become a guard)
There was an independent ethics commitee that had the power to stop it at any time
What is the SPE?
Stanford Prison Experiment
What were the results of the SPE replication?
(Social identity theory) The guards failed to form a united group and they failed to identify with their role. They didn’t always exercise their power and they latter said that this is because they felt un comfortable with the inequality of the situation. In the first 3 days the guards acted in ways which they thought would get them promoted to a guard.
After a prisoner was promoted they became a stronger group as there was no more chances of promotion.
The system collapsed due to the lack of willingness from the guards to enforce power
On day 6 the prisoners rebelled and they created a democracy which soon collapsed due to tensions in the group.
Some of the former prisoners wanted to set up a stricter resign with them in control
The experiment was then abandoned early on the advice of the ethics committee
What was the conclusion of the SPE replication?
The participants didn’t fit into their expected social roles.
This suggests that these roles (ask miss) as
What was the evaluation or the SPE replication
The prisoners were a strong group whilst the guards were not
The guards weren’t as empowered as Zimbardo’s guards
Many people though that the cameras for tv meant that the participants were unconsciously acting for the tv (Zimbardo also said this)
It was an artificial experiment
Good ethics
They were debriefed and councillors were provided afterwards
What is obedience?
A type of social influence which causes a person to act in response to an order given by another person. The person who gives the order is usually a figure of authority who has the power to punish disobedient behaviour
Which psychologists studied Obedience?
Milgriam
What was Milgriams methid for his experiment?
Happened at Yale university.
40 male participants volunteered to take part in an experiment about “learning and memory”. They received payment beforehand and they were told that they can back out at any time.
The learner had to punish the student with electric shocks that ranged from 15V to 450V (450 volts was labelled XXX). The learner was told to increase the voltage every time a correct
answer was given
If the participant asked to stop they were told that they had to continue
Afterward there was a debriefing which included an interview, questionnaires and being reunited with the learner
What were the results of Milgriams experiment?
65% went all the way to 450V
None stopped before 300V
Most participants showed obvious signs of distress like sweating, groaning and trembling
