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PSYC342 > Powerpoint VI: Brainwashing & PSYOPS > Flashcards

Powerpoint VI: Brainwashing & PSYOPS Flashcards

1
Q

Brainwashing

A

A term used to refer to the application of social influence tactics (often in combination with one another) that are coercive or extreme in nature

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2
Q

When did the term brainwashing first come into use and why?

A

1950s –> means of referring to apparently extreme political conversions by US soldiers captured by the Chinese during the Korean war

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3
Q

2 contexts where brainwashing is most common:

A
  1. Prisoners of War
  2. Religious cults
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4
Q

All studies of brainwashing have been ______ in nature

A

qualitative

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5
Q

2 contexts where brainwashing is most common:

A
  1. Prisoners of War
  2. Religious cults
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6
Q

Prisoners of War X Brainwashing (A): 10 common practices

A
  1. Forced to QUESTION beliefs that had never previously been questioned so as to undermine certainty
  2. Behaviours were shaped by use of REWARDS
  3. Led to believe that no one at HOME cared - Feeling loss of control and HELPLESSNESS
  4. DEGRADING conditions & public humiliation
  5. Induced/forced to PARTICIPATE in own indoctrination process by writing statements and organizing camp activities
  6. Removal of LEADERS to disrupt leadership structure and group cohesion
  7. Gradual ESCALATION of requests: often prefaced large requests with smaller request
  8. Induced ANXIETY, guilt, fear, and insecurity
  9. UNPREDICTABILITY of captors’ behaviour confused expectations and assumptions
  10. Lack of FRIENDSHIP and approval
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7
Q

“Forced to question beliefs so as to undermine certainty” (1A)

Explain what would happen to the prisoners of war

A
  • Presented (sometimes by fellow soldiers) with “information” about immoral practices or injustices in their country/society
  • ill-prepared to counter-argue these assertions
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8
Q

Possible mechanisms to explain why “Forced to question beliefs so as to undermine certainty” is a successful tactic (1A)

A
  • Enhanced the authority of jailors because prisoners feel less knowledgable
  • Create confusion & uncertainty to disrupt thinking
  • Social proof if coming from fellow solders
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9
Q

“Behaviours were shaped by use of rewards”

Explain what would happen to prisoners of war (2A)

A
  • Provided rewards (i.e., improved living conditions for cooperation
  • Promised freedom for good behaviour
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10
Q

Possible mechanisms to explain why “Behaviours were shaped by use of rewards” is a successful tactic (2A)

A
  • Reciprocity for rewards
  • Conditioning effects
  • Liking for guards who treated them well
  • Consistency (if rewards are not a sufficient justification)
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11
Q

“Believe no one at home cared… feeling loss of control & helplessness”

Explain what would would happen to prisoners of war (3A)

A

Psychologically isolating people

  • Withheld mail & eliminated ability to communicate with outside world
  • Told they had been forgotten
  • Religious expressions forbidden
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12
Q

Possible mechanism to explain why “Believe no one at home cared… feeling loss of control & helplessness” is a successful tactic (3A)

A
  • Eliminated competing sources of social influence (social impact theory)
  • Prison environment becomes social proof
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13
Q

“Degrading conditions and public humiliations”

Explain what would happen to prisoners of war (4A)

A
  • Prisoners denied basic needs (food, water, hygiene)
  • Forced to adhere to trivial rules and engage in public confessions of their flaws and misdeeds
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14
Q

Possible mechanism to explain why “Degrading conditions and public humiliations” is a successful tactic (4A)

A
  • Decreased prestige of prisoners and established control of the jailers so that jailers were of higher authority
  • Decreased liking and authority of fellow prisoners so as to eliminate their effectiveness as competing sources of influence
  • Aversive experiences could disrupt thinking and thus prevent prisoners from effectively counter-arguing
  • By following rules and admitting to misdeeds, commitment/consistency processes may cause participants to recognize authority of guards and begin to question their belief
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15
Q

“Induced/forced to participate in own indoctrination process”

Explain what would happen to prisoners of war (5A)

A
  • Writer statements criticizing jailer’s country
  • sometimes required to help organize indoctrination sessions
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16
Q

Possible mechanisms to explain why “Induced/forced to participate in own indoctrination process” is a successful tactic (5A)

A

Commitment & consistency

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17
Q

Possible mechanisms to explain why “Removal of leaders (disrupt cohesion)” (6A)

A

Eliminating competing sources of influence and authority

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18
Q

“Removal of leaders (disrupt cohesion)”

Explain what would happen to prisoners of war (6A)

A
  • Soldiers often separated from their officers
  • Groups were split up if a leader emerged
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19
Q

“Gradual escalation of requests”

Explain what would happen to prisoners of war (7A)

A

Soldiers initially asked to perform minor forms of cooperation (admitting to misdeeds) and then later more extreme requests

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20
Q

Possible mechanisms to explain why “Gradual escalation of requests” is a successful tactic (7A)

A

Commitment & consistency

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21
Q

“Induced anxiety, guilt, fear, and insecurity”

Explain what would happen to prisoners of war (8A)

A
  • Prisoners were tortured and led to believe they’d be killed
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22
Q

Possible mechanisms to explain why “Induced anxiety, guilt, fear, and insecurity” is a successful tactic (8A)

A
  • Established authority of guards
  • Disruptive emotions –> reduced ability to think and counter argue
23
Q

“Unpredictability of captors’ behaviour confused expectations and assumptions”

Explain what would happen to prisoners of war (9A)

A
  • Often unexpectedly withdrew promised rewards or gave unexpected benefits
  • Sometimes punished without warning or withdrew promised punishments
24
Q

Possible mechanisms to explain why “Unpredictability of captors’ behaviour confused expectations and assumptions” is a successful tactic (9A)

A
  • Arbitrary actions reinforced authority of guards
  • Unpredictability creates confusion that prevents careful thought
25
Q

“Lack of friendship and approval”

Explain what would happen to prisoners of war (10A)

A
  • Social isolation to produce feelings of loneliness
  • Interrogations often lasted days with the interrogator actually living with the prisoner & treating him with kindness
26
Q

Possible mechanisms to explain why “Lack of friendship and approval” is a successful tactic (10A)

A

Liking
Reciprocity
Elimination of competing sources of influence

27
Q

Why are the tactics used by cults less intense than those used in prisoner of war contexts?

A

War context = greater ability to control & restrict movement
Cults risk intervention from society

28
Q

Cults X Brainwashing (B): 7 Common practices

A
  1. Create social reality
  2. Create in-group identity and opposing out-group
  3. Gradual escalation of commitment
  4. Establish leader’s credibility and attractiveness
  5. Send members to fundraise and proselytize
  6. Distract members from thinking about undesirable thoughts
  7. Provide and concentrate attention on a desirable final goal
29
Q

“Create social reality”

Explain what would happen to cult members (1B)

A
  • Locations of cults are often in isolated environments
  • Often prevent contact with outsiders
30
Q

Possible mechanisms to explain why “create social reality” is a successful tactic? (1B)

A

Elimination of competing sources of influence
Social proof is entirely the cult

31
Q

“Create in-group identity and opposing out-group”

Explain what would happen to cult members (2B)

A
  • New members showered with social approval –> love-bombing
  • Existing member mirror interests and attitudes of new members
  • special ceremonies of initiation are often used
  • Special status of group membership and negative aspects of outsiders stressed
32
Q

Possible mechanisms to explain why “Create in-group identity and opposing out-group” is a successful tactic? (2B)

A

Liking
Reciprocity
Scarcity of group membership

33
Q

“Gradual escalation of commitment”

Explain what would happen to cult members (3B)

A
  • Starts with requests for small amounts of money and then gradually increase
  • Start with minor requests for professions of loyalty such as signing a statement and then increase to extreme requests such as severing social ties
  • Starts with mock ceremonies enacting activities such as suicides
34
Q

Possible mechanisms to explain why “Gradual escalation of commitment” is a successful tactic? (3B)

A

Commitment and consistency

35
Q

“Establish leader’s credibility and attractiveness”

Explain what would happen to cult members (4B)

A

Develop elaborate myths regarding the leader’s origins, knowledge, accomplishments, and abilities

36
Q

Possible mechanisms to explain why “Establish leader’s credibility and attractiveness” is a successful tactic? (4B)

A

Authority
Scarcity of knowledge
Liking

37
Q

“Send members to fundraise and proselytize”

Explain what would happen to cult members (5B)

A
  • Have members attempt to fund raise and convert non members
  • dual function: (1) gain new members/resources and (2) strengthening alliance of current events
38
Q

Possible mechanisms to explain why “Send members to fundraise and proselytize” is a successful tactic? (5B)

A

Commitment & consistency

39
Q

“Distract members from thinking about undesirable thoughts”

Explain what would happen to cult members (6B)

A
  • Never leave new members alone
  • Have activities such as chanting, singing, and meditation
  • Sleep, food, and water deprivation
40
Q

Possible mechanisms to explain why “Distract members from thinking about undesirable thoughts” is a successful tactic? (6B)

A

Disrupt careful thinking about doctrines
commitment & consistency

41
Q

“Provide and concentrate attention on a desirable final goal”

Explain what would happen to cult members (7B)

A
  • Stress ultimate desirable goal of membership (special knowledge, happiness, immortality)
  • Progression of actions toward final goal
42
Q

Possible mechanisms to explain why “Provide and concentrate attention on a desirable final goal” is a successful tactic? (7B)

A

Commitment and consistency
Scarcity of final goal seems more desirable

43
Q

What is the power of brain washing?

A

extreme application of psychological tactics and their combined use over long period of time

44
Q

Psychological operations/PSYOPS

A

The planned use of communications to influence attitudes and behaviours of people often in preparation for, in support of, and in consolidation of the application of military force

45
Q

Other terms used for PSYOPS

A
  • Information operations
  • Non-kinetic operations
46
Q

What is PSYOPS not?

A

It is NOT interrogation of prisoners

47
Q

Goals of PSYOPS

A
  • Demoralize, disorient, and confuse hostile groups
  • Uniform, inform, influence, and bolster the morale of friendly or neutral groups
  • Develop cooperative attitudes and behaviour in friendly or neutral targeting groups
48
Q

Levels of PSYOPS (explain)

A
  • Strategic –> achieve broad, long-term national goals
  • Operational –> achieve midterm goals in support of regional campaigns
  • Tactical –> achieve short-term battlefield goals
49
Q

Categories of PSYOPS (explain)

A
  • White –> clearly indicated source
  • Grey –> no indicated sourced
  • Black –> falsely indicated source
50
Q

PSYOPS units

A

Specialized military units tasked with the responsibility of influencing hostile or non-hostile groups

51
Q

PSYOPS units equipment

A

Printing facilities
Radio
TV broadcast equipment
Loudspeaker equipment
sometimes social media

52
Q

Activities of PSYOPS units

A
  • Distribution of leaflets, radio broadcasts, and loudspeaker broadcasts to enemy soldiers urging them to surrender and the procedures for doing so (Gulf Wars)
  • Direct electronic contact with high-ranking enemy military officers and public officials urging them to change sides or provide intelligence
  • Spanish speaking US military called Panamanian officers by phone immediately prior to attacking their units to request surrender
  • Distribution of leaflets as well as radio/loudspeaker broadcasts to civilian populations regarding impending military actions, how to avoid risk, and availability of relief efforts
53
Q

Example of PSYOPs in first gulf war

A

Radio broadcasts
- 17 hrs from ground station, 19 hours from aerial/planes
- 58% of target audience exposed
- Produced 34% increase in surrender

3-person team of loudspeaker broadcasting
- used soldiers who already surrendered (social proof)
- Hard to quantify
- Interviews with prisoners indicated that loudspeakers told them where to surrender

Leaflet drops
- 29 million
- 98% of target audience exposed
- 70% of Iraqi prisoners indicated that the messages had some impact on their decision to surrender

54
Q

Psychology tactics that play a role in PSYOPS

A
  • Social Proof (surrendered soldiers as communicators)
  • Liking & authority (Spanish speaking general to panama)
  • Commitment & consistency (“safe conduct past” - pick up leaflet = initial commitment - FITD)

PSYC342 (4 decks)

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