PSYCHOLOGY UNIT 2 CHAPTER 09- Social Influences On The Individual Flashcards
☀️☀️☀️GROUPS
- some groups you choose (friends, hobbies etc)
- some groups you are born into (family, gender, ethnicity)
❓❓❓Define Social influence
- effects of the actions of others, either real or imagined, on the way people think, fell and behave
Constructive (helpful)
Destructive (harmful)
Neutral (no effect)
❓❓❓What is a group?
-any collection of two or more people who interact with and influence each other and who share a common purpose
☀️☀️☀️KEY CHARACTERISTICS
- interaction
- influence
- common purpose
❓❓❓A collection of people is not a group when…
-they share a common goal but have no interaction or influence
E.g. Concert, sports event
**called a collective
❓❓❓What are two reasons why people want to join groups?
- social affliation
- goal attainment
❓❓❓What is Social Affliation? (Why people want to join groups)
- sense of belonging
- desire to be with other people
❓❓❓What is Goal Attainment? (Why people want to join groups)
-combining our resources often leads to better or quicker outcomes and outcomes that can not be achieved alone
❓❓❓Define Social Power?
-the capacity to control or influence the behaviour of another person
❓❓❓Define Status
-an individual’s position in a group of social system (determined by lineage, occupation, wealth etc)
❓❓❓Define Power
-the amount of influence that an individual can exert over another person
❓❓❓Name some types of power
- Reward
- coercive
- legitimate
- referent
- expert
- informational
❓❓❓Name, describe and give an example of 3 types of power
REWARD
-the ability to give positive consequences or remove negative consequences in response to specific behaviour
E.g. An employer has the power to give a promotion or a pay rise
COERCIVE
-the ability to give negative consequences or remove positive consequences in response to specific behaviour
E.g. A teacher has the power to give detention to students
LEGITIMATE
-an individual’s status or position in a group, institution or society gives them the authority to exercise power over those with a lower status or with less authority
E.g. A police officer, a group leader
REFERENT
-individuals identify with or want to be like or be liked by this person
E.g. A celebrity you want to be like or a friend you want to be liked by
EXPERT
-having special knowledge or skills that are desirable or needed
E.g. A student who is good with computers will help others in the class
INFORMATIONAL
-having resources or information that are useful and are not available elsewhere
E.g. Librarian or someone who has specific information that is needed by someone else
❓❓❓Give an example of someone who has considerable status
-principle
-teacher
-employer
-police officer
-
❓❓❓Describe the relationship between status and power in a group situation
-in a group situation, if you have a higher status and more power, people are more likely to listen to what you have to say to them
❓❓❓What was the aim of The Stanford Prison Experiment (Zimbardo 1971)?
-to study the role of status and power within groups by measuring the the psychological effects of being either a prisoner or a prison guard
❓❓❓Who were the participants and what was the selection procedure in The Stanford Prison Experiment (Zimbardo 1971)?
- convenience sampling method, by putting an a dint he local newspaper inviting male volunteers
- 20 participants were selected and randomly allocated to be either a prisoner or a prison guard
❓❓❓What were some of the experimental conditions in The Stanford Prison Experiment (Zimbardo 1971)?
- prisoners were arrested from their homes
- prisoners only referred to by identification number
- prisoners shared a 2x3 metre barred cell with two other prisoners
- prisoners forced to call prison guards “Mr Correctional Officer”
- prison guards wore khaki uniforms
- prison guards equipped with sunglasses, a baton and a whistle
- prison guards were told that they could make all the rules
❓❓❓What was the IV and the DV of The Stanford Prison Experiment (Zimbardo 1971)?
IV
- the IV was whether the participant was a prisoner or a prison guard
- operationalised as 9 participants randomly allocated to be a prisoner and 9 participants randomly allocated to be a prison guard, and each group given a different set of rules
DV
-the DV was the behaviour of the prisoners and the prison guards
-operationalised as how the prison guards treated the prisoner and how they prisoners responded towards the orders of the prison guards over the course of six days
❓❓❓What as the conclusion made in The Stanford Prison Experiment (Zimbardo 1971)?
- the experiment showed how the behaviour of normal, well educated men can be significantly altered depending on situational factors.
- the participants were surprised with their change of behaviour
❓❓❓What were the results of The Stanford Prison Experiment (Zimbardo 1971)?
- prisoners became increasingly submissive and dehumanised on regard to what the prison guards were telling them to do
- the prison guards adapted to their role quicker than the prisoners
- the prison guards became increasingly aggressive towards the prisoners
❓❓❓What were the limitations/criticisms towards The Stanford Prison Experiment (Zimbardo 1971)?
- the small sample size make sit difficult to generalise to the population
- cannot be replicated to see whether results are entirely accurate! because it is an unethical experiment
- an EV could be the participants’ personalities, which could effect how they behave
❓❓❓Name and describe two ethical issue related to The Stanford Prison Experiment (Zimbardo 1971)?
DO NO HARM
-most participants suffered psychological harm, however there was access to counselling
VOLUNTARY PARTICIPATION
-participants were willingly involved in the study
INFORMED CONSENT
-all participants knew exactly what the experiment involved
WITHDRAWAL RIGHTS
-participants were allowed to withdraw from the experiment
❓❓❓What was the aim of Milgram’s Study on Obedience?
-to test whether a participant would obey the orders of someone in authority when told to inflict lain on another person
❓❓❓who were the participants in Milgram’s Study on Obedience?
-sample was 40 men between the ages of 20-50
❓❓❓What we the procedure of Milgram’s Study on Obedience?
- participants randomly allocated to the role of either teacher or student
- the teacher witnessed the student being strapped onto a chair and attached to electrodes
- the student was told to pretend as though they were getting shocked
- the teacher, in a separate room, was told to administer increasing electric shocks every time a wrong answer was given by the student
❓❓❓What were the results of Milgram’s Study on Obedience?
- all participants in the teacher role gave shocks ip to 300v
- 26 participants administered shocks to a max 450v
- 5 participants refused to continue after 300v
- 60-65% went all the way to extreme voltage
❓❓❓What were the limitations/criticisms of Milgram’s Study on Obedience? What was an EV?
- small sample size makes it difficult to generalise to population
- the sample was all-male, so the results may be different for females
- EV= personality (some participants follow orders more than others
- lab setting does not reflect real life situations of obedience
- participants may have continued administering shocks because they were getting paid
❓❓❓Identify and describe two ethical issues related to Milgram’s Study on Obedience
DO NO HARM
-some participants may have experienced psychological harm by thinking they were shocking another person
WITHDRAWAL RIGHTS (to an extent) -participant could refuse to continue however the experimenter made it seem as though the participant had no choice, because otherwise the experiment would fail
VOLUNTARY PARTICIPATION
-all participants were willingly involved in the participant
DEBRIEFING
-all participants were debriefed at the end of the experiment
❓❓❓Define Obedience
-following commands of someone with authority, or the rules or laws of our society
❓❓❓Define “blind obedience”
-“just following orders”
Leaders can exert significant influence and power over followers to follow orders
❓❓❓What three factors influence obedience?
- social proximity
- legitimacy of authority figure
- group pressure
❓❓❓What is Social Proximity? (Factors influencing obedience)
-Refers to the closeness between two or more people
❓❓❓Define Legitimacy Of The Authority Figure (factors influencing obedience)
-an individual is more likely to be obedient when the authority figure is perceived to be legitimate and having power
❓❓❓Define Group Pressure (factors influencing obedience)
-an individual is more likely to be obedient where there is little or no group support for resisting the authority figure
❓❓❓What is Conformity?
-to adjust one’s thoughts, feelings and behaviour in a way that is in agreement with those in a particular group,
❓❓❓What was the focus of Asch’s Conformity Experiment (1951), what factors were studied and who was involved?
- Groups pressure to conform
- factors included group size unanimity of group
- 1 subject, various number of confederates, 1 experimenter
❓❓❓What happened during Asch’s Conformity Experiment (1951)?
-group was shown 18 pairs of cards and had to answer some question
- at least once during the 18 showings 75% of subjects agreed with confederates
- 33% of subjects agreed with the incorrect response in 50% of the trials
- 24% did not conform at all to incorrect responses
❓❓❓What were the post trial studies of Asch’s Conformity Experiment (1951)?
- participants reported some level of self doubt in their own assessments
- participants confirmed that they knew that the responses of the confederates were incorrect but they didn’t want to ruin the experiment or create conflict
- participants who did not conform reported feelings of not fitting in and being ‘conspicuous’ and ‘crazy’
❓❓❓Name the seven factors which affect conformity
- group size
- unanimity
- informational influence
- normative influence
- culture
- social loafing
- deindividuation
❓❓❓Define Group Size (factors affecting conformity)
- conformity increases with groups up to 4 people
- conformity decreases with groups more than 15 because they believe they are ‘mindless sheep’
❓❓❓Define Unanimity (factors affecting conformity)
-if one person agrees with you, it creates the ‘ally effect’
Strength and support in numbers
❓❓❓Define Informational Influence (factors affecting conformity)
-whether the group is considered a valuable source of informational
(Conform because we want to be right)
❓❓❓Define Normative Influence (factors affecting conformity)
-response is guided by one or more social norms
Conform to be liked and accepted by group
❓❓❓Define Culture (factors affecting conformity)
-individualistic or collective cultural influences
- individualistic cultures less likely to conform (North America, Western Europe)
- collectivist cultures more likely to conform (Africa, Asia)
❓❓❓Define Social Loafing (factors affecting conformity)
-individual makes lees effort when involved in a group activity than working alone
(Belief that own input won’t make a different so they just go along with the group)
❓❓❓Define Deindividuation (factors affecting conformity)
-the loss of individuality or the sense of anonymity that can occur in a group situation
❓❓❓Name and describe the three factors in which groups structure depends on
SOCIAL NORMS
-shared rules and expectations about behaviour
SOCIAL ROLE
-regulated activities of individuals in the interest of the group
SOCIAL STATUS
-rank of a role according to is value to the group
❓❓❓What is a Peer Group?
-a group of people with similar interests and similar status
☀️☀️☀️CLIQUES
- small, same sex friendship group
- spend a lot of time together, vary in extent of closeness and intimacy (from sports team to inseparable friends)
- can be a member of several cliques e.g. School friends, sports club friends etc.
Contrast: close friendship are not restricted to just one setting
☀️☀️☀️GROUP EFFECTS ON INDIVIDUAL BEHAVIOUR
GROUP POLARISATION
-like minded people tend to become more similar in their thinking and have stronger opinions after group discussions
“GROUP THINK”
- desire for harmony can override rational decision making processes
- agreeing to avoid conflict
❓❓❓Define Peer Pressure
- real or imagined pressure to think, feel or behave according to quid lines determined by peers
- adolescence most affected
❓❓❓Define Risk Taking Behaviour
- behaviour that ah potential negative consequences
- people often take greater risks in groups
❓❓❓Name and describe the four categories or risk taking behaviour
THRILLS SEEKING
-challenging, but socially acceptable
REBELLIOUS
-experimentation of socially accepted adult behaviours
RECKLESS
-thrill seeking, but not generally accepted by adults
ANTI-SOCIAL
-unacceptable for adolescence and adults
❓❓❓What factors influence risk taking behaviours?
- peer pressure
- age
- gender
- family background
- perceived positive outcomes of behaviour
