Social Conformity Flashcards
What does NSI stand for
Normative Social Influence
What is Normative Social Influence
Conforming to a group in order to be liked or approved
What does ISI stand for
Informative Social Influence
What is Informative Social Influence
Conforming to a group to be correct
When was Milgram’s study conducted
1963
When was the Stanford prison experiment
1971
When was Asch’s study
1951
What was Milgram’s study investigating
Milgram’s study was investigating obedience in a high pressure situation
What was Zimbardo investigating
Zimbardo was investigating conformity to social roles in a prison environment
What was Asch investigating
Asch was investigating conformity to social pressure
What was Milgram’s study and what were the findings
Participants were asked to shock a confederate learner when they got the answer to a question wrong, the voltage increasing every time from 15V (small shock) to 450V (XXX). Milgram found that all participants shocked to 300V and 65% shocked up to 450V. However participants showed signs of nervousness and extreme emotional distress throughout the experiment
What was Zimbardo’s experiment and what were the findings
Dr. Philip Zimbardo turned the basement of Stanford University into a mock prison. He found 24 mentally stable male participants and randomly assigned them prisoner or guard. The experiment had to shut after 6 days because of extreme signs of aggression from the guards and psychological distress from the prisoners.
What was Asch’s study and what were the findings
Asch gathered 123 male participants who were asked to judge the length of one line to another three and determine which one was the same length. However the ppt was in a room of confederates who were told to purposefully say the wrong answer.
What is conformity
a change in behaviour to suit the rules or actions of a group
What is social identity theory
the study of interplay between personal and social identities. Behaving differently because of your social group
What is temporal validity
a type of external validity that refers to the validity of the findings in relation to the progression of time
Define Internalisation
A form of conformity where an individual truly accepts and adapts to a group’s norms, agrees with them publicly and privately. Longest lasting conformity because it can last after the individual leaves the group
Define identification
A form of conformity where an individual goes along with a group in order to be accepted and not stand out
Define Compliance
A form of conformity where an individual publicly goes along with a group but privately disagrees
What are social roles
The ‘parts’ people play in different social groups.
What variations affect levels of obedience
Location, uniform, proximity
How does a uniform affect obedience
A uniform can be a sign of legitimacy of authority e.g. police uniform
How does location affect obedience levels
If the experiment is done in a professional building (e.g. a part of Milgram’s study was conducted at Yale University) the participant has trust in the experiment whereas in an odd or different location (e.g. a part of Milgram’s experiment was done in a run down office building) there is less trust and could make the participant nervous
How does proximity affect obedience levels
Proximity affects obedience levels because it makes the experiment more personal for the participant. For example in Milgram’s study, some participants had the ‘learner’ in the same room as them and had to physically place their hand on a shock plate, making it far more personal. Obedience dropped to only 40% reaching maximum voltage.
What is Locus of Control
The degree to which people believe they have control over their lives
What are Externals and what do they believe
They are people ho believe that everything that happens to them is a result of external factors.Externals believe that they cannot change a destined situation. They often feel hopeless when confronted with difficult tasks and/or situations
Who first proposed the concept of Locus of Control
Julian B. Rotter (1954)
What are Internals and what do they believe
They are people who think that everything that happens to them is a consequence of their own actions. Internals believe they have full control over their actions and behaviour. There are no external things that influence them such as fate or destiny.
What is minority influence
A minority rejects the established norm of the majority of the group members and persuades the majority to move to the position of the minority.
Define Synchronic consistency
people in the minority are all saying the same thing
Define Diachronic consistency
people in the minority have been saying the same thing for a long time.
What are the three factors that make minority influence
consistency, commitment and flexibility
What are the limitations of Asch’s research
The situation and task are artificial- demand characteristics
Participants were American men-lack of cultural variation
Ethical problems- consent
What are the strengths of Asch’s research
Research support- agreeing with wrong maths problems
What are the strengths of NSI
Evidence support as an explanation for authority- Asch’s participants felt self conscious of being judged for saying a different answer
What are the limitations of NSI
Does not predict conformity- individual differences
What are the strengths of ISI
Research evidence support- Lucas et.al. (2006) people confirmed more when problems were hard
What are the strengths of Zimbardo’s experiment
Control over key variables- emotionally stable individuals
Behaviour did seem realistic- 90% of conversations between prisoners were about ‘prison life’
What are the limitations of zimbardos experiment
Did not have the realism of a true prison- based on stereotypes of prisoners and guards
Exaggerates the power of roles- most guards resisted situational pressures, only 1/3 of guards were violent
What were the strengths of Milgrams research
Replicated in France- exact behaviour and similar results
What were the limitations of Milgrams research
Demand characteristics- only 75% of participants fully believed the shocks were real
Blind obedience is not justified- participants did not follow when told to blindly follow someone but did when the experiment required them to
What are the strengths of situational variables
Research support for uniform- people were more likely to help a professional looking person
Replicated in other cultures-similar results
What are the limitations of situational variables
Demand characteristics- member of public replaces researcher
Not completely cross cultured- countries similar to USA
