Social impact theory Flashcards
What is the social impact theory?
Bibb Latane composed a theory of social influence that can be used to explain why people are obedient. He proposed we are greatly influenced by the action of others.
State and explain the 3 social forces
- Strength is determined by status, authority or age.
- Immediacy is determined by distance between the source and target and buffers which can be barriers to the distance.
- Number refers to how many sources or targets are in the social situation.
What is the multiplicative and divisional effect?
Increase in strength, immediacy and number can have a multiplicative effect only lasting until a certain point. Increasing number of targets has a divisional effect on social impact.
State a strength of social impact theory
Milgram, Bickman and Berkowitz 1969 showed that passers-by would crane their necks and gawk, as more confederates looked up the 6th floor window, showing that number of sources could affect obedience levels.
State a weakness of social impact theory
Social impact theory does not attempt to explain why someone might obey, it just outlines the factors that are involved. This theory ignores the role of personality factors such as authoritarian personality, which has been linked to higher levels of obedience. Therefore obedience isn’t fully explained.
