social impact theory Flashcards
what does social impact theory argue
that social influence causes obedience as humans are greatly influenced by each other
who is the ‘target’
person being impacted on
who is the ‘source’
the influencer
what does SIN stand for and give meaning of each other the words
STRENGTH - determined by status authority and age
IMMEDIACY - determined by proximity
NUMBER - how many sources there are compared to target
what is the multiplier effect
impact will depends on the strength x impact x number
what is the multiplier effect equation
i = f(SIN)
what is the lightbulb effect
social influence will increase with growing number but at a decreasing rate
what is the divisional effect
individuals will feel less accountable for as the number of people in the target increases
Strengths of social impact theory
Passive receivers of info
If a group saw something no one would help
Predicting behaviour in situations is helpful as it can help in certain circumstances e.g police planning
Applications in every day situations e.g bullying
Weaknesses of social impact theory
Milgrams theory states that some individuals are in autonomous state
Ignores individual differences and active nature of social situations and specifically what the target brings to the situation itself
Cannot predict what will happen if two equal group impact on one another
Target and source interactions cannot be explained
Doesn’t include situation factors - social constructionism
