Social Influence Flashcards
Conformity
Yielding to group pressure
Group size
The extent to which the number of people in a group affects the degree to which an individual conforms
Unanimity
The extent to which members of a group agreeing with one another affects the degree to which an individual conforms
Task difficulty
The extent to which how obvious a correct answer seems affects the degree to which an individual conforms
Asch (1951) ‘baseline’
j
Asch (1955)
j
Todd Lucas et al (2006)
j
Compliance
Publicly, but not privately, going along with majority influence to gain approval
Internalisation
Public and private acceptance of majority influence, through adoption of the majority group’s belief system
Identification
Public and private acceptance of majority influence in order to gain group acceptance
Informational social influence (ISI)
A motivational force to look to others for guidance in order to be correct
Normative social influence (NSI)
A motivational force to be liked and accepted by a group
Paul McGhee and Richard Teevan (1967)
j
Asch (1951)
j
Lucas et al (2006)
j
Social roles
The parts individuals play as members of a social group, which meet the expectations of that situation
Cognitive dissonance
An unpleasant feeling of anxiety created by simultaneously holding two contradictory ideas
Confederates
Also known a pseudo-participants and stooges, individuals who pretend to be participants or researchers
Variables affecting conformity
Characteristics that can affect the degree to which individuals conform
Situational variables
Features of an environment that affect the degree to which individuals yield to group pressures
Individual variables
Personal characteristics that affect the degree to which individuals yield to group pressures
Mood
Research suggests that humans will conform more when they’re in a good mood. Tong et al (2008)
Culture
Research suggests that humans will conform to different levels because of their culture. Smith and Bond (1993)
Dehumanisation
Degrading people by lessening of their human qualities
De-individuation
A state in which individuals have lower self-awareness and a weaker sense of personal responsibility for their actions
Phillip Zimbardo et al (1973)
Stanford Prison Experiment
Obedience
Complying with the demands of an authority figure
Milgram paradigm
Experimental procedure devised by Stanley Milgram for measuring obedience rates
Ethical considerations
Moral aspects of research that need to be taken into account before studies are conducted
Internal validity
The extent to which a study measures what it claims to measure
External validity
The extent to which conclusions can be generalised beyond the setting of a study
Androcentrism
A bis in psychological research in which a male perspective is over-emphasised at the expense of a female one
Stanley Milgram (1963)
Behavioural study of obedience
Charles Hofling et al (1966)
Fake doctor instructed 22 nurses to gives does off an unfamiliar drug to patients. 20mg (when box said 10mg max). 21 of 22 nurses attempted to administer the drug before being stoped