Social influence

Question 1

What is conformity?

Answer 1

A change in a person’s behaviour or opinions as a result of real or imagined pressure from a person or group of people

Question 2

Types of conformity - what is internalisation? (3)
When
It results
The change

Answer 2

• When a person genuinely accepts norms of group
• It results in a private as well as public change of opinions/behaviour
• The change is usually permanent and persists in the absence of group members because attitudes have become part of how the person thinks

Question 3

Types of conformity - what is identification? (2)

Answer 3

• When we identify with a group that we value, we want to become part of it
• So we publicly change our opinions/behaviour, even if we don’t privately agree with everything the group stands for

Question 4

Types of conformity - what is compliance? (2)
Involves
This results

Answer 4

• Involves ‘going along with others’ in public, but privately not changing opinions/behaviour
• This results in only a superficial change and the opinion/behaviour stops as soon as group pressure ceases

Question 5

Explanations for conformity - what is informational social influence? (ISI)
We agree

Answer 5

We agree with the opinion of the majority because we believe it is correct. We accept it because we want to be correct as well. This may lead to internalisation

Question 6

Explanations for conformity - why is ISI a cognitive process?

Answer 6

It is to do with what you think

Question 7

Explanations for conformity - when does ISI occur? (2)

Answer 7

• Most likely - new situations or where there is some ambiguity, isn’t clear what is right
• It may happen when decisions have to be made quickly, when we assume the group is most likely to be right

Question 8

Explanations for conformity - what is normative social influence (NSI)?

Answer 8

Concerns what is ‘normal’ behaviour for a social group i.e. norms. Norms regulate the behaviour of groups and individuals

Question 9

Why is NSI an emotional process?

Answer 9

People do not like to appear foolish and prefer social approval rather than rejection

Question 10

What does NSI lead to?

Answer 10

Compliance

Question 11

When does NSI occur? (3)

Answer 11

• Most likely - situations where we don’t know the norms and look to others about how to behave
• Situations with strangers if we don’t want to be rejected, people we know as concerned about social approval of friends
• May be more pronounced in stressful situations where people have a need for social support

Question 12

What is obedience?

Answer 12

To comply with the demands of someone you see as an authority figure

Question 13

Explanations for obedience based on situational factors - proximity
Proximity variation

Answer 13

Teacher and learner were in the same room and the obedience rate dropped from 65% to 40%

Question 14

Explanations for obedience based on situational factors - proximity
touch proximity variation

Answer 14

The Teacher forced the Learner’s hand onto a shock plate. The obedience rate was 30%

Question 15

Explanations for obedience based on situational factors - proximity
Remote-instruction variation (2)

Answer 15

• The Experimenter left the room and gave instructions by telephone
• The obedience rate was 20.5% and participants often pretended to give shocks

Question 16

Explanations for obedience based on situational factors - proximity explanation

Answer 16

Decreased proximity allows people to psychologically distance themselves from the consequences of their actions
E.g. when the Teacher and the Learner were physically separated, the Teacher was less aware of the harm done, so was obedient

Question 17

Explanations for obedience based on situational factors - location (3)

Answer 17

• The study was conducted in a run-down building rather than at the prestigious Yale University as in the baseline
• Obedience dropped to 47.5%
• Obedience was higher in the university because the setting was legitimate and had authority

Question 18

Explanations for obedience based on situational factors - uniform (4)

Answer 18

• In the baseline study, the Experimenter wore a lab coat
• In one variation, he had to take a phone call at the start of the procedure. His role was taken over by an ‘ordinary member of the public’ in everyday clothes
• Obedience fell to 20%
• A uniform is a strong symbol of legitimate authority granted by society. Someone without a uniform has less right to expect obedience

Question 19

Obedience: situational explanations - What is an agentic state? (2)
A mental state
This frees

Answer 19

• A mental state where we feel no personal responsibility for our behaviour because we believe ourselves to be acting for an authority figure
• This frees us from the demands of our conscience and allows us to obey even a destructive authority figure

Question 20

Obedience: situational explanations - a person in an autonomous state is free to do what?

Answer 20

Behave according to their own principles and feels a sense of responsibility for their own actions

Question 21

Obedience: situational explanations - What is an agentic shift? (3)

Answer 21

• The shift from autonomy to being an ‘agent’
• This occurs when we perceive someone else as an authority figure
• This person has power because of their position in the social hierarchy

Question 22

Obedience: situational explanations - What are binding factors? (2)

Answer 22

• Aspects of a situation that allow the person to ignore or minimise the damaging effect of their behaviour and reduce the ‘moral strain’ they feel
• Milgram - shifting the responsibility to the victim or denying the damage they are doing to victims

Question 23

Obedience: Situational explanations - legitimacy of authority

Answer 23

People will obey someone they perceive to be ‘above’ them in the social hierarchy, and therefore think they have the right to give orders

Question 24

Obedience: Dispositional explanation - what do we mean by a dispositional explanation for obedience?

Answer 24

Focuses on internal characteristics that lie within the individual (e.g. personality) that lead them to be more or less likely to follow the orders of an authority figure

Question 25

Obedience: dispositional explanation - Adorno et al. (1950) believed that unquestioning obedience is a what?
They tried to find its causes in what?

Answer 25

Psychological disorder
The individual’s personality

Question 26

Obedience: Dispositional explanation - what did Adorno et al. conclude?

Answer 26

People with an authoritarian personality are especially obedient to authority. They:
* Have exaggerated respect for authority and submissiveness to it
* Express contempt for people of inferior social status

Question 27

Obedience: dispositional explanation - what does the Authoritarian Personality originate in and how? (3)

Answer 27

Childhood
• Harsh parenting - extremely strict disciplining, expectation of absolute loyalty, impossibly high standards, severe criticism
• It is also characterised by conditional love - parents’ love depends entirely on how their child behaves

Question 28

Obedience: Dispositional explanation - what feelings do these childhood experiences create?
These feelings cannot be expressed directly against their parents, so what happens to them?

Answer 28

Resentment and hostility
They are displaced onto others who are weaker - scapegoating

Question 29

Resistance to social influence - social support (resisting conformity) (3)
The pressure
Someone
The dissenter

Answer 29

• The pressure to conform is reduced if other people are not conforming
• Someone else not following the majority frees others to follow their own conscience
• The dissenter shows the majority is no longer unanimous

Question 30

Resistance to social influence - social support (resisting obedience) (3)
Pressure
The dissenter’s
A disobedient

Answer 30

• Pressure to obey can be reduced if another person is seen to disobey
• The dissenter’s disobedience frees the person to act from their own conscience
• A disobedient model challenges the legitimacy of the authority figure

Question 31

Resistance to social influence (LOC) - who described internal vs external LOC?
What do internals believe?
What do externals believe?

Answer 31

Rotter (1966)
• Internals - things that happen to them are largely controlled by themselves (give example)
• Externals - things happen outside their control (give example)

Question 32

Resistance to social influence (LOC) -
why is LOC not just being internal or external?

Answer 32

There is a scale from one to the other and people differ in their position on it

Question 33

Resistence to social change - locus of control
People with which locus of control are more likely to resist pressures to conform or obey?
Why? (2)

Answer 33

Internal LOC
1) Internals tend to base their decisions on their own beliefs rather than depending on the opinion of others
2) High internal LOC - more confident, more achievement-oriented, have higher intelligence - traits that lead to greater resistance

Question 34

What is minority influence?

Answer 34

Refers to how one person or small group influences the belief and behaviour of other people

Question 35

What does minority influence lead to?

Answer 35

Internalisation - both public behaviour and private beliefs are changed

Question 36

a minority needs to be what three things?

Answer 36

Consistent, committed and flexible

Question 37

Minority influence - Describe consistency (4)

Answer 37

• A minority must be consistent in what they say
• They should not alter their viewpoint
• Synchronic consistency - the whole group say the same thing
• Diachronic consistency - the group say the same thing over a long period of time

Question 38

Minority influence - describe commitment (2)

Answer 38

• A minority must be committed to their cause
• They must live by the guidelines they are trying to encourage others to live by

Question 39

Minority influence - describe flexibility
Refers to

Answer 39

Refers to the way in which minority influence is more likely to occur if the minority is willing to compromise

Question 40

What is social change

Answer 40

The shift or change in society’s beliefs, behaviours and attitudes

Question 41

Social change - explanation of minority influence in social change
Minority influence
Consistency
Commitment
Flexibility
Snowball effect
Social crypto-amnesia

Answer 41

• Social change is usually the result of minority influence
• Consistency - contributes to social change when a minority repeatedly gives the same message. Makes a majority reassess their belief and consider the issue more carefully
• Commitment - “ minority show they are willing to give up something for their belief, majority take their argument more seriously
• Flexibility - “ minority show they are willing to listen to other viewpoints, majority listen to their point of view
• Once the minority begins to persuade people round their way of thinking, a snowball effect begins to happen
• The minority opinion becomes the dominant position in society, and people often do not even remember where the opinion originated from - social crypto-amnesia

Question 42

Explanation of conformity in social change (2)

Answer 42

• By encouraging the belief that others are doing it or advising people that it is a better way to act (leading to internalisation)
• Asch - variation where one of the confederates gave the correct answer throughout - rate of conformity 5%. This broke the power of the majority encouraging others to dissent. This demonstrates potential for social change

Question 43

Explanation of obedience in social change (2)

Answer 43

• Changes to the laws which make a certain behaviour more of a social norm which others then adopt.
• This is because following the law and authority figures is a social norm so this can also create a snowball effect where more and more people change their views and behaviour in order to avoid punishment or consequences

Question 44

Step of how social change occurs (6)

Answer 44

Drawing attention, consistency, deeper processing, the augmentation principle, the snowball effect, social cryptoamnesia

Question 45

What is drawing attention?

What is deeper processing?

Answer 45

Drawing attention - making the majority aware there is another viewpoint

Deeper processing - the attention means the majority consider the issue more carefully, instead of simply accepting the status quo, people may start questioning it

Question 46

What is the augmentation principle?
What is the snowball effect?

Answer 46

If a minority appears willing to suffer for their cause they are taken more seriously (commitment)

There is a small effect to start with but it spreads bit by bit until it becomes the majority viewpoint

Question 47

What is social cryptoamnesia?

Answer 47

People remember that change has occured but don’t remember how it happened

Question 48

What is de-individuation?

Answer 48

A state when you become so immersed in the norms of the group that you lose your sense of identity and personal responsibility