Social Influence

Question 1

What are the 3 types conformity?

Answer 1

Compliance
Identification
Internalisation

Question 2

What was the process of Asch’s line study (1951)

Answer 2

Laboratory experiment
Independent groups design
There was a standard line and 3 different length lines
Each group contained only 1 real participant
The real participant always went last
On 12/18 of the trials the confederates all gave the same wrong answer

Question 3

What are the situational factors of Asch’s line study?

Answer 3

Group size
Unanimity/social support
Task difficulty

Question 4

Outline Zimardo’s study on conformity to social roles

Answer 4

Male students were recruited as either guards or prisoners
These roles were randomly allocated
Their behaviour was observed
The prisoners were “arrested” taken to “prison”
Were given uniforms and numbers
The guards wore uniforms and mirrored glasses

Question 5

What’s a limitation of Zimbardo’s study?

Answer 5

It was in an artificial environment so the results can’t be generalised to real life situations

Question 6

What’s a strength of Zimbardo’s study?

Answer 6

It was a controlled observation so there was good control of variables

Question 7

What are situational variables that may affect obedience?

Answer 7

Uniform
Location
Proximity

Question 8

Evaluate Milgram’s study? (obedience)

Answer 8

Limitation

• Ethical issues
• Participants were deceived
• They couldn’t give informed consent
• They weren’t informed of their right to withdraw
• The participants weren’t protected from psychological harm (stressed)

Strength

• Ecological validity
• it was a laboratory experiment so had good control of variables
• Possible to establish cause + effect

Question 9

Outline Adorno et al (1950) F- scale

Answer 9

Proposed that over-strict parenting results in a child being socialise to obey authority unquestioningly

Authoritarian personality type =

• aggressive
• conformist
• rigid moral stanards
• strong opinionated

Question 10

What’s an eyewitness testimony?

Answer 10

It’s the evidence provided by people who witness a particular event/crime

Question 11

Outline the study of Loftus and Palmer on Eyewitness Testimony (leading Q’s)

Answer 11

EXPERIMENT 1

• Participants were shown a film of multiple crashes
• They then were asked a series of questions
• Such as how fast do you think the cars were going when they hit?
• In different conditions the word hit was replaced with, smashed, collided, bumped and contacted

EXPERIMENT 2

• they were split into 3 groups
• one group was given the verb smashed
• the 3rd group wasn’t given any indication of the speed of the vehicle
• a week later the participants were asked (did you see any broken glass?)

Question 12

What’s the effect of anxiety on EWT?

Answer 12

Small increases in anxiety and arousal may increase the accuracy of memory

A large increase in anxiety and arousal may have a negative effect on accuracy

Question 13

Outline Loftus’s study on weapon focus on EWT

Answer 13

• Independent groups design
• Participants heard a discussion in a nearby room
• In one condition a man came out of the room with a pen and grease on his hands
• in the 2nd condition the man came out carrying a knife covered in blood
• Participants we’re asked to identify the man from 50 photos
• Condition 1 = 49% accurate
• Condition 2 = 33% accurate

Question 14

Outline the techniques used in a cognitive interview

Answer 14

Tries to make the witness relaxed
The witness reports everything
The witness is asked to recall details of the crime in different orders
The witness is asked to recall the event from different perspectives

Question 15

Evaluate Loftus weapon focus in EWT

Answer 15

Has high ecological validity

Ethical issues, distressed from sight of man with a knife