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Social influence Flashcards

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1
Q

What can conformity be defined as?

A

When a person changes their behaviours, attitudes or values due to real or imagined group pressure.

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2
Q

What is compliance?

A

The behaviour is simply to fit in with a group. Once away from the group, behaviour and opinions will go back to ‘normal’.

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3
Q

What is identification?

A

When a person conforms to the behaviours of a group because there is something they value about the group.

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4
Q

What is internalisation?

A

When a person genuinely believes and accepts a group norm. This would be publicly and privately as it is now part of the way they think.

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5
Q

What was the aim of Asch’s experiment?

A

To investigate the extent to which social pressure from a majority group could affect a person to conform.

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6
Q

What was the procedure of Asch’s experiment?

A

50 male students were given a ‘task of visual perception’. There was a standard line and three comparison lines. Ppt had to call out in turn which line (A, B or C) was the same length of the standard. The real ppt was seated in a row amongst the confederates. The true ppt could see that one of the lines was obviously a match, the others obviously wrong. 12 out of 18 times, the confederates were told to give the wrong answer. Real was seated 2nd to last, so listened to the same answer over and over.

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7
Q

How many people gave the same answer as the confederates in Asch’s experiment?

A

37% conformity rate

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8
Q

How many participants conformed in every single critical trial in Asch’s study?

A

5%

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9
Q

How many participants remained completely independent in Asch’s experiment?

A

25%

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10
Q

What was the conclusion of Asch’s experiment?

A

The majority of ppt’s conformed to the wrong answer even when they knew it was wrong because they didn’t want to stand out. This supports the theory of NSI, as the ppt’s did not want to be rejected from the group.

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11
Q

How did the difficulty of the task affect Asch’s experiment?

A

Some of the lines were easier to tell apart than others.
Conformity increases when the task is harder because you are unsure of your capability so look to experts.

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12
Q

How did the size of the majority affect Asch’s experiment?

A

Asch increased the number of confederates from 1 to 15 to see if the number of people made more of a difference than the agreement itself. He found that there was very little difference in conformity.

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13
Q

How did unanimity affect Asch’s experiment?

A

Asch introduced a confederate who acted as a dissenter within the group. The real ppt conformed less than 25% when the dissenter was part of the group.

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14
Q

What is the generalisability of Asch’s study?

A

It could be considered low. Lacks temporal validity as modern day replications found that people are far less conforming in a line test.
123 males - the study is androcentric.
Swarthmore college in Pennsylvania - conformity not the same in all societies or cultures. Study is ethnocentric.

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15
Q

What is the reliability of Asch’s study?

A

High because it has clear standardised procedures. 7 confederates. All ppts heard the wrong answer in 12 out of 18 trials.

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16
Q

What practical applications does Asch’s study have?

A

Jurors now warned about conformity so they do not feel excessive pressure by other jury members to give a specific verdict.

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17
Q

What is the validity of Asch’s study?

A

High internal validity
Low external validity

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18
Q

Did Asch’s study follow ethical guidelines?

A

It broke ethical guidelines because the participants were deceived, meaning they didn’t give informed consent.

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19
Q

Who put forward the model of NSI and ISI?

A

Deutsch and Gerard in 1955

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20
Q

What is informational social influence?

A

We conform because we need to be right, so we look to others for the right answer. We are influenced if the majority are people we admire and respect. It leads to internalisation.

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21
Q

What is normative social influence?

A

We conform because we need to be accepted by others by others and to be part of the group. It is driven by emotional factors so it leads to compliance or identification.

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22
Q

What evidence is there for normative social influence?

A

Some ppts said they conformed in Asch’s study because they were self-conscious giving the correct answer and were afraid of disapproval. When ppts wrote their answer down, conformity fell to 12.5% because there was no normative group pressure.

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23
Q

What evidence is there for informational social influence?

A

Some ppts said they conformed because they didn’t think they had the right answer because they didn’t trust their eyes, so they looked to the experts for the correct answer.

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24
Q

What research is there to support ISI?

A

Asch found that there was a 37% conformity rate to the wrong answer when asking 123 ppts a simple visual perception task.

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25
What is an issue with the research into explanations of conformity?
Research cannot be generalised into real life settings as it is artificial, eg. strangers judging lines.
26
What is a theoretical problem with the explanations of conformity?
It fails to take into account individual experiances.
27
What is a practical application with ISI?
Schultz conducted a study placing messages in hotel bathrooms asking customers whether they needed clean towels everyday.
28
What is the research for NSI?
Asch found that 37% conformed due to fear of rejection from the group. Ppts said they conformed because they wanted to be accepted by the majority.
29
What is deindividuation?
When an individual loses their sense of self. This could occur when wearing a uniform, as people conform to the social roles of uniform.
30
What is dehumanisation?
Not being treated like a human, being stripped of their rights.
31
What is diffusion of responsibility?
Whereby a person is less likely to take responsibility for action or inaction when other bystanders or witnesses are present.
32
What is the definition of obedience?
A compliance to an order request from an authority figure.
33
When was Milgram's experiment?
1965
34
What was the aim of Milgram's experiment?
The pt's thought that the study was about the effects of punishment on memory. The real aim was to see if people would obey the orders of an authority figure, even when there were fatal consequences.
35
What was the procedure of Milgram's experiment?
40 males between 20 - 50 were recruited from volunteer sampling and told to go to Yale university. They met a stern individual who played the role of the experimenter, and Mr Wallace, the learner. Pt and Wallace were 'randomly' assigned the role of teacher and learner. Pt and experimenter attached Mr Wallace to equipment and Pt sampled 45v shock to increase authenticity. In adjoining room, pt asked Mr Wallace a question and had to shock him with increasingly stronger shocks. 15v - 450v. At 150v he would demand to be released, 300v refused to answer more questions. 315v screamed. 330v heard no more.
36
What were the four prods in Milgram's experiment?
Prod 1 - Please continue Prod 2 - The experiment requires you to continue Prod 3 - It is absolutely essential you continue Prod 4 - You have no other choice but to continue
37
What were the results of Milgram's experiment?
Qualitative data - Pt's looked uncomfortable and under some strain because they were sweaty, had seizures. they showed nervous laughter and they wanted to leave. They also hesitated pressing the switches. Quantitative data - 100% gave 300v 65% gave the maximum 450v
38
What was the conclusion of Milgram's experiment?
Milgram concluded that participants would obey the orders of an authority figure as the participants gave electric shocks to a learner when told to do so by an authority figure.
39
What was the generalisability of Milgram's experiment?
Not generalisable to the target population - androcentric.
40
What was the reliability of Milgram's experiment?
High reliability - clear standardised procedures so it can be replicated.
41
What were the applications of Milgram's study?
People obey orders from authority - family school workplace. People obeying orders from officers of the law.
42
What is the validity of Milgram's study?
Low ecological validity - environment and task were both artificial. Orne and Holland said that pt's didn't really believe they were shocking people - demand characteristics. However Milgram interviewed the pt's who said they thought the situation was real - high levels of mundane realism.
43
Did Milgram's study break ethical guidelines?
Deceived as to the true aim, so no informed consent. Pt's were fully debriefed and were not physically harmed.
44
Loss of uniform variation - Milgram.
The experimenter appeared to be an ordinary member of society - obedience dropped to 20%. Uniforms encourage obedience as they are recognised symbols of authority. If someone wears a uniform we expect that they are entitled to obedience.
45
What was Bickman's research?
Three confederates were in different outfits - jacket and tie, milkman and security guard - and they stood in the street and asked people to perform random tasks. 2 times more people obeyed security guard than jacket and tie.
46
Location variation - Milgram.
Experiment moved from prestigious Yale university to a rundown office block in nearby Bridgeport - obedience dropped to 47.5%. Yale gave experiment legitimacy because it was respected, but still fairly high as participants perceived scientific nature of the experiment.
47
Close proximity variation - Milgram.
Learner moved to the same room as the teacher - obedience dropped to 40%. When not close, you can psychologically distance yourself from consequences of actions. When you see the person you have to take responsibility. Touch = 30%
48
Remote authority variation - Milgram.
Experimenter left the room and gave instructions over the phone - obedience fell to 20.5%. They are more likely to obey when immediately intimate.
49
What are the situational explanations for obedience?
Agentic state and legitimacy of authority
50
What is the dispositional explanation for obedience?
Authoritarian personality.
51
What is the agentic state?
A person gives up their free will and no longer sees themselves as acting independently, but merely as an agent for someone else's authority. For example - the pts in Milgrim's study
52
What is the autonomous state?
You decide on, direct, and take responsibility for your own actions.
53
What is moral strain?
Feeling uncomfortable as a result of going against your own conscience
54
How can an individual cope with moral strain?
Defence mechanisms such as repression and denial
55
What contributes to a person obeying due to legitimacy of authority?
Socialisation and social heirachy
56
What is socialisation?
We obey someone with legitimate authority because we trust them, or they have the power to punish us
57
What is social hierarchy?
When many societies sanction or legitimise authority figures, so we identify with their power
58
What factors help you recognise legitimate authority?
Institutional context: Moving Milgrim's study from Yale to rundown office block. 65% - 47.5% Uniform - Bickman's research
59
What is the research for the agentic state explanation?
Milgram found that many pts wanted to stop but were powerless to do so. Many shifted responsibility to victim to alleviate moral strain.
60
What is the research for legitimacy of authority?
Bickman found people were twice as likely to obey someone dressed as a security guard than jacket and tie.
61
Alternative theory to agentic state and legitimacy of authority?
Authoritarian personality as it take into account personality factors. More scientific as measured using the F scale.
62
Theoretical problem with agentic state?
Obedience alibi Giving criminals an excuse and diffuses responsibility
63
Practical applications of legitimacy of authority?
Could help us explain and prevent horrific actions. Better grasp of hierarchy within institutions. Can be used as a measure against legitimate assumptions.
64
How does might is right contribute to authoritarian personality?
Adorno (1950) saw these individuals as having insecurities that led them to be hostile to non-conventional people and having a belief in the need for power or toughness which leads them to be highly obedient to authority figures.
65
How does upbringing contribute to an authoritarian personality?
Person is raised by strict and distant parents who punished them constantly for minor reasons. An individual learns from early childhood to obey people with more power and privileges.
66
What are the personality traits of someone with an authoritarian personality?
Respect authority figures Submissive attitude Rigid beliefs in conventional values General hostility toward other groups Intolerance of ambiguity
67
What is the F scale?
30 questions measuring 9 dimensions of personality. Readily identify who has an authoritarian personality and therefore highly obedient.
68
What is the research for authoritarian personality?
Milgram found that when he interviewed a small group of pts that had been highly obedient, these 20 pts scored higher on the F scale than 20 disobedient pts.
69
What is the alternative explanation to authoritarian personality?
Agentic state takes into account situational variables. Milgram's variations took into account proximity, location and uniform.
70
What is a theoretical problem with authoritarian personality?
Middendrop and Meloen found that less-educated people are consistently more authoritarian and obedient. Therefore it could be levels of education play a role in obedience.
71
What are the practical applications of authoritarian personality?
Can explain why only certain personality types are prone to obeying orders. It explains why some people state upbringing ideals as to why they obey.
72
What is resisting social influence?
The ability of people to withstand the social pressure to conform to the majority or to obey authority
73
How does social support help you resist social influence?
When a minority is given an ally who also disagrees with the majority they are more likely to resist social influence because they are more confident in expressing their own views and they experience less anxiety
74
What is the research for social support?
Rees and Wallace (2015) found that social support provided by friends helped teens resist conformity pressures.
75
Are their alternative explanations to social support?
Specific characteristics - high internal locus of control - are more likely to resist social influence
76
Are there theoretical problems to the social support explanation?
Some people still conform/obey when there is social support, meaning the explanation overlooks individual differences. 15% still obeyed in Milgram's study
77
Are there practical applications of social support?
People may now be able to avoid situations that could cause negative social influence by finding themselves a partner who also wants to resist the social influence
78
What is the interactionist approach?
We consider how situational and dispositional explanations interact
79
What is minority influence?
One person or a small group of people can influence the beliefs and feelings of the majority.
80
What is conversion?
A new belief being accepted both publicly and privately , and can be seen as a type of internalisation.
81
What is consistency?
If the minority keeps the same beliefs, both over time and between all the individuals.
82
What is synchronic consistency?
Consistency between all the members of the minority group
83
What is diachronic consistency?
Consistency over time
84
What is commitment?
More powerful if the minority demonstrates dedication to their position. Shows the minority is not acting out of self-interest
85
What is flexibility?
Members of the minority need to be prepared to adapt their point of view and accept reasonable and valid counter-arguments
86
What was Moscovici's research in 1969?
He wanted to see whether a consistent minority of participants could influence a majority to give an incorrect answer in a colour perception test. 172 female American pts involved. 6 pts were asked to estimate the colour of 36 slides. All were blue. 2 were confederates who called the slides green on all the trials in the consistent condition. In the inconsistent condition, they called the slide green 24 time, and blue 12. Consistent condition - 8.4% conformity Inconsistent condition - 1.3% conformity
87
Is there research to support minority influence?
Moscovici found that pts were more likely to conform if the if the minority were consistent in their view. However, study can be criticised as it lacks ecological validity, so consistency may not be a keu factor in minority influence in real life situations.
88
Is there alternative research for minority influence?
Identification depends on the group. Maas found that heterosexual minority groups campaigning for homosexual rights were more effective than homosexual minority groups campaigning for homosexual rights.
89
What is the explanatory power of the minority influence theory?
Low. Minority groups are very different than pts in a laboratory experiment.
90
Are there practical applications of minority influence?
Suffragettes, gay rights movement.
91
What is the snowball effect?
Once change begins to happen, it accelerates
92
What is social crypto-amnesia?
People forget where the new views come from
93
What is the research for processes of social change?
Moscovici's research implies consistency from minority groups is an important part of social change
94
Are there methodological issues with the processes of social change?
Pts in lab experiments do not know each other and will probably never meet again. Also task is artificial. Lacks ecological validity.
95
Can social change processes be seen as holistic?
Takes into account a number of factors
96
Are there practical applications for the processes of social change?
Women's rights, gay rights - brought about long lasting social change
97
What does GRAVE stand for?
Generalisability Reliability Applications Validity Ethics
98
What does RATA stand for?
Research Alternative theory Theoretical problems Applications
99
What was the procedure of Zimbardo's study?
1973 - Zimbardo set up a mock prison in the basement of the psychology department at Stanford university to investigate the effect of social roles on authority. 21 male volunteer students who were shown to be emotionally stable were randomly allocated to role of guard or prisoner. Prisoners were stripped searched, given a uniform and only referred to by a number. They were told they could not leave but would have to ask for parole. Guards were given a uniform with sunglasses and handcuffs, and were told they had complete power over the prisoners.
100
What were the findings of Zimbardo's study?
Guards treated prisoners harshly and mostly talked about prison topics during their relaxation breaks. The prisoners rebelled within 2 days and the guards retaliated with fire extinguishers. Prisoners became subdued, anxious and depressed - 2 had to be released early. One prisoner went on hunger strike. Only 10% of conversations were about life outside the prison. Ended after 6 days instead of 14 Shows people conform to social roles even when they go against moral principle. Situational variables are mainly responsible.
101
What is the generalisability of Zimbardo's study?
Considered low as the levels of conformity may be due to the time period. Lacks temporal validity. Also androcentric.
102
What is the reliability of Zimbardo's study?
High because of standardised procedures. However replication studies (BBC prison study) showed that by the end pts wanted equality within the mock prison. Shows reliability of methodology could alter findings.
103
Are there practical applications of Zimbardo's study?
Can be used to explain importance of the situation causing behaviour. Deindividuation may have contributed to lack of control. Situation causes behaviour rather than person.
104
What is the validity of Zimbardo's study?
Low external validity. Artificial environment. Many unpleasant aspects of prison life were absent, such as beatings and racism. Maximum sentence just two weeks. However study did have some mundane realism as prisoners were arrested also 90% of conversations were about prison life.
105
Did Zimbardo's study break ethical guidelines?
No protection from psychological harm and pts suffered from extreme stress. Therefore it lacks scientific rigour.
106
What is locus of control?
The extent to which we think we have control over our own behaviour as measured by a questionnaire.
107
What is a high external LoC?
Believes what happens to them are due to fate, luck or other uncontrollable forces.
108
What is a high internal locus of control?
Believes they are responsible for their own actions. More resistant to social pressure as they believe themselves as free to choose to conform. They are less reliant on the opinions of others and are more likely to base their decisions off of their own opinions. They are more likely to be leaders and have less need for social approval.
109
Is their research to support ILoC?
Spector investigated 157 students, and found that those who scored higher on the external LoC were more likely to conform in situations of normative social influence.
110
Is the effect of LoC exaggerated?
Rutter pointed out that it only comes into play in novel situations, as it has very little influence over behaviour in familiar situations. If you obeyed in the past, this may lead you to obey again.
111
Is there refuting evidence for LoC?
Twenge found that over a 40 year period people are more likely to develop an external LoC, meaning that people tend to behave in a certain way based on prior experience.
112
Are there practical applications of LoC?
PREVENT strategies help to prevent people from succumbing to extremist beliefs and behaviours. Individuals who have a high ELoC are more likely to conform to extremist beliefs.

Psychology (9 decks)

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