social influence Flashcards
(90 cards)
what is conformity?
A change in a person’s behaviour/ opinions due to pressure from a person or group of people
what are the 3 types of conformity?
identification, internalisation and compliance
what is identification?
An individual changes their public views to match those of a group, because they value the group and wish to be part of it (identify with it)
what is internalisation?
When an individual changes their public and private views or behaviour to match those of a group. This is a superficial change.
what is compliance?
When an individual changes their public, but not private, behaviour or views to match those of a group. This is a superficial type of conformity.
what are the 2 explanations for conformity?
NSI (Normative social influence) and ISI (informational social influence)
What is NSI?
It is when an individual agrees with the opinion of the majority because they want to gain social approval and be liked.
-NSI is the need to be liked
What is ISI?
ISI is when an individual agrees with the opinion the majority because they believe it is correct
-ISI is the need to be right
Conformity and Asch’s research
What was the aim?
To what extent people conform to the opinion of others
What 3 variables was Asch investigating?
Unanimity, task difficulty and group size
Did group size lead to an increase or decrease in conformity?
-INCREASED but only up to a point (3 confederates)
-3 confederates = conformity to wrong answer rose to 31.8%
-presence of more confederates made little difference
-Group sized varied 2-16
Did unanimity lead to an increase or decrease in conformity?
-DECREASED
-genuine participant = conformed LESS, in presence of dissenter
-dissenter = freed naïve participant, behaved independently
Did task difficulty lead to an increase or decrease in conformity?
-INCREASED as task difficulty got harder
-Asch made line lengths more similar (led to ISI)
A03 of Asch’s study into conformity = Artificial situation/task
-Limitation
-Participants knew this was a study, so played along (demand characteristics)
A03 of Asch’s study into conformity = Research support
-Strength
-Support for effects of task difficulty
-Todd Lucas et al : solve maths problems, got harder over time
-conformity increased = task got harder
conformity to social roles- Zimbardo
What was the aim of his study?
he wanted to know why prison guards behaved, brutally- was it because they have sadistic personality is, or was it their social role that created such behaviour?
Outline Zimbardo‘s research (SPE)- APPRC
APPRC:
Aim: Behaviour related to social roles and norms
Participants:
-21 male
-Student volunteers
-Tested “emotionally stable”
Procedure:
-Mock prison
-Guards ran prison
-Stanford University
Results:
-Guards = behaved brutally
-Prisoner’s rebellion inhibited
-Prisoners become depressed
-Study ended = 6 days
Conclusions: Relate to social roles
-Participants = conform strongly to their social roles
what did the prisoners have to wear in Zimbardo’s SPE study?
-A loose smock
-A cap to hide hair
-Identifies by a number
what did the guards have to wear in Zimbardo’s SPE study?
-Uniform to reflect their status
-Wooden club
-Handcuffs
-Mirror shades (helps with no eye contact between prisoner and guard)
-Uniforms created a loss of personal identity (de-individualisation)
A03 Zimbardo (SPE) = Control
-Strength
-Random assignment of roles = increases internal validity
A03 of Zimbardo (SPE) = lack of realism
-Limitation
-Play-acted social roles , media-derived stereotypes (Banuazizi & Movahedi)
A03 of Zimbardo (SPE) = Counterpoint for lack of realism
-Strength
-Evidence that prisoners though prison was real
-90% of conversations = about prison life (McDermott)
Define obedience
A form of social influence, in which an individual follows a direct order
APPRC for Milgram’s research into obedience
APPRC:
Aim:
-Were Germans different?
Participants:
-40 American men
-Yale University
Procedure:
-Participants gave ‘fake’ electric shocks to a ‘learner’ , responding to prods from ‘experimenter’
Results:
-65% gave highest shock of 450v
-100% gave shocks to 300v
-Many participants showed signs of anxiety e.g. sweating
Conclusions:
-German people are not ‘different’
-American participants willing to obey orders, even if it harms