Social Influence Flashcards
What is conformity?
Defined as yielding to group pressure. Occurs when an individual’s behaviour or beliefs are influenced by a larger group of people.
What are the different types of conformity?
Compliance
Identification
Internalisation
What is the definition of compliance?
When an individual adjusts their behaviour and opinions to those of a group to be accepted or avoid ridicule therefor occurs due to a desire to fit in and often involves public but not private acceptance of the groups views.
What is the definition of Identification?
When an individual adjusts their behaviour and opinions to those of a group because membership of that group is desirable. Stronger type of conformity as it involves both private as well as public acceptance but is generally temporary and is not maintained when individuals leave the group.
What is the definition of Internalisation?
When individuals genuinely adjust their behaviour and opinions to those of a group. Involves public and private acceptance which will not be dependent on the group presence or membership for maintenance.
What are the two types of social influence?
Informational Social Influence
Normative Social Influence
What is Informational social influence?
When individuals are put in ambiguous situations they look toward others to help shape their opinions and behaviour. Occurs due to wanting to be right.
What is normative social influence?
Where individuals want others to like and respect them and not be ridiculed. Occurs due o wanting to fit in.
What are the situational variables affecting conformity?
Size of group
Unanimity
Task Difficulty
What is conformity to social roles?
Individuals will learn how to behave by looking at the social roles other people play in such situations and then conforming to them.
What is obedience?
A type of social influence defined as complying with the demands of an authority figure.
What are the explanations for obedience?
The Agentic State
Legitimacy of Authority
What is Agentic State?
When an individual obeys an authority figure they give up some free will and enter an agentic state in which they see themselves as an agent of the authority figure who is seen as responsible for the consequences of their actions.
What is Legitimacy of authority?
Where individuals obey the authority figure due to believing that they are higher up in the social hierarchy therefore have more power to give orders that should be obeyed.
What are the situational variables affecting obedience?
Proximity
Location
Uniform
