Social Influence Flashcards
What are two limitations of conformity (Asch)?
- Artificial situation and task- trivial and not a ‘real’ group so not generalisable
- Limited application of findings- more conformity in women (Neto) and collectivist cultures (Bond and Smith)
What is one strength of conformity (Asch)?
Research support- more conformity on harder maths problems (Lucas et al)
What is the counterpoint to research support for conformity (Asch)?
Conformity is complex (confidence), combination of individual factors as well as situational
What are two strengths of types and explanations of conformity?
- Research support for NSI- when no normative group pressure (wrote answers), conformity down to 12.5% (Asch)
- Research support for ISI- hard maths problems, more conformity (Lucas et al)
What is the counterpoint to research support for ISI for types and explanations of conformity?
ISI and NSI hard to separate, a dissenter may reduce power of NSI or ISI
What is one limitation of types and explanations of conformity?
Individual differences in NSI- nAffiliators more conformist (McGhee and Teevan)
What is one strength of conformity to social roles (Zimbardo)?
Control of variables (eg. allocation of roles)- increased internal validity
What are two limitations of conformity to social roles (Zimbardo)?
- Lack of realism- participants play-acted stereotypes (Banuazizi and Movahedi)
- Exaggerates the power of roles (rather than personality)- only 1/3 of guards were brutal (Fromm)
What is the counterpoint to lack of realism for conformity to social roles (Zimbardo)?
Prisoners thought the prison was real to them, eg. 90% of conversations were about prison
What is one strength of obedience (Milgram)?
Research support- French reality TV show, 80% went to 460V (Beauvois et al)
What are two limitations of obedience (Milgram)?
- Low internal validity- participants guessed shocks were fake (Orne and Holland), tapes with participants who said they didn’t believe (Perry)
- Alternative interpretation of findings- participants did not obey when ordered in prod 4, gave shocks because identified with the science (Haslam et al)
What is the counterpoint of low internal validity for obedience (Milgram)?
Obedience may be genuine, participants gave real shocks to a puppy (Sheridan and King)
What are two strengths of situational variables for obedience?
- Research support- uniform conveys authority/increases obedience (Bickman)
- Cross-cultural replications- Dutch participants ordered to say stressful things, decreased proximity led to decreased obedience (Meeus and Raaijmakers)
What is the counterpoint of cross-cultural replications for situational variables for obedience?
Replications mostly in other Western countries (Smith and Bond)
What is one limitation of situational variables for obedience?
Low internal validity- variations were especially contrived, participants knew procedure was fake (Orne and Holland)
What is one strength of the agentic state?
Research support- Milgram’s resistant participants continued shocks when experimenter took responsibility
What is one limitation of the agentic state?
A limited explanation- eg. most nurses didn’t obey doctor’s authority (Rank and Jacobson)
What is one strength of legitimacy of authority?
Explains cultural differences in attitudes to legitimacy, eg. Australian women 16% obedient (Kilham and Mann), Germans 85% (Mantell)
What is one limitation of legitimacy of authority?
Cannot explain all (dis)obedience- eg. nurses accepted legitimate authority but still disobeyed (Rank and Jacobson)
What is one strength of the dispositional explanation for obedience?
Research support- obedient participants had high F scores (Elms and Milgram)
What is the counterpoint of research support for the dispositional explanation for obedience?
Obedient participants not authoritarian in some ways, complex
What are two limitations of the dispositional explanation for obedience?
- Limited explanation- can’t explain obedience across a whole culture (social identity theory is better)
- Political bias- related to right-wing authoritarianism (Christie and Jahoda)
What are two strengths of social support?
- Real-world research support- having a buddy helped teens resist smoking pressure (Albrecht et al)
- Research support for dissenting peers- participants less obedient to oil company with group support (Gamson et al)
What is one strength of locus of control?
Research support- internals less likely to fully obey in Milgram-type procedure (Holland)
What is one limitation of locus of control?
Contradictory research- people now more independent but also more external (Twenge et al)
What are two strengths of minority influence?
- Research support for consistency- consistent minorities are influential (Moscovici et al, Wood et al meta-analysis)
- Research support for deeper processing- participants exposed to minority view resisted conflicting view more than those who heard a majority view (Martin et al)
What is the counterpoint for research support for deeper processing for minority influence?
Minority/majority situations more complicated in real world, eg. majorities have status not just more numbers
What is one limitation of minority influence?
Artificial tasks- unlike real world (eg. jury decisions), so studies lack external validity
What are two strengths of social change?
- Research support for NSI- reduced people’s energy use (Nolan et al)
- Minority influence explains change- stimulates divergent thinking (Nemeth)
What is the counterpoint to research support for NSI for social change?
Student drinking behaviour didn’t change due to NSI (Foxcroft et al)
What is one limitation for social change?
Role of deeper processing- majority not minority influence makes people think more deeply (Mackie)
