Social Influence

Question 1

define conformity and name 3 types

Answer 1

• yielding to group pressure

compliance
internalisation
indentification

Question 2

define compliance

Answer 2

• individual accepts influence in hope to achieve a favourable reaction from the group around them
• public acceptance but not private
• fairly weak form of conformity

Question 3

Define internalisation

Answer 3

• individual goes along with the group because of an acceptance of their views
• exposed to the belief system of others
• public and private acceptance
  -it is maintained once the person leaves the group

Question 4

Define identification

Answer 4

• individual may accept influence because membership of that group is desirable
• stronger influence
• public and private acceptance
• temporary

Question 5

Name two explanations for conformity

Answer 5

• normative social influence
• informative social influence

Question 6

Describe informative social influence as an explanation for conformity

Answer 6

• acceptance of information from others as evidence about reality
• more likely if the situation is ambiguous or where others are experts

Question 7

Describe normative social influence as an explanation for conformity

Answer 7

• conforming based on the desire for approval
• ## more likely when they believe they are under surveillance by the group

Question 8

what is the definition of a confederate

Answer 8

• someone who pretends to be participants or researchers in studies, but who are actually playing a part

Question 9

Research: Describe the procedure and findings of Asch’s Study

Answer 9

procedure:
- participants viewed lines of different lengths and compared them to a standard line
- confederates gave wrong answer to see if the real participant would conform

Findings:
- participant conformed to avoid dissaproval
- conformity was 33% but without confederates there was only 1 % mistake

Question 10

Describe Group size as a variable affecting conformity

Answer 10

• conformity rates increase as the size of a majority influence increases
• however it gets to a point where further increases in the size of majority doesn’t lead to further increases in conformity

Question 11

Describe Unanimity as a variable affecting conformity

Answer 11

• conformity rates have been found to decline when majority influence is not unanimous
• for example in Asch’s study there was one confederate who went against the other confederates, conformity dropped

Question 12

Describe Task difficulty as a variable affecting conformity

Answer 12

• greater conformity rates where seen when task difficulty increases as the correct answer becomes less obvious
• therefore people will look for others for the correct response

Question 13

what is the study used to explain the conformity to social roles in psychology and explain it

Answer 13

Stanford prison experiment (Zimbardo)

procedure:
- took place in the basement of the university
- male volunteers assigned roles of either prisoners or guards
- prisoners referred to as numbers
- guards were given uniform and had power to make rules

Findings:
- guards became tyranical and abusive with the prisoners
- prisoners conformed to their roles

Question 14

What is the study used to explain situational variables in psychology and explain it

Answer 14

Milgram

procedure:
- 40 volunteer participants in each condition
- real participant = teacher
- confederate = learner
- teacher had to administer an increasing shock every time there was a wrong answer (up to 450 volts)
- teacher was given 4 prompts to continue

findings:
- 65% went to 450 volts
- everyone went to 300 volts

Question 15

Explain proximity as a situational variable affecting conformity

Answer 15

• obedience levels decrease with increasing proximity
• if the learner was in the same room as the teacher

Question 16

Explain location as a situational variable affecting conformity

Answer 16

• obedience levels dropped to 48% for Milgram in a rundown building
• compared tot he uni lab which was higher

Question 17

Explain Uniform as a situational variable affecting conformity

Answer 17

• people are more likely to obey someone in uniform

Question 18

Define the Agentic state and what it is

Answer 18

• a person sees themselves as an agent for carrying out another person’s wishes
• involves moving from an autonomous state where they are responsible for themselves to the agentic state

Question 19

why people adopt an agentic state

Answer 19

• maintain positive self image
• binding factors operate to maintain obedience

Question 20

Define legitimate authority

Answer 20

• someone who is perceived to be in a position of social control within a situation

Question 21

explain legitimate authority and defining a situation using Milgram’s study as an example

Answer 21

• although a participant is performing the action they allow for the authority figure to define its meaning
• reffering to Milgram:
  the apparent suffering of the learner convinces him that he should quit however the authority figure (experimenter) orders him to continue

Question 22

KEY STUDY: Elms and Milgram
Explain it

Answer 22

procedure :
- 20 obedient, 20 defiant participants
- completed MMPI and Rscale and asked open ended questions

Findings:
- higher levels of authoritarianism in obedient participants
- obedient participants reported to be less close to their fathers

Question 23

What is the Authoritarian personality

Answer 23

• people scoring high on the F scale raised within authoritarian family backgrounds

Question 24

What is an internal locus of control

Answer 24

• greater independence and less reliance on the opinions of others

Question 24

Explain social support when referring to resistance to social influence

Answer 24

• presence of social support enables individuals to resist conformity (ASCH)
• breaks unanimity
• disobedient peers act as role models
• when confederates didn’t conform obedience rates dropped to 10% in Milgram

Question 25

What is an external locus of control

Answer 25

• more passive attitude and greater acceptance of the influence of others
• believe things happen due to external factors

Question 26

KEY STUDY: Moscovici (minority influence)

Answer 26

Procedure:
- groups of four naive participants and 2 confederates
- shown blue slides varying in intensity (confederates called them green)
- group 1 answered consistently and group 2 answered inconsistently

Findings:
- consistent minority influenced naive participants to say green on 8% of trails
- inconsistent minority exerted very little influence

Question 27

What 3 factors can affect minority influence and explain each one

Answer 27

Commitment: important as it suggest certainty and confidence

Flexibility: more effective at changing opinion than rigid arguments

Consistency: minorities who were consistent were most influential

Question 28

Describe the process of social change (minority)

Answer 28

1- draw attention to issue
2- Consistent
3- Deeper processing of the issue
4- Flexibility
5- Commitment
6- augmentation principle: suffer
7- snow ball affect (initial small effect grows)
8- social cryptomnesia (source of minority influence is often forgotten