Social Influence Flashcards
What is conformity?
the process of yeilding to the majority influence
How did myers define conformity?
‘a change in behaviour or belief as a result of real or imagined group presence’
What is compliance?
publicly conforming to behaviours or views of others but privately maintaining one’s own view
results in superficial change
the behaviolur will change when the group is no longer around
What is internalisation?
a real change of private views to match those of the group
change is permenant because attitudes have been internalised - change occurs when the group is no longer around
What is identification?
adopting the views of behaviour of a group both privately and privately because you value membership of of that group
the change is temporary and not maintained when leaving the group
What is normative social influence?
the need to be accepted by other people - the want to be liked and respected so you agree with people to get approval
it is likely to lead to compliance
What is informational social influence?
the need to feel confident that our ideas and beliefs are correct - tend to seek other’s opinions that we think are right
may lead to internalisation
What study supports informational social influence?
lucas et al = asked students to give math answers that were easy/ more difficult - there was more conformity on the more difficult ones
What study supports Normative social influence?
Asch = interviewed ps and found that they conformed because they felt self-conscious giving the correct answer and they were afraid of disapproval
What is an issue with normative social influence and informational social influence?
induvidual differences are ignored - Asch found that students are less likely to conform than other people
also people who are less concerned about being liked are less likely to conform
What was Asch’s aim?
to investigate whether induviduals would yeild to majority influence and show how easily is is to influence someone
What was Asch’s experiment?
1 p with 6-8 confeds in group
123 ps in total - all white american undergarduates
believed they were taking part in a vision test
shown a display of 3 lines and had to compare these lines to a new line of which was similar
each person gave an answer - the p was always last or last but 1 = creates majority pressure
How did Asch increase validitity with the ps answers?
the displays were arranged so that there can be no possible doubt as to the correct answer
What were the critical trials?
12/18 confeds gave the same wrong answer - ps were observed for conformity
What was Asch’s findings?
error rate in control = 0.7%
error rate in critical trials = 32%
What % of ps in Asch’s experiment conformed at least once?
74%
What % of ps in Asch’s experiment never conformed?
26%
What reasons did ps give for conformity in Asch’s experiment?
i thought my eyes decieved me
i didnt want to spoil the experiment
i did not want to be ridiculed by the rest of the group and feel like an outsider
What was Asch’s conclusion?
in unambiguous situations, there is still pressure to conform to the majority - most people experienced NSI and some experienced ISI
What are the 3 variables affecting conformity?
group size
unanimity
task difficulty
How does group size affect conformity?
creates majoirty pressure
the no. of confeds needed to produce conformity seemed to be 3
2 confed conformity = 14%
3 confed conformity = 32%
after 3 there was little increase in conformity
How does unanimity affect conformity?
if 1 confed gave a different answer whether it was right or wrong, conformity dropped to 5%
How does task difficulty affect conformity?
when the task was made more difficult by making the lines more similar in length, conformity increased due to ISI
What are the issues with Asch’s experiment?
lack ecological validity
lacks population validity - ethnocentric, culture biased
andocentric - focuses on men
poor temporal validity - war just happened people are more likely to conform
unethical - not full informed consent due to deception, uncomfortable situation
study of anti-conformity = high % didnt conform was ignored
What are social roles?
‘parts’ people play as members of various social groups. They are accompanied by expectations we and others have of what is appropriate behaviour in these roles
What was Zimbardo’s aim?
to investigate how readily people conform to the expectations they have about social roles
How did Zimbardo sample his participants?
selected 21 men students who were well adjusted = did a psychological test to prevent ethical issues
volunteer sample = used an advert in a newspaper
paid 15$ and day for 2 week simulation
randomly allocated to roles of guards and prisoners - avoids bias as same may be more naturally demanding
Where did zimbardo’s study take place?
stanford university in a mock prison in the psychology department basement
What uniforms did the guards have?
khaki uniforms
dark glasses and wooden battons
What uniforms did the prisoner’s have?
blindfolded, stripped, sprayed with disinfectant
given smocks to wear and given a prison no.
dehumanised and loss of identity = more likely to conform to role
What happened during zimbardo’s experiment?
guards treated the prisoners harshly that the study stopped after 6 days
prisoners started to rebell after 2 days
some prisoners became depressed and anxious
prisoners didnt believe they were allowed to leave = they thought it was real
What did zimbardo conclude from his experiment?
people will readily conform to the social roles they are expected to play and that role shapes a person’s attitudes and behaviours
the ‘prison’ environment was an important factor in creating the guard’s brutal behaviour
What are the possitives of zimbardo’s experiment?
high levels of control on selection of ps = ruled out induvidual personality differences affecting the results
90% of prisoners conversations were about prison life = high internal validity
What are the issues with zimbardo’s study?
ps were play-acting rather than conforming = acting based on stereotypes and characters from films
may have exaggerated the power of the situation to influence behaviour = only 1/3 of guards were harsh, 1/3 were helping the prisoners
replications found different results - prisoners took more control
unethical - humiliation, distress,
zimbardo played the cheif = bias and unethical
What is obedience?
the result of social influence where somebody acts in response to a direct order from an authority figure
What is situational attribution?
inferring that a person’s behaviour is caused by something about the situation they are in
What is dispositional attribution?
inferring that the reason for a person’s behvaiour is something aboutn themselves such as their personality
What was the aim of milgram’s study?
to find out whether people would obey an unjust order from a person who is an authority figure and to see if situational or dispositional factors led the person to obey
What was the procedure of Milgram’s study?
40 male volunteers each paid $4.50
decieved into thinking they were giving electric shocks - they were told that the epxt. concerned the role of punishment in learning
ps had a teacher role and confed was the learner who had to memorise words
the teacher (p) would administer a shock when the learner was incorrect - went up to 450Volts
the researcher would use prods to make the p continue giving shocks
What did milgram find?
all ps went to 300Vs
65% went to 450v
most ps were stressed and wanted to stop and showed some signs of extreme anxiety
what did milgram conclude?
under certain circumstances, most people will obey orders that go against their conscienece and it is caused by situational factors
What were all the variations of milgrams study?
venue moved to derelict building
teacher and learner in same room
teacher had to force learner’s hand onto electric plate
two other ‘teachers’ (confeds) who refused to continue
teacher paired with confed assistant
experimenter on the phone
What was the obedience rate of the venue moving variation?
47.5%
What was the obedience rate of the teacher and learner in same room variation?
40%
What was the obedience rate of the teacher forcing learners hand on electric plate variation?
30%
What was the obedience rate of the there was two other teachers variation?
10%
What was the obedience rate of the teacher has assistant variation?
92.5%
What was the obedience rate of the experimenter oon the phone variation?
20.5%
What is the good thing about milgrams study?
the findings have been replicated in a french documentary
What are the issues with milgram’s study?
lacks internal validity - ps may not have believed that they were giving electric shocks, pretending to obey
lacks ecological validity - artificial, doesnt reflect real life obedience
lacks population validity - american, ethnocentric
unethical - harm, deception, informed consent, withdrawal
volunteer sample - may have gathered a certain group of people
What are the two explainations for obedience?
legitimacy of authority
agentic state
What is legitimacy of authority?
the percieved right of an authority figure whose role is defined by society and they exert power over the behaviour of others
demonstrated in milgrams original study
people assume that the authority figure knows what they are doing
What are the positives of the legitimacy of authority?
milgram - found its the main reason for obedience
can explain cultural differences in obedience - australians ob. rate = 16% and german ob, rate = 85%
can explain real-life war crimes - given orders
What is the agentic state?
people obey a destructive authority because they do not want to take responsibility for their behaviour
allows the person to ignore and minimise the damaging effect of their behaviour - reduces ‘moral strain’
What is an autonomous state?
people are aware of the consequences of their actions and behave voluntarily
What is the agentic state?
follow an authority figure and dont take responsibility for actions
What is the good thing about the agentic state?
milgrams studies support the role of the agentic state in obedience - the experimenter takes responsibility
What is an example of the agentic state having a bad influence?
Rank and Jacobson - 16/18 nurses disobeyed the rules from a doctor to give an excessive drug dose to a patient
What are binding factors?
aspects of the situ that allows ps to ignore the damaging effect of their behaviour, reduced the moral strain
What is the 3 situational factors that affect obedience?
proximity
location
uniform
How does proximity affect obedience?
how close we are to the person giving demands affects our willingness to obey
Which 3 of milgram’s variations tests proximity?
teacher and learner in the same room
experimenter left the room
teacher put learners hand on electric plate
How does location affect obedience?
where the obedience is taking place and how much authority is linked with the location
What variation of milgram’s shows location?
changing venue to run-down offices obedience dropped
How does uniform affect obedience?
what the authority figure is wearing links to legitimacy of authority
What was brickman’s study on obedience and uniform?
x3 outfits - casual, milkman, guard
asked people to do different tasks
ps were x2 more likely to obey the guard than the casual
Why does uniform cause obedience?
it encourages obedience as it is a widely recognised symbol of authority - legitimacy of authority
What are the good things with bickman’s uniform study?
lots of research to support = valid
cross-cultural replications of milgram and it applies to women
What is the issue with Bickman’s uniform study?
low internal validity - used fake scenarios
What is legitimacy of authority?
an explaination for obedience which suggests that we are more likely to obey people who we perceive to have authority over us
the authority is justified by the induvidual’s position of power within a social hierachy
What is the consequence of legitimacy of authority?
people are permitted power to punish others
What is a destructive authority?
problems arise when legitimate authority becomes destructive eg: milgrams study
What is a good thing about legitimacy of authority?
explains cultural differences in obedience
kilhan and Mann - 16% of women (aus) went up to 450V
Montell - 85% of women (german) went up to 450V
What is the issue with legitimacy of authority?
cannot explain all obedience or disobedience - Rank and Jacobson - most disobedient against authority
some people may be naturally more/less obedient
What is a dispositional factor of obedience?
an explaination that highlights the importance of the induvidual’s personality
What is ardorno’s authoritarian personality?
the reason people obey is because they have a specific personality type that makes them very obedient
What are the qualities of an authoritarian personality?
has extreme respect for autority and are submissive
hostile towards those they consider inferior
prejucdiced, traditional views, conventional attitudes
inflexible outlook
What is the believed origin of the authoritarian personality?
started in childhood as a result of harsh parenting, strict discipline, high standards ans severe criticism
creates hostility towards parents that child can’t express due to fear
How did ardorno investigate the authoritarian personality?
2000 middle-class white americans
assessed attitudes towards different things using the F- scale (facism scale)
high scores = tended to have authoritarian personality
found a strong positive correlation between authoritarian and prejudiced, excessive respect and obedience
What is a good thing about ardorno’s f-scale?
there is evidence to support - milgram’s study, most obedient went up to 450V had an authoritarian personality
What are the issues with ardorno’s f-scale?
Milgrams research is correlational - cant make conclusions and may not be valid, lower level of education is also linked with authoritarian and obedience
cannot explain why people are prejudiced/ obedient at the same time = WW2 german soldiers, all soldiers must have this personality which is highly unlikely
Adornos research is also correlational with the F-scale scores and obedient behaviour, harsh parenting as a cause is also correlational
What is resisting to social influence?
the ablility of people to remain independent despite pressures to conform or obey
What is social support?
the presence of people who resist pressures to conform/obey can help others to do the same
those people act as models to show others that resistance to social influence is possible
How does social support resist conformity?
the pressure to conform is reduced if other people are not conforming by breaking unanimity
Asch - different ans, comformity dropped
induvidual feels more confident in their own decision
What is a dissenter?
someone who doesn’t agree with the group
What are the issues with social support resisting conformity?
Asch - lab expt = lacks ecological validity, doesnt reflect everyday conformity
research only included males - lacks population validity
tested when anti-conformity was discouraged - lacks temporal validity
How does social support help resist obedience?
pressure is reduced if another person disobeys, they act as a model for the ps to copy, that frees them to act from their own conscience
What is an example of social suppport help resisting obedience?
milgrams - two confed joined p, obedience decreased - 10%
What are the good things about social support resisting obedience?
Gamson - 29/33 groups of ps disobeyed when there were others who also disobeyed
Gamson - high level of realism, scenario was real-life issue = sacking someone, results may reflect everyday obedinec - externally valid
free from deman characteristics - ps were unaware that the study was taking place
What is the issue with social support resisting obedience?
there may have been other reasons for disobedience like they have an internal locus of control
issue with C and E
What is the locus of control?
refers to induvidual differences in people’s beliefs and expectations about what controls events in their lives (where they locate the control in their life)
What is an internal locus of control?
believes that what happens to them is a consequence of their own behaviour
What are the qualities of an internal locus of control?
more self-confident
less need for social approval
accepts responsiblity for actions
less likely to conform and obey
What is an external locus of control?
believes ‘things happen to them’ and are uncontrollable
luck and fate are important factors and they believe that their actions have little impact
What are the qualities of an external locus of control?
lower self esteem
less control in life
more likely to conform and obey
What are the good things of the LOC?
civil rights activists had higher internal LOC - resising social influence
meta-analysis = those with external LOC were easily persuaded and more likely to conform
replication of milgram = internal LOC 37% went up to 450V, external LOC 23% went up to 450V
What is the issue with the LOC?
does not take into account that people might react differently in different situations
it is too simplistic
What is minority influence?
refers to situations where one person or a small group of people influence the beliefs and behaviours of other people
Who came up with the LOC?
rotter
What 3 things are needed for minority influence to occur?
commitment
flexility
consistency
How does commitment aid minority social influence?
the minority should make personal sacrafices to show that they are not acting out of self-interest
How does flexibility aid minority social influence?
consistency can be interpreted negatively - seen as rigid, dogmatic and inflexible
this is off-putting to the majority
the minority should be prepared to adapt their POV and accept reasonable counter-arguments and comprimise
there needs to be a balance between consistency and flexibility
How does consistency aid minority social influence?
the minority keeps the same argument to try and persuade others - makes the majority think that you know what youre talking about
What is synchronic consistency?
all minority say the same thing
What is diachronic consistency?
they remain consistent over time
What is the ‘snowball effect’?
using methods of minority influence makes the majority to think about the argument. this processing persuades people as they have been ‘converted’
the more this happens, the faster the rate of conversion
so gradually the minority view becomes the majority view
What are the postives of the 3 methods for minority social influence?
research to support - Mosscovici
Martin = using all 3 can cause people to think more deeply about the argument and be persuaded
What is the issue with the 3 methods of minority social influence?
research is not clear - other factors in real life that can affect if someone is persuaded
What was Mosscocivi’s research on minoirity influence?
6ps (2 confeds) to look at 36 coloured slides that varied in intenisty, the slides were all blue
the 2 confeds consistently said that the slides were green
IV = the consistency of the confeds
consistent confeds = 36 slides were green
inconsistent confeds = 24/36 slides were green
what was mosscovici’s findings on consistency?
control green % = 0.25% people said green
consistent confed = 8.4% people said green
inconsistent confed = 1.25% people said green
What are the issues with Mossocvici’s research?
very artificial task - lacks ecological validity
ignored the fact that the results may be majority influence not minority - the ps may have been conforming to each other = less internal validity
What was Nemeth and Brilmayers study on consistency and flexibility?
mock jury - 3ps, 1 confed
had to decide on the amount of compensation to be given to a victim of a ski accident
minority (confed) remained consistent and refused to comprimised
2 conditions:
consistency and no comprimise = no effect
consistency and comprimise = effect
What is the issue with Nemeth and Brilmayer’s study?
lab study = lacks ecological validity
What are the good things for Nemeth and Brilmayer’s study?
task was realistic
supported by other studies - high internal validity
What is social change?
change occurs when whole societies adopt new attitudes, beliefs and ways of doing things. is is a shift in personal opinion = conversion
What does Zeigeist mean?
social change occurs only when the society is ready for the change
What are the 6 stages of social change?
drawing attention
consistency
deeper processing
the agumentation principle
the snowball effect
social cryptoamnesia
How does drawing attention lead to social change?
it draws attention to the situation by providing social proof of the problem
How does deeper processing lead to social change?
people begin to think about the issue and internal conflict begins
What is the agumentation principle?
incidents when induviduals have risked their lives for the social change to occur
What is social crytoamnesia?
people have a memory that change has occured but don’t remeber how it happened
How is conformity involved in social change?
campaigners use NSI to persuade people to change their behaviour
draws attention to what the majority is doing
How is obedience involved in social change?
you need a disobedient role model to reduce obedience - Milgram’s variation
What study supports social change and conformity?
Nolan = investigated whether social influence processed led to a reduction in energy consumption in a community
by hanging messages on front doors = conformity leads to social change through NSI
What are the issues with social change research?
difficult to establish if minority had a part to play in big social changes
ignores that people can conform and not agree/ agree and not conform = possibly due to stereotypes
