Social influence

Question 1

What is social influence?

Answer 1

The process whereby attitudes and behaviours are influenced by the real or implied presence of other people

Question 2

What is compliance?

Answer 2

Attempts to persuade an individual to accept a request to respond in a desired way

Question 3

What is reciprocity?

Answer 3

Key notion in social exchange. Deeply ingrained in almost all cultures and societies

Question 4

3 techniques of compliance?

Answer 4

Foot in the door, door in the face, low balling

Question 5

What is the foot in the door technique?

Answer 5

Smaller request that virtually everyone agrees too, followed by the target large request. Affected by several factors

Question 6

Why does the foot in the door technique work?

Answer 6

Commitment to a course of action, change in self -view,

Question 7

What is the door in the face technique?

Answer 7

Larger request first that most people will reject, followed by a smaller and more reasonable request

Question 8

Why does the door in the face technique work?

Answer 8

Derived from the norm to reciprocate, recognise the requester has made a concession, social responsibility an guilt

Question 9

What is low-balling?

Answer 9

Relies on the fact that people do not like to change their mind after committing to a course of action.

Question 10

What is obedience?

Answer 10

The performance of an action in direct response to an order from a figure in authority

Question 11

What are the results from Milgram’s study?

Answer 11

65% gave the full 450 v shock

Question 12

Why will people blindly follow orders from authority figures?

Answer 12

Agentic state, the instrument of another, increased psychological distance, little or no sense of personal responsibility

Question 13

What are the ethical considerations of Milgram’s experiment?

Answer 13

• Harm
• Deception
• Insufficient debriefing
• Participants not told immediately that the learner did not receive any shocks
• Could any debrief overcome the emotional harm
• Transformed view of human behaviour
  REPLICATIONS of milgram’s study would not be possible today

Question 14

Critical evaluation of Milgram’s methods?

Answer 14

1) Researchers improvised from the scripted prods and invented more coercive prods
2) Were the prods a reflection of obedience to order? “you have no other choice, you must go” is the only prod that is a clear order
3) Some were participants sceptical of cover story and only 50% believed the learner was receieving the shocks
4) Engaged fellowship as an alternative explanation
5) Milgram misrepresentated debrief procedures

Question 15

Define conformity?

Answer 15

Behaviour in accordance with the social norm

Question 16

Asch’s conformity experiments 1950

Answer 16

First two trials all confederates answer correctly, but then give false
only 1’4 participants provided the correct answer on all 12 trialsW

Question 17

Why did people conform

Answer 17

Informational influence - looking to others for help
Normative social influence - fear of appearing foolish and need to be accepted
Referent information influence - people derive identity from majority response (conform to group schema)

Question 18

What is critical for minority influence?

Answer 18

Consistency - consistent condition in Moscovici’s experiment, 8% said green when slides were blue

Question 19

What is social faciliation?

Answer 19

The enhancement of performance in the presence of other people - Allport 1924

Question 20

Evidence for social faciliation?

Answer 20

Triplett - cyclists were faster with other cyclists compared to alone

Question 21

Why does social facilitation happen?

Answer 21

Zjonc - presence of others leads to arousal which increases the likelihood of performing the dominant response.

Question 22

What is social loafing?

Answer 22

When individuals work as a group. they often generate less effort than if they worked alone.

Question 23

Why do people loaf?

Answer 23

Evaluative apprehension - tasks are uninteresting
Output equity - expecting other members to load, so loaf yourself
Deindividuation - being in a group leads to a weakened sense of personal identity (can explain anti-social behaviour in large groups)