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Psychology Paper 1 > Social Influence > Flashcards

Social Influence Flashcards

1
Q

What is social influence?

A

When your opinion/behaviours are changed by the presence/actions of others

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2
Q

What is conformity?

A

giving in to group pressure

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3
Q

Evaluate the Artificial task as a limitation of Asch Study

A

• low ecological validity
• ppts knew they were in research and may have shown demand characteristics. The task was trivial so there was no reason not to conform
• difficult to generalise irl

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4
Q

Evaluate the limited sample as a limitation of Asch Study?

A

• low population validity
• all American male students. study is gender biased and not representative of female behaviour
• results cannot be generalised to the behaviours of others

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5
Q

What are other strengths and limitations of Aschs study

A

strengths
• high control

limitations
• ethics
• cultural bias
• historical bias
• independent behaviour

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6
Q

How does group size affect conformity?

A

conformity increases with group size but only up to a point.
• levels off when majority greater than 3
• as group size increases so does pressure to conform

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7
Q

How does unanimity affect conformity?

A

• ppt conforms less often in presence of a dissenter allowing them to be more independent

• 5.5% conformity when dissenter gave right answer
• 9% conformity when dissenter gave wrong answer

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8
Q

How does task difficulty affect conformity?

A

When the task is harder people conform as they look to others for guidance

• Asch make the task harder by making it harder to find the correct line

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9
Q

What are some evaluations for variations into conformity

A

strength
• high control

limitation
• limited sample
• artificial task
• ethical

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10
Q

What is internalisation?

A

genuinely accepting the group norm in private as well as public

this is a permanent change and becomes part of your own beliefs

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11
Q

What is compliance?

A

changing your opinion to fit in with the group

do not change personal opinion
public not private change

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12
Q

What is identification?

A

• confirming to s group because they have something you value
• they identify with the group and want to be part of it

has elements of compliance and internalisation

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13
Q

What is normative social influence (NSI)

A

• Complying bc of the desire to be accepted
• We conform to a group to gain acceptance and when we think the group will reward is
• Results in compliance

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14
Q

Evaluate how Asch support NSI (+)

A
  • strength of NSI
  • when he interviewed ppts they said they conformed bc they were afraid of disapproval. when they wrote answers down confirmity decreased
  • results show giving anonymous answers mean there was no pressure to conform
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15
Q

What are social roles?

A

parts people play as members of various social groups
they come with strong expectations

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16
Q

What is de-individuation

A

when people have a lower self awareness and weaker sense of personal responsibility for their actions
- can result from relative anonymity from wearing s uniform

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17
Q

Evaluate a counterpoint of Zimbardos study (+)

A

• ppts behaved as if the prison was real to them

• most of their conversations were monitored and they were mainly about prison life and how they couldn’t leave until their sentences were over

• strength as the study replicated social roles of guards and prisoners irl. high internal validity

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18
Q

Evaluate the exaggeration of the power of roles as a limitation of Zimbardos study

A

• Zimbardo exaggerated the power of roles to influence behaviour

• for example only one of the 3 guards behaved in a brutal manner and the rest tried to support and help prisoners. most guards were able to resist the pressure to conform to a brutal role

• limitation shows zimbardo overstated his vies that ppts were conforming to a social role and minimised the factor of personality. low validity

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19
Q

What is obedience?

A

Carrying out the instructions of an authority figure

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20
Q

Evaluate low population validity as a limitation os Milgrams study?

A

• low population validity
• ppts were American males so its not representative of all ppl. For example women could obey more
• limitation as results cant be generalised to others decreasing validity

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21
Q

Evaluate a counterpoint ad a Strength of milgrams study

A

• supported by research
• Sheridan and king conducted a similar experiment using real shocks and puppies. 54% of males and 100% of females delivered a fatal shock
• strength suggest milgrams results were valid even when the shocks caused real harm

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22
Q

What are situational variables?

A

features of immediate physical and social environment which may influence a persons behaviour

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23
Q

What 3 situational variables affect obedience in milgrams stufy?

A

Proximity
Uniform
Location

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24
Q

What happened to obedience when the authority figure was wearing ordinary clothes?

A

Obedience decreased to 20%
This is because the normal clothes reduced the legitimate authority of the researcher so ppl felt less obliged to conform

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25
Q

What happened to Obedience when the location changed to a run down office?

A

Obedience decreased to 47.5%
The location doesn’t have legitimate authority compared to Yale. This lowers peoples confidence in the authority figure

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26
Q

What happened to Obedience when the researcher and teacher were in different room?

A

Only 21% went to 450 volts
Obedience decreased because teacher was able to psychologically distance themselves from the possible consequences from not obiding

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27
Q

Evaluate Cultural replications as a strength of Situational variables?

A

• findings have been replicated in other cultures

• Meeus et al studied obedience in Dutch ppts. They had to say stressful things in an interview to someone desperate for a job and 90% obeyed
When the person giving ppts orders wasnt present obedience decreased

• strength suggests milgrams findings arent just limited to american

28
Q

Research supports as a strength of situational variables

A

• other studies have demonstrated the influence of situational variables

• Bickman conducted a study where he got a milkman, security guard and someone in a suit to tell bypassers to pick up litter of lend them money. People were more likely to obey the security guard

• supports validity of the claim that uniform has a powerful affect on obedience

29
Q

What is the agentic state?

A

• mental state where the person doesn’t feel responsible for their own actions

• they believe they’re acting as an agent for an authority figure

• they know what they’re doing is wrong but feel powerless to disobey

30
Q

What is the Autonomous State?

A

• being free to behave according to their own principles

31
Q

What is an agentic shift?

A

process of shifting the responsibility onto someone else
this happens when people perceive someone else as an authority figure

32
Q

What is a Binding factor?

A

aspects that allow people to minimise the damaging effect of their behaviour
• such as victim blaming

33
Q

Evaluate contradictory evidence as a limitation of the agentic state

A

• contradictory evidence

• Rank et al found 16/18 nurses disobeyed orders from a doctor telling them to give a high drug dose to a patient. Even though the doctor was an obvious authority figure they still disobeyed

• limitation suggests agentic state can only account for some situations thus limiting validity

34
Q

Evaluate how cruelty could be the reason for obedience instead of agentic state?

A

• limitation as people may not obey due to agentic state but because if people’s personality

• in zimbardos experiment the guards became increasingly cruel on submissive prisoners even though there was no authority asking them to do so

• limitation of agentic state as is suggest some people “obedience” may just be a reason to inflict harm upon others

35
Q

What is legitimate authority?

A

people are more likely to obey people they perceive as having more authority over them

this authority is justified by the individual’s position of power

36
Q

How is legitimate authority supported by milgram (Evaluation)

A

• strength of legitimate authority is demonstrated in milgrams study

• when the authority figure wore a lab coat 65% went to 450 volts but when they wore ordinary clothes obedience decreased to 20%

• suggests when they weren’t wearing somehow that gives them legitimate authority obedience decreases. strength increases validity

37
Q

Legitimate authority cant explain disobedience (evaluation)

A

• doesnt explain instances of disobedience

• 16/18 nurses disobeyed a doctor with legitimate authority. Some of Milgrams ppts also disobeyed despite authority

• limitation as it suggests people may just me more/less obedient than others. reducing the validity of the claim

38
Q

What is Authoritarian personality?

A

someone who is especially obedient to authority figures and submissive to them

39
Q

What are some traits with people with authoritarian personality?

A

• show contempt for people they deem inferior
• believe we need strong powerful leaders
• believe every is right or wrong and there ate no grey areas

40
Q

What causes people to have authoritarian personality?

A

• formed in childhood as a result of strict parents who used harsh physical punishments and had impossibly high standards

41
Q

Education could determine authoritarianism and obedience (evaluation)

A

• level of education may determine authoritarianism

• Middendorp et al found less educated people were consistently more authoritarian than those with an education
Milgram also found those with lowered kevels of education were more obedient

• limitation of authoritarianism as education may have a greater influence on

42
Q

There are alternate explanations for obedience not just authoritarianism (evaluation)

A

• authoritarian personality is an over simplistic explanation for obedience
• it only considers a persons individual personality and not other explanations such as milgrams situational variables
• limitation as situational variables may have a greater influence on obedience

43
Q

What is an Independent role model?

A

someone who doesn’t conform to the group or obey they authority figure

44
Q

What is a social support?

A

the perception that someone had assistance from others. this causes a resistance to social influence

45
Q

How does social support help resist CONFORMITY?

A

when someone doesn’t conform this breaks the unanimous position of the majority

46
Q

How does social support help resist OBEDIENCE?

A

pressure to obey is reduced when another person disobeys

people are able to resist the temptation to obey when they find an ally who joins them against the majority

47
Q

How does milgram strengthen the idea of social support (evaluation)

A

• social support explains resistance to obedience

• in milgrams variation the ppts was in a team of 3 and when the other 2 refused to shock the learner so did the ppt. only 10% went to 450 volts

• strength shows a disobedient role model challenges the legitimacy of an authority figure making it easier for others to disobey

48
Q

How foes Asch strengthen the support of social support?

A

• strength of explanation of residtance to conformity

• in one of his variations when he added an ally that gave the correct answer conformity decreased to 5.5%

• strengthens social support as it shows an ally breaks the unanimity and makes it easier not to conform. giving social support validity

49
Q

What is a locus of control?

A

someones perception of personal control over their own behaviour

50
Q

What is a high internal locus of control?

A

people who perceive themselves as having a great deal of control over their behaviour and take responsibility for their own actions

51
Q

What is a high external locus of control?

A

People who perceive their behaviour as being caused by external factors or luck

52
Q

LOC is too simplistic (evaluation)

A

• people with high internal loc are more likely to demonstrate independent behaviour that is over simplistic

• the idea is too general and inflexible and can be used interchangeably. people may only have a high loc when in education but that same person may have external loc when in romantic relationships

• limitation as it ignores the complexity of human behaviour snd doesn’t take in situational factors

53
Q

How does Shute strengthen the theory of loc
(evaluation)

A

• research supports that people with internal loc are more likely to demonstrate independent behaviour

• Shute found people with internal loc were less likely to likely to conform to peer pressure on attitudes of drugs that those with external loc

• strength as it demonstrates how people with internal loc are most likely to resist conformity

54
Q

What is minority influence?

A

where a minority persuades others to adopt their beliefs, this leads to internalisation

55
Q

How does consistency lead to social change?

A

by keeping the same message overtime its harder for the majority to ignore and they’re likely to pay attention

56
Q

How does commitment lead to social change?

A

by engaging in extreme self sacrificing activities, this draws attention to them and shows your dedication to the cause

57
Q

How does Flexibility lead to social change?

A

minority shouldn’t be too rigid in their argument and should be willing to negotiate otherwise they may be seen as narrow minded

58
Q

How does Moscovicis research support CCF? (evaluation)

A

• consistency increasing minority infulence is supported by research

• Moscovici showed ppts different blue coloured slides and they had to determine whether they were blue or green. Two confederates consistently said the slides were green and another were inconsistent . This shows consistency had an effect of changing majority opinions compared to the inconsistency condition.

• strength demonstrates consistency is a factor which is important when a minority is trying to influence a majority

59
Q

How so real life examples support CCF? (Evaluation)

A

• process of ccf can be seen irl experiences

• rosa parks refused to give up her seat and was arrested this drew attention. She kept the same message overtime and the montgomery boycott lasted 381 days

• strength of commitment as it demonstrates engaging in activities which present risk influences the majority. Also a strength of consistency

60
Q

How does drawing attention to an issue cause social change?

A

If a minority views are different to the majority this creates a conflict that they’re motivated to reduce

61
Q

What is cognitive conflict?

A

when the minority causes a conflict between what the majority believe and what minority believe
this means that majority will think more deeply about the issues

62
Q

How does Consistency bring social change

A

minorities tend to be more influential in bringing about social change when they express their arguments consistently

63
Q

What is the augmentation principle?

A

(commitment)
if a minority is willing to suffer for their views theyre seen as committed and taken seriously

64
Q

What is the snowball effect?

A

minority influence initially has a small effect but then spreads more widely as more people consider the issues raised

65
Q

What is social cryptomnesia?

A

People have a memory that change occurred but don’t remember how it happened

66
Q

How is Social change through minority influence gradual (evaluation)

A

• minority influence causing change is gradual

• minorities rarely bring out change quickly because theres a strong tendency for humans to conform to the majority and maintain the status quo rather than engage in social change

• limitation suggests minority influence only creates the potential for change rather than actual change

67
Q

How does Moscivici support minority influence (consistency) (evaluation)

A

• consistency is supported by research

• Moscovici found when confederates where consistently giving the wrong answer ppts conformed in 8.42% of the trials. But when they were inconsistent conformity dropped to 1.25%

• strength of consistency as research demonstrates majority is likely to continue

Psychology Paper 1 (5 decks)

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