social influence Flashcards
define conformity
a change in a person’s behaviour or opinion as a result of a real or imagined pressure from a person or group of people
the 3 types of conformity
internalisation - the changing of belief both publicly and privately to match the majority of the group (LONG-TERM)
identification - the changing of beliefs both publicly and privately but only in the presence of a group (short-term)
compliance - changing of behaviour to match the majority group however the beliefs do not change (temporary)
2 explanations for conformity
normative social influence - influence of people that leads us to conform due to wanting to be accepted
informational social influence - wanting to be right and looking to the group for the answer
3 factors affecting conformity
task difficulty
unanimity
group size
Asch’s line study
aim : to investigate whether social pressure would make a person conform
procedure : 123 male American undergraduates in groups of 6 with 5 confederates were asked to identify which line is most in comparison to the main line. real participant was always asked last or second to last and the confederates intentionally gave the wrong answer 12 out of 18 trials
findings : 75% conformed at least once, 36.8% conformed, 25% didn’t conform only 1% were incorrect
conclusion : most conformed to avoid rejection from majority even though they knew the right answer.
AO3 of Asch’s line study
strengths : high heuristic value, highly controlled
weaknesses : gender bias, population validity and deception
Zimbardo’s Stanford prison experiment
aim : To investigate how readily people would conform to the social roles in a simulated environment, and specifically, to investigate why ‘good people do bad things’
procedure : 24 American male undergraduates who were deemed ‘ mentally stable’ were selected and assigned roles of either prison guard or prisoner. both had uniforms and the prisoners were referred to as only their numbers in a mock prison set up in the basement of the psychology department. guards were given handcuffs and sunglasses to reinforce boundaries
findings : guards became increasingly brutal and aggressive, some admitted to enjoying their roles. The guards became more demanding of obedience and assertiveness towards the prisoners while the prisoners became more submissive
conclusion : the uniforms created a loss of personal identity and social roles had a strong influence on the individuals behaviours
AO3 of Zimbardo’s experiment
strengths :
real life application- this research changed the way actual US prisons are run
-the ppts were fully debriefed about the aims and results of the study
-highly controlled
weaknesses :
-protection from harm
-gender bias, lacks population validity
-demand characteristics, ppts knew they were participating in the study
what is the agentic state?
a mental state where we feel no personal responsibility for our behaviour because we believe we are acting for an authority figure
what is legitimacy of authority
an explanation for obedience which suggests that we are more likely to obey people who we perceive to have authority over us
Milgram’s shock experiment
aim : To observe whether people would obey a figure of authority when told to harm another person i.e. evaluating the influence of a
destructive authority figure.
procedure : 40 male volunteers were assigned either the role of a teacher or learner, ppts were asked a series of questions when the confederates got an answer wrong the ppt was asked to shock the confederate
findings : 65% continued to the highest of 450V , all continued to 300V
conclusion : ordinary people are likely to follow orders given by an authority figure
AO3 of Milgram’s shock experiment
strengths : real life application- it could reduce future obedience in response to destructive authority figures.
-high control
-ppts were fully debriefed on the real aims of the study
weaknesses : no right to withdraw, no protection from psychological harm
-gender bias
-ecological validity, tasks given are not like those we would encounter everyday
the authoritarian personality
a person with high respect for authority and is more likely to be obedient to those who hold power over them
what is social support
the presence of people who resist pressures to conform or obey can help others to do the same
resistance to social influence: what is the locus of control?
a measurement of an individuals sense of control over their lives
