SOCIAL INFLUENCE Flashcards
1
Q
What are the three types of conformity
A
Internalisation
Identification
Compliance
2
Q
Define internalisation
A
Where a person changes their public behaviour and their private belief inline with the group
3
Q
Is internalisation temporary or permanent
A
Permanent
4
Q
Define identification
A
Where a person changes their public behaviour and their personal beliefs, but only when they are within the group
5
Q
Define compliance
A
Where a person conforms to the behaviour of others, despite privately disagreeing.
6
Q
What is compliance designed to keep
A
Keep the individual from being rejected from the group
7
Q
Define social norms
A
Each society and social group has its own accepted way of behaving, often unspoken or unwritten standards of behaviour.
8
Q
What do social norms changing depend upon
A
The environment we are in
9
Q
Define conformity
A
Where an individual’s attitudes, beliefs and behaviours are influenced by other people.
10
Q
What are the three ways in which someone might be cause to conform
A
Subtle influences or overt social pressure
11
Q
How might conformity also occur
Example
A
‘Implied presence’ of others, even when no one else is present.
E.g. social norms of watching tv at home when no one else can see them
12
Q
Define obedience
A
A form of social influence where an individual acts in response to a direct order from another individual, usually an authority figure.
13
Q
Who usually gives the order in obedience
A
An authority figure
14
Q
What is usually assumed for obedience to occur
A
Without such order the individual would have acted in a different way
15
Q
What are the two explanations for conformity
A
Informational social influence and normative social influence
16
Q
Define informational social influences
A
Watching and conforming to the behaviour of others.
17
Q
What is the observation of the behaviour of others used as
When does this happen especially
A
A source of knowledge.
When there is no correct or obvious answer if the situation is unfamiliar
18
Q
What do we essentially feel for informational social influence to occur
A
Feel that everyone knows something we don’t, we learn from observing others
19
Q
Define normative social influence
A
Being influenced by others to conform to their behaviour because of the desire to gain their approval or acceptance.
20
Q
Why do we ultimately conform to group norms in normative social influence
A
So that others in the group will like us and accept us into the group
21
Q
Who investigated variables affecting conformity
A
Asch (1951)
22
Q
What was Asch’s aim - variables affecting conformity
A
Aimed to investigate how far an individual would conform to responses of the majority, even when the majority is clearly wrong.
23
Q
Who were the participants in Asch’s experiment
A
123 male, American college students
24
Q
What were the group sizes in Asch’s experiement
A
7-9
25
How many participants were actually in each group
What was the rest
1 naive participant
Rest of the group were confederates
26
What was the task in Asch’s experiment
All participants were shown cards and asked which line out of A, B and C is similar to line X
27
Who called out the answers first and who last in Asch’s experiment
Confederates called out answers first and the participant called out last or second last
28
What were confederates given prior to Asch’s experiment
Predetermined answers which were incorrect 12/18 trials.
29
How often did the confederates give out incorrect answers in Asch’s experiment
12/18 trials
30
What did participants in Asch’s experiment experience when confederates gave the same incorrect answer
Pressure
31
What did asch compare results with
A control group, in which participants gave their judgement in isolation.
32
How was conformity measured in Asch’s experiment
The number of times the naive participant gave the same wrong answered as the confederates.
33
What was the conformity percentage in Asch’s experiement
Conformity of 37%
Participants conformed tot he wrong answers 37% of the time
34
What percentage of participants gave wrong answers in Asch’s experiment
75%
35
What was the percentage error and percentage of participants that made errors in Asch’s control group
0.7% of errors were made
5% of participants made errors
36
When asked after Asch’s experiment what did participants say
What influence does this reflect
They didn’t want to appear silly.
They said they conformed to fit in with the group which coincided with normative influence
Few said they genuinely believed the group was correct
37
What were the two conclusions asch made from his experiment
‘Tendency to conform in our society is so strong that the reasonably intelligent… are willing to call white black.’
The majority can have a significant influence on an individual by subjecting them to group pressure.
38
What are the 3 variables affecting conformity
Group size, unanimity and task difficulty
39
What affects did a majority of 2 have on Asch’s experiment
Created 13% of errors
40
What affect did a majority of 3 have on Asch’s experiment
Created 33% of errors
41
What did asch change in the experiment to test unanimity
One of the confederates gave the correct answer before the participant had to give theirs
42
What was the affect of unanimity on conformity in asch experiement
A ‘social supporter’ made conformity drop to 5.5%
43
What happened when a confederate gave a different wrong answer
Conformity also reduced in participants
44
What effect does task difficulty have on conformity
When the line judgement task was more difficult, conformity increased.
45
List the 5 strengths of Asch’s experiment
High internal validity
Can draw cause and effect conclusions
Task was unambiguous
Conformity could be measured in an objective way
Test-retest reliability
46
Explain why Asch’s experiment had high internal validity
Experiments were conducted in a lab and variables were tightly controlled
47
What conclusions can be drawn from Asch’s experiment due to high internal validity
Cause and effect conclusions
48
Why was the task unambiguous in Asch’s experiment
What did it mean for measurements
Answer was right or wrong
Conformity could be measured in an objective way
49
Why does Asch’s experiment have test-retest reliability
It is easy to replicate
50
What are the 4 limitations to Asch’s experiemnt
Lack ecological validity
Unrepresentative sample - lacks population validity
Perrin and Spencer’s findings
Ethical issues
51
Why does Asch’s experiment lack ecological validity
Based on people’s perceptions of lines
Does not reflect the complexity of real life conformity
52
Why was Asch’s sample unrepresentative
What validity and other implication does this have
Carried out on men - gender bias
Lacks population validity
Limited applications of findings
53
Who repeated Asch’s experiment
Perrin and Spencer (1970s)
54
What was Perrin and Spencers findings when repeating Asch’s experiement
Found very little evidence of conformity
55
What did Perrin and Spencer conclude about Asch’s findings
They were influenced by the time and culture in which they took place
So no test-retest reliability
56
What were the 3 ethical issues with Asch’s experiment
Participants were deceived.
Could not give informed consent.
Participants could have been embarrassed and withdrew when they heard the nature of the study.
57
Who investigated conformity to social roles
Zimbardo (1973)
58
What was Zimbardo aim
To investigate the development of norms, social effects and labels in a simulated prison environment
59
How many participants were selected out of a pool of how many for Zimbardo experiment
22 male from a pool of 75
60
Why did Zimbardo and his staff conduct in-depth interviews prior to the experiment
To ensure emotional stability
61
What 3 types of people were rejected from Zimbardo experiment
Anyone who was convicted of a crime, committed a violent act or abused drugs.
62
How much were participants payed a day to participate in Zimbardo experiment
$15
63
What were the two roles participants were randomly allocated in Zimbardo experiment
Prisoners or guards
64
What happened to prisoners at the start of Zimbardo experiment
Arrested by Palo Alto police, blindfolded and taken to “Stanford county prison”.
They were stripped, deloused and searched and then issued uniform with identification number.
65
What happened to the guards at the start of Zimbardo experiment
Given military uniform, silver sunglasses, clubs, whistles, handcuffs and keys.
Worked 8 hr shifts.
66
What were guards instructed to do at the start of Zimbardo experiement
‘Maintain a reasonable degree of order’ and not to use physical violence
67
How was behaviour inside Stanford county prison assessed
(4)
By observation (video & audio), self-report, questionnaires and interviews
68
What did the prisoners initially do inside the prison. What did the guards do
Prisoners rebelled
Rebellion squashed quickly by guards who became increasingly violent
69
What 4 things were observed from prisoners in less than 36 hours
Uncontrolled crying
Fits of rage
Disordered thinking
Rashes on their bodies
70
What did Zimbardo label the symptoms in observed prisoners in less that 36 hours
Pathological prisoner syndrome
71
What 4 things did Zimbardo attribute the prisoners behaviour to
Loss of identity
Emasculation
Dependency
Learned helplessness
72
What was observed among guards in Zimbardo experiment
What 3 things reflect this
Enjoyment of power
Some went to work extra time for free, some were disappointed when the experiment ended and some dehumanised prisoners by refusing basic rights (toilet privileges)
73
How many guards were actually aggressive in Zimbardo experiement
1/3
74
What did Zimbardo call the aggression displayed by guards
Pathology of power
75
How long did Zimbardo experiment last, how long was it meant to
6 days
14 days
76
List the 5 weaknesses of Zimbardo experiment
Lacks ecological validity
Demand characteristics
Lack population validity
No protection from psychological harm
Many ethical criticisms
77
Why does Zimbardo experiment lack ecological validity
Role playing in the experiment suspends reality so may provide artificial results
78
Why does Zimbardos experiment suffer from demand characteristics
Most guards later claimed they were acting.
One guard claimed his character was based off a film.
Implying he played the role for the experiment rather than conforming to social roles.
79
Why might zimbardos experiment lack population validity
Sample only consisted of US male students.
Study has limited application - cannot be applied to female prisons.
Results in an individualist culture will differ from collectivist cultures
80
Give an example of participants not being protected from psychological harm in Zimbardo experiement
One prisoner had to be released after 26th due to uncontrollable bursts of screaming, crying and anger
81
What are the 3 ethical criticisms of zimbardos experiment
Lack of fully informed consent - did not consent to being arrested at home.
Although Zimbardo debriefed he did not account for trauma for family and friends.
Lack of ability to withdraw - participants had to ‘ask for parole’ in order to leave, had to remain in character.
82
What are the 5 strengths of zimbardos experiment
Real-life application
Formal recognition of ethical guidelines
Participants were tightly controlled
No lasting effects found
High ecological validity
83
What is the real-world application for zimbardos experiment
Permanently altered the way US prisons are run.
Juveniles accused of federal crimes are no longer housed before trial with adult prisoners
84
What was zimbardos experiments impacts on formal recognition of ethical guidelines
Studies must now gain ethical approval before they are conducted.
The potential benefits of experiment must be justified in light of possible risk of physical and psychological harm,
85
What was the positive amongst ethical issues in Zimbardo experiemnt
Participants were debriefed and there were no lasting effects
86
Why can zimbardos experiment be argued to be ecologically valid
Can be argued the scenario was more realistic than most.
The briefing of the guards and arrest of the prisoners were realistic
87
List the 3 explanations for obedience
Agentic state
Legitimacy of authority
Situational variables
88
What are the 3 situational variables affecting obedience
Proximity, location and uniform
89
What is the dispositional explanation for obedience
The authoritarian personality
90
Who proposed the agentic state
Milgram
91
What did Milgram propose on the agentic state
Obedience to destructive authority occurs because a person does not take responsibility, but believe they are acting for someone else, or that they are an ‘agent’
92
What does the agentic state free us from
The demands of our conscience and allows us to obey an even destructive figure.
93
What did Milgram say allowed a person to ignore the effect of their behaviour and reduce their moral strain
Binding factors or aspects of the situation
94
What are the strengths of the agentic state as an explanation for obedience
Milgrams own studies support the role.
When the experimenter assured them they had no responsibility they often continued with no further questions.
95
What is the weakened for agentic state explaining obedience
Example study
Does not explain many findings about obedience
Rank & Jacobson 16/18 nurses disobeyed orders from a doctors to administer an excessive drug dose to a patient, the doctor being an authority figure.
96
Define legitimacy of authority
An explanation for obedience which suggests that we are more likely to obey the people who we perceive to have authority over us.
Authority is justified by the position of power within a social hierarchy.
97
What are the strengths for legitimacy of authority for obedience
Example
Useful account of cultural differences
Mann found only 16% of Australian women went up to 450v compared to 85% of German women.
98
What did milgrams study on legitimacy of authority as a reason for obedience show on cultural differences
Authority is more likely to be accepted as legitimate in countries where children are raised to perceive authority as more important
99
What is the weakness with legitimacy of authority as an explanation for obedience
Example
It cannot explain instances of disobedience in a hierarchy where there is clear authority
Rank & Jacobson experiement
100
What is possible to have a greater influence on obedience than legitimacy of authority
Innate tendencies to obey or disobey
101
Define uniforms as an explanation for obedience
Examples
Visible symbols of status and authority
Example: police officers or judges
Zimbardos experiement
102
Define proximity as an explanation for obedience
Fact from milgrams study
People are more likely to obey when the authority figure is within close proximity.
When the experimenter urged the participants on the telephone obedience decreased to 20.5%
103
Define location as an explanation for obedience
Fact from Milgram study
Some locations have been found to increase or decrease obedience.
When moved out of Yale university building to a run down office building obedience dropped by 47.5%
104
Define the authoritarian personality
Described extremely obedient people with unquestioning respect for authority.
Such people give control to an authoritarian future removing their own freedom of choice.
105
What experiment shows high rates of obedience
Hoflings nurses (1966)
106
Who were the participants in Hoflings Nurses
22 female nurses working in various hospitals
107
What were the female nurses told in Hoflings nurses experiement
Told over the phone by ‘Dr Smith of the psychiatric department’ to give ‘Mr Jones’ 20mg of Atroten.
Dr Smith said he was in a hurry and would sign the authorisation form later.
108
What was written on the box of Astroten in Hoflings nurses experiment
Max daily dose 10mg
109
What are hospital rules on drug admission - Hoflings nurses
Require a doctor to sign authorisation form before any drug is given.
110
How many of the nurses did what Dr Smith asked without hesitation
21/22
111
What happened in the control group of Hoflings nurses
21/22 nurses that self assessed said they would not have given the drug without authorisation
112
What can the difference between the actual and control group in Hoflings nurses question
The use of self-report
113
Why type of study was Hoflings nurses
How was it able to be performed here
What does this mean for validity
Field study
Astroten was a dummy drug
Ecological validity
114
What does the use of a field study reduce amongst participants in Hoflings nurses
Demand characteristics
115
Whose experiment showed lower rates of obedience
Rank & Jacobson (1977)
116
What were the 3 differences between Hoflings nurses experiment and the one conducted by Rank & Jacobson
Instructions were given over the phone by a known staff surgeon
They received instructions in the presence of other nurses
Instructed to give Valium, a real drug, known to the nurses
117
What were the results in rank and Jacobsons experiment
Only 2/18 nurses were willing to administer the drug
118
What are the 4 possible reasons for differences in the results of Hoflings nurses and rank & jacobsons results
Familiarity of the drug - known consequences
In timeline context, nurses increased in self esteem and confidence. Wont blindly follow doctors.
Between studies it was allowed for malpractice suits to be filed against nurses, more responsible.
Nurses were allowed to confer with each other
119
What was the aim of milgrams experiment
Testing the theory that ordinary people would obey orders from those in authority, even if the obedience went against their deeply held moral beliefs
120
What was the psychiatrists predictions given to Milgram before his study
They predicted about 1% of participants would reach milgram’s definition of obedience (go all the way to 450v)
121
What did participants think they were volunteering for in milgrams study
A study designed to test memory and learning
122
Where did milgrams study take place
Yale university
123
What were the 3 characteristics of participants
Male, aged 20-50, volunteer personalities
124
Who were participants met by when they arrived to milgrams study
An experimenter wearing a lab coat and ‘Mr Wallace’
Mr Wallace was actually a confederate pretending to be another participant
125
What did the experimenter tell the participant and Mr Wallace that the experiment was about in milgrams experiment
The effects of punishment on learning
126
Who was always the learner in milgrams experiement
Mr Wallace
127
What was the layout like in milgrams experiment
Mr Wallace was strapped to a chair, with arms attached to electrodes.
Participant was moved to a separate room where they could hear Mr Wallace but not see him and give electric shocks by a shock generator
128
What were the switches like on the shock generator in milgrams study
Went up to a max of 450 volts and at 15 volt intervals
129
What was the teacher instructed to do with mistakes and successive mistakes in milgrams experiment
Deliver a shock each time there was a mistake
Go to the next highest voltage for each successive mistake
130
What were Mr Wallace’s set responses at each set voltage in milgrams study
150v: ‘experimenter, get me out of here. I refuse to go on’
180v: ‘I can’t stand the pain’
270v: a scream
330v: no sound (ominous after protest)
131
What would happen if the participant tried to withdraw in milgrams study
The experimenter gave 4 ‘verbal prods’
132
What were the verbal prods in order used in milgrams study
1: ‘Please continue’
2: ‘The experiment requires you to continue’
3: ‘It is absolutely essential that you continue’
4: ‘You have no choice; you must go on’
133
What are 4 variations in experiment in milgrams study
Proximity - victim placed in same room as subject
Touch proximity - confederate has hand rested on shock plate and teacher had to force them down
Mr Wallace had a heart condition
Instruction gave over the phone
134
What were the findings for milgrams study
Obedience rate was 65%
65% of participants kept giving shocks right up to 450v.
135
What are the two conclusions from the Milgram study
The hypothesis that high levels of obedience demonstrates that the ‘Germans are different’ can be rejected.
Milgram concluded people tend to obey others we regard as authority figures.
136
What are the 5 strengths of milgrams study
Many variations on the experiment
Participants were debriefed
Participants gave consent
Provided valuable work to social psychology
Standardised procedure
137
What is the benefit of many variations of milgrams study
Replications gave similar test results showing experimental accuracy
138
What was the fact showing the importance of debriefing in milgrams study
83.7% of participants were glad they participated.
139
How is milgram’s study valuable to social psychology
Highlights how blind we can be to obedience and follow orders without questions.
Could be used to ensure history does not repeat itself
140
Where was milgrams study held and what impact does this have
Lab based, improves reliability of study, standardise procedure
141
What are the 6 weaknesses in milgrams study
Not a tightly controlled as initially thought
Percentage of participants that believed it was real
Not debriefed straight away
Lacks ecological validity
Biased sampling
Deception
142
Why was milgrams study not as tightly controlled as initially thought
The experimenter varied the number of verbal prods per participant
(Women were prodded up to 20x)
Reduced internal validity
People could be described as obedient when they were actually disobedient
143
What percentage of participants believed the experiement was real
What percentage of those were disobedient
What does this suggest about milgrams findings
50%
65%
More of a link between reality and disobedience
Inaccurate results
144
Give an example of participants not being debriefed straight after milgrams study
Some were only told what the experiment was actually about by letter a year later
145
Why does milgrams study lack ecological validity
Carried out in a lab under artificial conditions.
May not be possible to generalise these findings.
People don’t usually recieve orders such as these in real life.
146
Why does milgrams study have biased sampling
Only used males with volunteer personality
Cannot apply results to general populations
147
What is a major ethical issue in milgrams study
Deception of participants.
Exposed participants to extremely stressful situations.
Some participants had signs of sweating, stuttering and 4 participants had uncontrollable seizures.
148
What does a dispositional explanation mean (authoritarian personality)
It assigns the cause of behaviour to an internal characteristic rather than an external force or situational factor
149
Who believed that people develop an authoritarian personality due to their upbringing
Adorno
150
Explain how style of upbringing is thought to lead to the authoritarian personality
Adorno
Children whos parents are overly strict and repressive, and those whose parents show little affection tend to harbour resentment towards them
This hostility through displacement gets directed towards other minority groups
151
What are the 7 indications of the authoritarian personality type according to Adorno
Unquestioning commitment to beliefs about right and wrong
Respect and submission to authority and need for strong leadership
Aggression towards those who are part of a minority
Belief in simple answers to complex issues
Projection of anger and fear onto a scapegoat group
Preoccupation with violence and sex
A negative view on people in general
152
What scale did Adorno develop to test for the authoritarian personality
F scale
153
What is the strength for the authoritarian personality
Elms and Milgram found that obedient participants scored higher on the F scale than participants who were disobedient.
Shows a correlation between obedience and an authoritarian personality.
154
What are the 4 weaknesses for the authoritarian personality
F scale based on positively scored items
Millions of individuals in Germany displayed obedient behaviour
Adorno used a biased sample
Theory lacks internal validity
155
What does the F scale being based on positively scored items mean (weaknesses of authoritarian personality)
The more you agree with statements, the higher the score becomes.
Participants tend to try and agree rather than disagree.
Less reliable
156
What evidence is there for the authoritarian personality not being the only explanation for obedience
Millions of individuals in Germany displayed obedient behaviour.
Unlikely that they all had an authoritarian personality.
157
What about Adorno’s sample is biased
What is the issue with this
Only used 2000 middle class white Americans
More likely to have an authoritarian personality due to demographics and time period of study.
Lacks population validity so conclusions cannot be generalised
158
Why is it said that Adorno’s work lacks internal validity
Assumes obedience is caused by dispositional explanation when it may just be situational variables.
There are better explanations for prejudice such as poor standard of education.
159
What is an explanation of resistance to social influence
Explain it
If they have an ally or someone supporting their point of view
Breaks unanimity of the majority.
Build confidence and the individual is no longer fearful of being ridiculed.
160
Give 2 peices of evidence in support of social support theory
Asch - introduction of a confederate who gave the correct answer - conformity fell form 37% to 5.5%
Milgram - gave participants a co teacher who refused to follow instructions - rates of obedience significantly reduced
161
Give two peices of evidence against social support theory
Allen and Levine - conducted asch-like
With a confederate with ‘good eyesight’ giving right answer - conformity was reduced by 64%
With a confederate with ‘bad eyesight’ giving right answer - conformity was only reduced by 36% showing social support does not always increase resistance to social influence
162
Who developed the concept of locus of control
Julian Rotter
163
What does locus of control refer to
An individuals perception of the underlying main causes of events in their life
If they believe that they are controlling what happens to them or if they feel controlled by others
164
What do those with an internal locus of control perceive
Perceive themselves as having an influence in their environments.
Take responsibility for their actions.
165
What does an internal locus of control usually mean for confidence
Higher self confidence
166
What do those with an external locus of control perceive
Perceive luck and fate (external influences) as having more of an impact on their lives than that do.
Do not accept responsibility for actions.
167
What happens in extreme cases for external locus of control
What does this mean
Learned helplessness
They do not believe their actions make a difference
168
What are the two pieces of evidence in support of locus of control theory
Anything which increases our personal responsibility increases resustance to obedience.
In milgrams study those who display characteristics of internal LOC are more likely to resist after hearing the experimenter say ‘you have no other choice’ reminds them they do have choice.
Asch reported independent individuals with high levels of self confidence in their own abilities were able to resist mental pressure from the majority
169
Who conducted a study that provides evidence against locus of control theory
Jean Twenge et al
170
What did Twenge do to analyse locus of control theory
Analysed data from American LOC studies conduced between 1960 and 2002
171
What did Twenge find through analysis of LOC research between 1960 and 2000
What is the meaning of this
Over this time span people became more resistant to obedience but also more external.
If resistance was linked to LOC we would expect people to become more internal
Argues against the theory of locus of control
172
What does minority influence mean
Refers to social influence where a persuasive minority influences the behaviours or attitudes of the majority
173
What must the minority group show for minority influence to occur
Must be stable in their opinion
Must be an agreement amongst minority members
174
When are majority members likely to listen to minority members
More likely to pay attention and rethink their position when minority is stable in opinion after confrontation
Consistent minority disrupts established norms and creates uncertainty and doubt leading to the majority taking minority view seriously
175
What is synchronic consistency
Where the message is consistent between people
176
What is diachronic consistency
Where the message is consistent over time
177
Who conducted research on minority influence and consistency
Moscovici et al (1969)
178
What was Moscovi’s aim and prediction
To investigate under what conditions the minority could influence the majority to change its responses even when the responses were clearly wrong.
Minority could confide majority if they consistently gave the same answer.
179
What were the participants like in Moscovi study
172 female american participants
180
What were participants told they were taking part in for moscovi’s experiement
Taking part in an experiment on colour perception.
181
What was the procedure for Moscovis Green Colour Slide Experiment (GCSE)
Six participants at a time were asked to estimate the colour, out loud, of 36 slides (all different shaded of blue)
182
How many confederates were in the group of 6 participants in Moscovi blue/green study
2
183
What were the two conditions in Moscovi’s blue/green experiment
1. Confederates displayed consistency and called the slides green on all trials
2. Confederates displayed inconsistency and called the slides green 24 times and blue 12 times
184
What were Moscovi’s findings for the consistent condition
Participants were influenced by the minority and called the slides green on 8.4% of trials
185
What were moscovi’s findings for the inconsistent condition
Participants only called the slides green in 1.3% of the trials
186
What did moscovi’s findings show
Consistency in the minority cab influence the majority
187
Who criticised moscovi’s study
Sampson
188
What was sampsons criticism of moscovi’s blue/green study
Lacks ecological validity - participants dont know each other so greater tendency to disagree as they are not influenced but identification.
In real life you usually know the minority
189
What is the augmentation principle
When a minority group shows suffering or loss to support their principle, members of the majority pay even more attention and deeply to consider their view.
190
Define commitment within minority influence
Minority must be dedicated to their cause
The greater the dedication the greater the influence
191
What three qualities of a minority group might cause the majority to assume they have a point worth listening to
Self confidence, dedication to take a popular stand, refuses to back down
192
What three things must a minority group be to have a greater influence
Consistent, commitment and flexibility
193
What is a case study that provides evidence for commitment aiding minority influence
Suffragettes
Emily Davidson - ran infront of a horse and sacrificed her life in the name of her cause
Went on hunger strikes
By showing extreme sacrifice in the name of their cause they showed commitment to the majority of the population.
194
What is an argument against the suffragette case study providing evidence for the success of commitment
Difficult to prove that commitment actually helped win the vote.
Some say it presented woman to be hysterical and therefore untrustworthy and actually slowed the progress of getting the vote.
195
Why must a minority appear flexible and willing to compromise when expressing opinions to better aid minority influence
Less likely to be seen as extreme and have a better chance of changing majority views
196
What study provides evidence for the effect of flexibility on the success of minority influence
Nemeth, ski negotiation study
197
What was the mock jury made up of in Nemeth, Ski negotiation study
Mock jury had 3 participants and 1 confederate
198
What was the task for Nemeth Ski study
Mock jury had to decide on the amount of compensation to be given to the victim of a ski-lift accident
199
What were the two conditions for the Nemeth, ski study
The minority argued for a very low amount and refused to change.
The minority compromised and moved some way towards majority position.
200
What was the findings in Nemeth, ski negotiation study
When the confederate compromised and move towards majority position, majority also compromised and changed their view.
When the confederate refused to change position, they had no effect on the majority.
201
What are the negatives against Nemeth, ski negotiation study
Lack ecological validity as participants knew the scenario was artificial
Niche experiment
202
What is social change
When a whole society adopts a new belief or behaviour which then becomes widely accepted as the norm, which was not before
203
What 3 social influence processes are involved in social change
Minority influence
Internal locus of control
Disobedience to authority
204
What is the real-world example for how social influence creates social change
African-American civil rights movement in the 1950s and 60s
205
What are the 6 stages to the social change seen in the African-American civil rights movement
1) Drawing attention
2) consistency
3) deeper processing
4) augmentation principle
5) snowball effect
6) social cryptomnesia
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Describe the process of drawing attention in terms of the African-American civil rights movement for successful social influence
It provides social proof
Civil rights marches highlighted massive segregation in America
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Describe the process of consistency in terms of the African-American civil rights movement for successful social influence
Civil rights activists remained consistent in non-aggressive protests, which was both diachronically and synchronically consistent
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Describe the process of deeper processing of the issue in terms of the African-American civil rights movement for successful social influence
Activism ensured people who would just normally accept segregation as the norm would have to think deeply about the unjustness of it, in order to start a conversation
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Describe the process of augmentation principle in terms of the African-American civil rights movement for successful social influence
Individuals risked their lives numerous times, personal risk indicating strong belief and reinforces their message.
Example, the freedom riders
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Describe the process of snowball effect in terms of the African-American civil rights movement for successful social influence
Activists started to get the attention of the US government, causing more and more people to back the minority.
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What marks the time when the minority opinion became a new social norm in the African-American civil rights movement
1964- US civil rights act prohibited discrimination
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Describe the process of social cryptomnesia in terms of the African-American civil rights movement for successful social influence
When people have a memory that change has occurred but do not remember how it occurred.
Social change clearly occurred in America, people tend to not remember the details of how and the lengths that were gone to.
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Define social cryptomnesia
When people have a memory of change but do not remember how it occurred
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What does dissent have the potential to lead
Social change
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Using Asch describe how dissent has the potential to lead social change
When on confederate broke unanimity, participants were less likely to conform.
Can be applied to a wider population: when power of majority is broken through dissenter it encourages other groups to do likewise.
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What can exploit conformity processes
Appealing to normative social influence.
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Give an example of social change encouraged by what the majority is doing
‘Stop smoking, most other young people do not smoke’
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What kind of role models can encourage social change
Disobedient
219
Give an example of an experiment that shows disobedient role models encouraging social change
Milgrams experiment
Variation in which a confederate teacher refused to shock the learner - rate of obedience in participants plummeted
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Is social change likely to happen when most people tend to go along with the majority
No
The majority tends to maintain a status quo
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What has repeats of Asch’s experiment shown
That conformity can vary due to time and place so social change can occur
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What can some personality types being less likely to be influence by a majorly lead to
Divergent thinking and social change
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What group tends to bring about social change and innovation
The minority group
