SOCIAL INFLUENCE Flashcards

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1
Q

What are the three types of conformity

A

Internalisation
Identification
Compliance

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2
Q

Define internalisation

A

Where a person changes their public behaviour and their private belief inline with the group

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3
Q

Is internalisation temporary or permanent

A

Permanent

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4
Q

Define identification

A

Where a person changes their public behaviour and their personal beliefs, but only when they are within the group

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5
Q

Define compliance

A

Where a person conforms to the behaviour of others, despite privately disagreeing.

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6
Q

What is compliance designed to keep

A

Keep the individual from being rejected from the group

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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.

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8
Q

What do social norms changing depend upon

A

The environment we are in

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9
Q

Define conformity

A

Where an individual’s attitudes, beliefs and behaviours are influenced by other people.

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10
Q

What are the three ways in which someone might be cause to conform

A

Subtle influences or overt social pressure

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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

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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.

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13
Q

Who usually gives the order in obedience

A

An authority figure

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14
Q

What is usually assumed for obedience to occur

A

Without such order the individual would have acted in a different way

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15
Q

What are the two explanations for conformity

A

Informational social influence and normative social influence

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16
Q

Define informational social influences

A

Watching and conforming to the behaviour of others.

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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

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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

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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.

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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

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21
Q

Who investigated variables affecting conformity

A

Asch (1951)

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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.

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23
Q

Who were the participants in Asch’s experiment

A

123 male, American college students

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24
Q

What were the group sizes in Asch’s experiement

A

7-9

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25
Q

How many participants were actually in each group
What was the rest

A

1 naive participant
Rest of the group were confederates

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26
Q

What was the task in Asch’s experiment

A

All participants were shown cards and asked which line out of A, B and C is similar to line X

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27
Q

Who called out the answers first and who last in Asch’s experiment

A

Confederates called out answers first and the participant called out last or second last

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28
Q

What were confederates given prior to Asch’s experiment

A

Predetermined answers which were incorrect 12/18 trials.

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29
Q

How often did the confederates give out incorrect answers in Asch’s experiment

A

12/18 trials

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30
Q

What did participants in Asch’s experiment experience when confederates gave the same incorrect answer

A

Pressure

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31
Q

What did asch compare results with

A

A control group, in which participants gave their judgement in isolation.

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32
Q

How was conformity measured in Asch’s experiment

A

The number of times the naive participant gave the same wrong answered as the confederates.

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33
Q

What was the conformity percentage in Asch’s experiement

A

Conformity of 37%
Participants conformed tot he wrong answers 37% of the time

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34
Q

What percentage of participants gave wrong answers in Asch’s experiment

A

75%

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35
Q

What was the percentage error and percentage of participants that made errors in Asch’s control group

A

0.7% of errors were made
5% of participants made errors

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36
Q

When asked after Asch’s experiment what did participants say
What influence does this reflect

A

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

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37
Q

What were the two conclusions asch made from his experiment

A

‘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.

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38
Q

What are the 3 variables affecting conformity

A

Group size, unanimity and task difficulty

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39
Q

What affects did a majority of 2 have on Asch’s experiment

A

Created 13% of errors

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40
Q

What affect did a majority of 3 have on Asch’s experiment

A

Created 33% of errors

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41
Q

What did asch change in the experiment to test unanimity

A

One of the confederates gave the correct answer before the participant had to give theirs

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42
Q

What was the affect of unanimity on conformity in asch experiement

A

A ‘social supporter’ made conformity drop to 5.5%

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43
Q

What happened when a confederate gave a different wrong answer

A

Conformity also reduced in participants

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44
Q

What effect does task difficulty have on conformity

A

When the line judgement task was more difficult, conformity increased.

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45
Q

List the 5 strengths of Asch’s experiment

A

High internal validity
Can draw cause and effect conclusions
Task was unambiguous
Conformity could be measured in an objective way
Test-retest reliability

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46
Q

Explain why Asch’s experiment had high internal validity

A

Experiments were conducted in a lab and variables were tightly controlled

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47
Q

What conclusions can be drawn from Asch’s experiment due to high internal validity

A

Cause and effect conclusions

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48
Q

Why was the task unambiguous in Asch’s experiment
What did it mean for measurements

A

Answer was right or wrong
Conformity could be measured in an objective way

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49
Q

Why does Asch’s experiment have test-retest reliability

A

It is easy to replicate

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50
Q

What are the 4 limitations to Asch’s experiemnt

A

Lack ecological validity
Unrepresentative sample - lacks population validity
Perrin and Spencer’s findings
Ethical issues

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51
Q

Why does Asch’s experiment lack ecological validity

A

Based on people’s perceptions of lines
Does not reflect the complexity of real life conformity

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52
Q

Why was Asch’s sample unrepresentative
What validity and other implication does this have

A

Carried out on men - gender bias
Lacks population validity
Limited applications of findings

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53
Q

Who repeated Asch’s experiment

A

Perrin and Spencer (1970s)

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54
Q

What was Perrin and Spencers findings when repeating Asch’s experiement

A

Found very little evidence of conformity

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55
Q

What did Perrin and Spencer conclude about Asch’s findings

A

They were influenced by the time and culture in which they took place
So no test-retest reliability

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56
Q

What were the 3 ethical issues with Asch’s experiment

A

Participants were deceived.
Could not give informed consent.
Participants could have been embarrassed and withdrew when they heard the nature of the study.

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57
Q

Who investigated conformity to social roles

A

Zimbardo (1973)

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58
Q

What was Zimbardo aim

A

To investigate the development of norms, social effects and labels in a simulated prison environment

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59
Q

How many participants were selected out of a pool of how many for Zimbardo experiment

A

22 male from a pool of 75

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60
Q

Why did Zimbardo and his staff conduct in-depth interviews prior to the experiment

A

To ensure emotional stability

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61
Q

What 3 types of people were rejected from Zimbardo experiment

A

Anyone who was convicted of a crime, committed a violent act or abused drugs.

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62
Q

How much were participants payed a day to participate in Zimbardo experiment

A

$15

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63
Q

What were the two roles participants were randomly allocated in Zimbardo experiment

A

Prisoners or guards

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64
Q

What happened to prisoners at the start of Zimbardo experiment

A

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.

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65
Q

What happened to the guards at the start of Zimbardo experiment

A

Given military uniform, silver sunglasses, clubs, whistles, handcuffs and keys.
Worked 8 hr shifts.

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66
Q

What were guards instructed to do at the start of Zimbardo experiement

A

‘Maintain a reasonable degree of order’ and not to use physical violence

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67
Q

How was behaviour inside Stanford county prison assessed
(4)

A

By observation (video & audio), self-report, questionnaires and interviews

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68
Q

What did the prisoners initially do inside the prison. What did the guards do

A

Prisoners rebelled
Rebellion squashed quickly by guards who became increasingly violent

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69
Q

What 4 things were observed from prisoners in less than 36 hours

A

Uncontrolled crying
Fits of rage
Disordered thinking
Rashes on their bodies

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70
Q

What did Zimbardo label the symptoms in observed prisoners in less that 36 hours

A

Pathological prisoner syndrome

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71
Q

What 4 things did Zimbardo attribute the prisoners behaviour to

A

Loss of identity
Emasculation
Dependency
Learned helplessness

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72
Q

What was observed among guards in Zimbardo experiment
What 3 things reflect this

A

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)

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73
Q

How many guards were actually aggressive in Zimbardo experiement

A

1/3

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74
Q

What did Zimbardo call the aggression displayed by guards

A

Pathology of power

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75
Q

How long did Zimbardo experiment last, how long was it meant to

A

6 days
14 days

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76
Q

List the 5 weaknesses of Zimbardo experiment

A

Lacks ecological validity
Demand characteristics
Lack population validity
No protection from psychological harm
Many ethical criticisms

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77
Q

Why does Zimbardo experiment lack ecological validity

A

Role playing in the experiment suspends reality so may provide artificial results

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78
Q

Why does Zimbardos experiment suffer from demand characteristics

A

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.

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79
Q

Why might zimbardos experiment lack population validity

A

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

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80
Q

Give an example of participants not being protected from psychological harm in Zimbardo experiement

A

One prisoner had to be released after 26th due to uncontrollable bursts of screaming, crying and anger

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81
Q

What are the 3 ethical criticisms of zimbardos experiment

A

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.

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82
Q

What are the 5 strengths of zimbardos experiment

A

Real-life application
Formal recognition of ethical guidelines
Participants were tightly controlled
No lasting effects found
High ecological validity

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83
Q

What is the real-world application for zimbardos experiment

A

Permanently altered the way US prisons are run.
Juveniles accused of federal crimes are no longer housed before trial with adult prisoners

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84
Q

What was zimbardos experiments impacts on formal recognition of ethical guidelines

A

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,

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85
Q

What was the positive amongst ethical issues in Zimbardo experiemnt

A

Participants were debriefed and there were no lasting effects

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86
Q

Why can zimbardos experiment be argued to be ecologically valid

A

Can be argued the scenario was more realistic than most.
The briefing of the guards and arrest of the prisoners were realistic

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87
Q

List the 3 explanations for obedience

A

Agentic state
Legitimacy of authority
Situational variables

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88
Q

What are the 3 situational variables affecting obedience

A

Proximity, location and uniform

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89
Q

What is the dispositional explanation for obedience

A

The authoritarian personality

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90
Q

Who proposed the agentic state

A

Milgram

91
Q

What did Milgram propose on the agentic state

A

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
Q

What does the agentic state free us from

A

The demands of our conscience and allows us to obey an even destructive figure.

93
Q

What did Milgram say allowed a person to ignore the effect of their behaviour and reduce their moral strain

A

Binding factors or aspects of the situation

94
Q

What are the strengths of the agentic state as an explanation for obedience

A

Milgrams own studies support the role.
When the experimenter assured them they had no responsibility they often continued with no further questions.

95
Q

What is the weakened for agentic state explaining obedience
Example study

A

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
Q

Define legitimacy of authority

A

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
Q

What are the strengths for legitimacy of authority for obedience
Example

A

Useful account of cultural differences
Mann found only 16% of Australian women went up to 450v compared to 85% of German women.

98
Q

What did milgrams study on legitimacy of authority as a reason for obedience show on cultural differences

A

Authority is more likely to be accepted as legitimate in countries where children are raised to perceive authority as more important

99
Q

What is the weakness with legitimacy of authority as an explanation for obedience
Example

A

It cannot explain instances of disobedience in a hierarchy where there is clear authority
Rank & Jacobson experiement

100
Q

What is possible to have a greater influence on obedience than legitimacy of authority

A

Innate tendencies to obey or disobey

101
Q

Define uniforms as an explanation for obedience
Examples

A

Visible symbols of status and authority
Example: police officers or judges
Zimbardos experiement

102
Q

Define proximity as an explanation for obedience
Fact from milgrams study

A

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
Q

Define location as an explanation for obedience
Fact from Milgram study

A

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
Q

Define the authoritarian personality

A

Described extremely obedient people with unquestioning respect for authority.
Such people give control to an authoritarian future removing their own freedom of choice.

105
Q

What experiment shows high rates of obedience

A

Hoflings nurses (1966)

106
Q

Who were the participants in Hoflings Nurses

A

22 female nurses working in various hospitals

107
Q

What were the female nurses told in Hoflings nurses experiement

A

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
Q

What was written on the box of Astroten in Hoflings nurses experiment

A

Max daily dose 10mg

109
Q

What are hospital rules on drug admission - Hoflings nurses

A

Require a doctor to sign authorisation form before any drug is given.

110
Q

How many of the nurses did what Dr Smith asked without hesitation

A

21/22

111
Q

What happened in the control group of Hoflings nurses

A

21/22 nurses that self assessed said they would not have given the drug without authorisation

112
Q

What can the difference between the actual and control group in Hoflings nurses question

A

The use of self-report

113
Q

Why type of study was Hoflings nurses
How was it able to be performed here
What does this mean for validity

A

Field study
Astroten was a dummy drug
Ecological validity

114
Q

What does the use of a field study reduce amongst participants in Hoflings nurses

A

Demand characteristics

115
Q

Whose experiment showed lower rates of obedience

A

Rank & Jacobson (1977)

116
Q

What were the 3 differences between Hoflings nurses experiment and the one conducted by Rank & Jacobson

A

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
Q

What were the results in rank and Jacobsons experiment

A

Only 2/18 nurses were willing to administer the drug

118
Q

What are the 4 possible reasons for differences in the results of Hoflings nurses and rank & jacobsons results

A

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
Q

What was the aim of milgrams experiment

A

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
Q

What was the psychiatrists predictions given to Milgram before his study

A

They predicted about 1% of participants would reach milgram’s definition of obedience (go all the way to 450v)

121
Q

What did participants think they were volunteering for in milgrams study

A

A study designed to test memory and learning

122
Q

Where did milgrams study take place

A

Yale university

123
Q

What were the 3 characteristics of participants

A

Male, aged 20-50, volunteer personalities

124
Q

Who were participants met by when they arrived to milgrams study

A

An experimenter wearing a lab coat and ‘Mr Wallace’
Mr Wallace was actually a confederate pretending to be another participant

125
Q

What did the experimenter tell the participant and Mr Wallace that the experiment was about in milgrams experiment

A

The effects of punishment on learning

126
Q

Who was always the learner in milgrams experiement

A

Mr Wallace

127
Q

What was the layout like in milgrams experiment

A

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
Q

What were the switches like on the shock generator in milgrams study

A

Went up to a max of 450 volts and at 15 volt intervals

129
Q

What was the teacher instructed to do with mistakes and successive mistakes in milgrams experiment

A

Deliver a shock each time there was a mistake
Go to the next highest voltage for each successive mistake

130
Q

What were Mr Wallace’s set responses at each set voltage in milgrams study

A

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
Q

What would happen if the participant tried to withdraw in milgrams study

A

The experimenter gave 4 ‘verbal prods’

132
Q

What were the verbal prods in order used in milgrams study

A

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
Q

What are 4 variations in experiment in milgrams study

A

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
Q

What were the findings for milgrams study

A

Obedience rate was 65%
65% of participants kept giving shocks right up to 450v.

135
Q

What are the two conclusions from the Milgram study

A

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
Q

What are the 5 strengths of milgrams study

A

Many variations on the experiment
Participants were debriefed
Participants gave consent
Provided valuable work to social psychology
Standardised procedure

137
Q

What is the benefit of many variations of milgrams study

A

Replications gave similar test results showing experimental accuracy

138
Q

What was the fact showing the importance of debriefing in milgrams study

A

83.7% of participants were glad they participated.

139
Q

How is milgram’s study valuable to social psychology

A

Highlights how blind we can be to obedience and follow orders without questions.
Could be used to ensure history does not repeat itself

140
Q

Where was milgrams study held and what impact does this have

A

Lab based, improves reliability of study, standardise procedure

141
Q

What are the 6 weaknesses in milgrams study

A

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
Q

Why was milgrams study not as tightly controlled as initially thought

A

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
Q

What percentage of participants believed the experiement was real
What percentage of those were disobedient
What does this suggest about milgrams findings

A

50%
65%
More of a link between reality and disobedience
Inaccurate results

144
Q

Give an example of participants not being debriefed straight after milgrams study

A

Some were only told what the experiment was actually about by letter a year later

145
Q

Why does milgrams study lack ecological validity

A

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
Q

Why does milgrams study have biased sampling

A

Only used males with volunteer personality
Cannot apply results to general populations

147
Q

What is a major ethical issue in milgrams study

A

Deception of participants.
Exposed participants to extremely stressful situations.
Some participants had signs of sweating, stuttering and 4 participants had uncontrollable seizures.

148
Q

What does a dispositional explanation mean (authoritarian personality)

A

It assigns the cause of behaviour to an internal characteristic rather than an external force or situational factor

149
Q

Who believed that people develop an authoritarian personality due to their upbringing

A

Adorno

150
Q

Explain how style of upbringing is thought to lead to the authoritarian personality
Adorno

A

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
Q

What are the 7 indications of the authoritarian personality type according to Adorno

A

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
Q

What scale did Adorno develop to test for the authoritarian personality

A

F scale

153
Q

What is the strength for the authoritarian personality

A

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
Q

What are the 4 weaknesses for the authoritarian personality

A

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
Q

What does the F scale being based on positively scored items mean (weaknesses of authoritarian personality)

A

The more you agree with statements, the higher the score becomes.
Participants tend to try and agree rather than disagree.
Less reliable

156
Q

What evidence is there for the authoritarian personality not being the only explanation for obedience

A

Millions of individuals in Germany displayed obedient behaviour.
Unlikely that they all had an authoritarian personality.

157
Q

What about Adorno’s sample is biased
What is the issue with this

A

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
Q

Why is it said that Adorno’s work lacks internal validity

A

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
Q

What is an explanation of resistance to social influence
Explain it

A

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
Q

Give 2 peices of evidence in support of social support theory

A

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
Q

Give two peices of evidence against social support theory

A

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
Q

Who developed the concept of locus of control

A

Julian Rotter

163
Q

What does locus of control refer to

A

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
Q

What do those with an internal locus of control perceive

A

Perceive themselves as having an influence in their environments.
Take responsibility for their actions.

165
Q

What does an internal locus of control usually mean for confidence

A

Higher self confidence

166
Q

What do those with an external locus of control perceive

A

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
Q

What happens in extreme cases for external locus of control
What does this mean

A

Learned helplessness
They do not believe their actions make a difference

168
Q

What are the two pieces of evidence in support of locus of control theory

A

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
Q

Who conducted a study that provides evidence against locus of control theory

A

Jean Twenge et al

170
Q

What did Twenge do to analyse locus of control theory

A

Analysed data from American LOC studies conduced between 1960 and 2002

171
Q

What did Twenge find through analysis of LOC research between 1960 and 2000
What is the meaning of this

A

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
Q

What does minority influence mean

A

Refers to social influence where a persuasive minority influences the behaviours or attitudes of the majority

173
Q

What must the minority group show for minority influence to occur

A

Must be stable in their opinion
Must be an agreement amongst minority members

174
Q

When are majority members likely to listen to minority members

A

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
Q

What is synchronic consistency

A

Where the message is consistent between people

176
Q

What is diachronic consistency

A

Where the message is consistent over time

177
Q

Who conducted research on minority influence and consistency

A

Moscovici et al (1969)

178
Q

What was Moscovi’s aim and prediction

A

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
Q

What were the participants like in Moscovi study

A

172 female american participants

180
Q

What were participants told they were taking part in for moscovi’s experiement

A

Taking part in an experiment on colour perception.

181
Q

What was the procedure for Moscovis Green Colour Slide Experiment (GCSE)

A

Six participants at a time were asked to estimate the colour, out loud, of 36 slides (all different shaded of blue)

182
Q

How many confederates were in the group of 6 participants in Moscovi blue/green study

A

2

183
Q

What were the two conditions in Moscovi’s blue/green experiment

A
  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
Q

What were Moscovi’s findings for the consistent condition

A

Participants were influenced by the minority and called the slides green on 8.4% of trials

185
Q

What were moscovi’s findings for the inconsistent condition

A

Participants only called the slides green in 1.3% of the trials

186
Q

What did moscovi’s findings show

A

Consistency in the minority cab influence the majority

187
Q

Who criticised moscovi’s study

A

Sampson

188
Q

What was sampsons criticism of moscovi’s blue/green study

A

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
Q

What is the augmentation principle

A

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
Q

Define commitment within minority influence

A

Minority must be dedicated to their cause
The greater the dedication the greater the influence

191
Q

What three qualities of a minority group might cause the majority to assume they have a point worth listening to

A

Self confidence, dedication to take a popular stand, refuses to back down

192
Q

What three things must a minority group be to have a greater influence

A

Consistent, commitment and flexibility

193
Q

What is a case study that provides evidence for commitment aiding minority influence

A

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
Q

What is an argument against the suffragette case study providing evidence for the success of commitment

A

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
Q

Why must a minority appear flexible and willing to compromise when expressing opinions to better aid minority influence

A

Less likely to be seen as extreme and have a better chance of changing majority views

196
Q

What study provides evidence for the effect of flexibility on the success of minority influence

A

Nemeth, ski negotiation study

197
Q

What was the mock jury made up of in Nemeth, Ski negotiation study

A

Mock jury had 3 participants and 1 confederate

198
Q

What was the task for Nemeth Ski study

A

Mock jury had to decide on the amount of compensation to be given to the victim of a ski-lift accident

199
Q

What were the two conditions for the Nemeth, ski study

A

The minority argued for a very low amount and refused to change.
The minority compromised and moved some way towards majority position.

200
Q

What was the findings in Nemeth, ski negotiation study

A

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
Q

What are the negatives against Nemeth, ski negotiation study

A

Lack ecological validity as participants knew the scenario was artificial
Niche experiment

202
Q

What is social change

A

When a whole society adopts a new belief or behaviour which then becomes widely accepted as the norm, which was not before

203
Q

What 3 social influence processes are involved in social change

A

Minority influence
Internal locus of control
Disobedience to authority

204
Q

What is the real-world example for how social influence creates social change

A

African-American civil rights movement in the 1950s and 60s

205
Q

What are the 6 stages to the social change seen in the African-American civil rights movement

A

1) Drawing attention
2) consistency
3) deeper processing
4) augmentation principle
5) snowball effect
6) social cryptomnesia

206
Q

Describe the process of drawing attention in terms of the African-American civil rights movement for successful social influence

A

It provides social proof
Civil rights marches highlighted massive segregation in America

207
Q

Describe the process of consistency in terms of the African-American civil rights movement for successful social influence

A

Civil rights activists remained consistent in non-aggressive protests, which was both diachronically and synchronically consistent

208
Q

Describe the process of deeper processing of the issue in terms of the African-American civil rights movement for successful social influence

A

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

209
Q

Describe the process of augmentation principle in terms of the African-American civil rights movement for successful social influence

A

Individuals risked their lives numerous times, personal risk indicating strong belief and reinforces their message.
Example, the freedom riders

210
Q

Describe the process of snowball effect in terms of the African-American civil rights movement for successful social influence

A

Activists started to get the attention of the US government, causing more and more people to back the minority.

211
Q

What marks the time when the minority opinion became a new social norm in the African-American civil rights movement

A

1964- US civil rights act prohibited discrimination

212
Q

Describe the process of social cryptomnesia in terms of the African-American civil rights movement for successful social influence

A

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.

213
Q

Define social cryptomnesia

A

When people have a memory of change but do not remember how it occurred

214
Q

What does dissent have the potential to lead

A

Social change

215
Q

Using Asch describe how dissent has the potential to lead social change

A

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.

216
Q

What can exploit conformity processes

A

Appealing to normative social influence.

217
Q

Give an example of social change encouraged by what the majority is doing

A

‘Stop smoking, most other young people do not smoke’

218
Q

What kind of role models can encourage social change

A

Disobedient

219
Q

Give an example of an experiment that shows disobedient role models encouraging social change

A

Milgrams experiment
Variation in which a confederate teacher refused to shock the learner - rate of obedience in participants plummeted

220
Q

Is social change likely to happen when most people tend to go along with the majority

A

No
The majority tends to maintain a status quo

221
Q

What has repeats of Asch’s experiment shown

A

That conformity can vary due to time and place so social change can occur

222
Q

What can some personality types being less likely to be influence by a majorly lead to

A

Divergent thinking and social change

223
Q

What group tends to bring about social change and innovation

A

The minority group