Social Influence Flashcards
What is compliance?
Compliance involves changing behaviour at a request of another person.
What does compliance NOT rely on?
A power differential.
What is obedience?
Obedience is a form of social influence that involves performing an action under the orders of an authority figure.
What is conformity?
Conformity is altering attitudes and behaviours to go along with the rest of the group.
What DOES obedience rely on?
Direct orders, usually from an authority figure.
What does conformity rely on?
Indirect influence from an authority figure.
What are the 3 factors that influence obedience?
-Proximity to an authority figure (e.g. only doing the dishwasher if the dad is home)
-Prestige of the authority figure (e.g. obeying the orders of individuals with money/ people of higher social levels)
-Deindividuation (e.g. military begin to focus more on fulfilling their assigned role rather than expressing their thoughts and ideas.)
How have experimental investigations been used to study obedience?
The experimenter was able to manipulate an independent variable and observe changes in the dependent variable.
What are advantages of an experimental investigation for studying obedience?
-Demonstrates casual relationships.
-Can be replicated/ repeated to see if the same findings emerge.
-Maximizes control over relevant variables.
What are disadvantages of an experimental design to study obedience?
-Generalizability outside the laboratory
-Some complex phenomena cannot be readily tested using pure experimental methods.
-Ethical issues present challenges for testing some naturally occurring phenomena.
What is an example of a study that has been used to investigate why humans behave differently in the presence of an authority figure?
The Milgram Experiments.
What did Milgram conclude from his experiments?
That individuals tend to obey orders, even if it goes against their morals.
What factors influence the ability for somebody to make independent decisions when they find themselves in a subordinate position?
Situational factors
What are some examples of ethical issues with Milgram’s research?
-Psychological harm and distress.
-Right to withdraw.
-Deception.
