Social Influence

Question 1

What are the 3 main forms of social influence?

Answer 1

Conformity
Obedience
Minority Influence

Question 2

What are the 3 differences between conformity and obedience?

Answer 2

1. conformity is going along with group pressure whereas behaving as you are instructed too
2. Conformity No one directly applies orders they are implied but in Obedience they are instructed by authority figures
3. In conformity it is done to fit in whereas to avoid punishment/consequences

Question 3

What are the 3 types of conformity?

Answer 3

Compliance
Internalisation
Identification

Question 4

Describe Compliance

Answer 4

The most shallowest form of compliance
Publicly conforming to fit in but privately maintains own views and ideas
The change is temporary

Question 5

Describe Internalisation

Answer 5

A true change of ones private views and public behaviour to match a group due it seeming correct, The conformity is usually permanent

Question 6

Describe Identification

Answer 6

When the individual is exposed to others views to change both publicly and privately as they identify with the source of these views and being part of it is desirable.
They do this to feel a sense of group membership but the change may be temporary when the desirability disappears.

Question 7

what was the conclusion to Asch’s study ?

Answer 7

when the confederates gave the incorrect anwser to the lines in the 12 out of 18 trials :
26% never conformed
74% conformed at least once
4 people conformed 10 times or more

Question 8

describe normative social influence

Answer 8

to conform based on the desire to be in a group
because the group has the power to exclude those who don’t conform leading to heightened self awareness and and embarrassment.
leads to compliance

Question 9

describe informational social influence

Answer 9

conformity based on a desire to be right
especially when placed in an ambiguous situation. so we copy others actions believing they know more than us
leading to internalisation

Question 10

how does the conformity theory help in real life ?

Answer 10

e.g people conforming to use drugs or alcohol under normative social influence which causes economic and social impact due to the cost it causes to society

Question 11

what 3 factors affect conformity?

Answer 11

The group size
the unanimity of the group
and the task difficulty

Question 13

Summaries the procedure of Milgram’s obedience study

Answer 13

40 volunteer male participants had to be a learner or a teacher
the learner would be strapped to a chair with electrodes
the Teacher would read out questions and provide an electric shock if incorrect

Question 14

What were the findings of milgrims study?

Answer 14

100% went to 300 volts
and 65% went to 450 volts
ordinary people are likely to follow orders by an authority figure
Thus authority figures seem to have a lot of social power.

Question 15

What are the ethics evaluation points of milgrims study

Answer 15

Participants where not given the right to withdraw
They where deceived to believe it was a study of learning but it was actually a study of obedience
they thought the electric shocks were real so suffered from psychological harm

However if deception is necessary to get accurate results of peoples behavior

The debrief people said 84% glad they took part .
Debrief allowed for the deception to be overcome

Question 16

Describe the validity of Milgram’s study

Answer 16

Only used an androcentric population
so results lack generalizability to women So low internal validity
Poor ecological validity due too the lack of mundane realism the task provides, The task was artificial so not an accurate depiction of behavior

Question 17

what was the dispositional explanation for obedience ?

Answer 17

an authoritarian personality - An idea that some people are more obedient due to their upbringing

Question 18

what was the Rorschach projective test?

Answer 18

The idea that those with a harsh childhood would obey quickly and have a strong respect for authority
This would create repressed hostility which would be displaced feelings into others

The elements of these types of behaviour where measured by the F scale to measure an authoritarian personality

Question 19

why does social support help to resist against social pressure?

Answer 19

the presence of an ally gives the ally more social power against a group or authority figure
As they can now punish the source through disapproval

Question 20

evaluate the resistance against social pressure

Answer 20

1. Is Asch’s study where a non conformist ally would consistently give the correct answer or the alternative incorrect answer
   It both brought down conformity rates down from 32% to 25%
   So social support affects conformity and increases independent behaviour
2. Milgram’s study
   when disobedient confederate teacher was introduced the amount of participants who went up to 450 volts went from 65% to 10%
   So social support can increase independence to social influence

Question 21

Name an example of social support helping with social pressure

Answer 21

Albert th AL
evaluated a programme that helped pregnant teens to stop smoking
1 group had a buddy and one did not
Group with buddy was less likely to smoke
Has high ecological validity as it has mundane realism

Question 22

What is minority influence?

Answer 22

A minority influence is where a small group of people seek to change the attitudues and behaviour of a larger group

Question 23

How is the influence of a minority different to the influence of a majority?

Answer 23

the process of social change through a minority influence takes a lot longer but it tends to be a more true conversion (peoples opinions and views become internalised)

Question 24

what behavioural styles must a minority influence adapt?

Answer 24

Consistent, flexible and show commitment

Question 25

why is commitment important for a minority?

Answer 25

If a minority’s message is constant it creates more certainty.
The majority is more likely to believe them if the message is unchanging

Question 26

What were the findings of Moscovivci’s study?

Answer 26

When the confederates were consistnet 8.4% of the participants called the colour green
when they were inconsistent 1.3% called the colour green

Question 27

why must minorities be flexible?

Answer 27

As they cannot be dogmatic
As the majority will feel as if their freedom is being taken away so they must adapt

Question 28

what were the findings of Nemeths experiment?

Answer 28

when the one confederate raised the price of the compensation amount to pay to the ski lift vicitm the other participants were willing to meet them
or else the minority’s message will be rejected

Question 29

why is commitment important for minorities

Answer 29

This shows that minorities are willing to take risks and become a role model for the behaviour they wish the majority would adopt
THis shows it must be something worth listening to and people will be more likely to accept it

Question 30

what is the effect of dissociation?

Answer 30

By Mungy and Perez
The idea that the views of the main group are assimilated into the main group by social crypto amnesia
This is where the majority to forget the original view point came from a minority and adopt it as there own