Social Influence

Question 1

What was the aim of Asch’s baseline procedure? AO1

Answer 1

To see if participants would conform to majority influence and give incorrect answers even when the answers were obvious

Question 2

What was the sample size of Asch’s baseline procedure? AO1

Answer 2

123 male American students

Question 3

What are the critical trails and how many were there in Asch’s baseline procedure? AO1

Answer 3

Critical tries were when confederates gave unanimous wrong answers and this happened on 12 out of 18 trials.

Question 4

What were the results of Asch’s baseline procedure? AO1

Answer 4

The naive participant conformed on 36.8% of the trials
25% of participants did not conform meaning 75% did conform

Question 5

What were the evaluation points of Asch’s baseline procedure? AO3

Answer 5

+ high control
- artificial task
- limited sample
- historical bias

Question 6

How does Asch’s baseline procedure have a limited sample? AO3

Answer 6

P: low population validity
E: Asch’s participants were male American students therefore could be gender biased and not be representative of female behaviour.
E: this is a limitation because the results about conformity may not be able to be generalised to the behaviours of others e.g. women

Question 7

How does Asch’s baseline procedure have low ecological validity? AO3

Answer 7

P: low ecological validity
E: participants knew they were in a research study and may of showed demand characteristics. Also the task of identifying lines is very trivial therefore there was no reason to conform
E: this is a limitation because results may be difficult to generalise to real life situations where the consequences may be important

Question 8

How does Asch’s baseline procedure have high control? AO3

Answer 8

P: experimental method means high control over extraneous variables
E: when using a lab experiment the researcher can be confident that the IV (confederates answers) we’re affecting the DV (participants answers)
E: this is a strength as we can be confident that results about conformity are not being affected by confounding variables and have high internal validity

Question 9

How does Asch’s baseline procedure have historical bias? AO3

Answer 9

P: Asch’s study may be historically biased
E: Perrin and Spencer (1980) carried out an exact replication of the original experiment using British engineering and science students. Only have wrong answer on 1 out of 396 trials
Subsequent study on youth probation with probation officers as confederates showed similar results to Asch’s original experiment.
This suggests conformity is more likely if the perceived costs of not conforming are high like in 1950s US
E: Asch’s findings may be historically biased and might not be able to be generalised outside of 1950s America

Question 10

What were the 3 variations Asch added to his baseline procedure? AO1

Answer 10

• group size
• unanimity
• task difficulty

Question 11

When unanimity, with a correct answer, was broken what did the conformity % drop to? AO1

Answer 11

5.5%

Question 12

What did conformity drop to when unanimity was broken with an incorrect answer?

Answer 12

9%

Question 13

What did conformity drop to when unanimity was broken with a sometimes right / wrong answer?

Answer 13

25%

Question 14

What are the 3 types of conformity?

Answer 14

• internalisation
• identification
• compliance

Question 15

What does NSI means?

Answer 15

Normative Social Influence
Motivated by the need to be accepted by others
More likely to lead to compliance

Question 16

What does ISI mean?

Answer 16

Informational Social Influence
Motivated by need to be correct
More likely to lead to internalisation

Question 17

What are the evaluation points of Types and explanations of conformity? AO3

Answer 17

P: a strength of NSI / compliance is that it is supported by Asch’s study
E: when Asch interviewed his participants some said they confirmed because they felt self conscious and were afraid of disapproval. When answers were written down the conformity rates reduced from 36.8% to 12.5%
E: this is a strength of NSI / compliance because giving answers privately meant there was no pressure from the group to confirm in order to be accepted
L: the suggests at least some conformity is due to desire to not be rejected by group

Question 18

How does Lucas et al study support ISI and internalisation? AO3

Answer 18

P: a strength of ISI / internalisation is Lucas et al
E: for example Lucas et al found that participants were more likely to conform when the tasks were difficult
When problems were easy participants knew their own minds but when the answers became ambiguous they relied on others answers to avoid being wrong
E: this is a strength of internalisation as it shows individuals are more likely to conform, on a public and private level, when the situations are unclear.

Question 19

How is it unclear in many cases if NSI or ISI are effecting the rates of conformity? Use Asch’s study AO3

Answer 19

P: unclear which one is reason for conformity in studies
E: Asch found that conformity is reduced when there is one other dissenting participant. The dissenter may reduce power of NSI by providing social support or reduce the power of ISI by offering alternative social information
E: this is a limitation as it is hard to separate ISI and NSI in many situations as they are likely working together

Question 20

How are there individual differences in NSI? AO3

Answer 20

P: NSI does not predict conformity in every case
E: for example some people are more concerned about being accepted by others, called nAffiliators. These people were found to be more likely to conform by Mcghee and Teevan

Question 21

Define social roles

Answer 21

Social roles are socially defined patterns of behaviour that is expected of a person who occupies a certain social position or belong to a particular social category

Question 22

What was the aim of zimbardos prison experiment? AO1

Answer 22

To investigate the extent to which people would conform to the roles of guard and prisoner when playing a simulation of prison life

Question 23

Where was zimbardos prison experiment taken place? AO1

Answer 23

Stanford university

Question 24

What was the method of zimbardos SPE? AO1

Answer 24

• zimbardo set up a mock prison experiment in the basement of the psychology department in Stanford university
• used an observational study (participant, overt, controlled)
• male students were psychologically and physically screened and the 21 most stable were randomly assigned their role
• prisoners and guards were encouraged to conform to social roles through the uniforms they wore and also instructions about their behaviour
• prisoners were arrested in their homes and then taken to the prison
• zimbardo took on the role of superintendent

Question 25

What uniforms were used in zimbardos SPE? AO1

Answer 25

Prisoners were given a loose smock and wore a cap to cover their hair. Prisoners were identified by a number
Guards wore uniform reflecting the status of their role with a wooden club handcuffs and mirror sun glasses

Question 26

Why was the use of uniforms important in zimbardos SPE? AO1

Answer 26

Uniforms created a loss of personal identity called de individualisation and meant they were more likely to conform to their perceived role

Question 27

What instructions were given to prisoners in zimbardos SPE? AO1

Answer 27

Prisoners were encouraged to identify with their role by several procedures, for example instead of leaving the study early they could apply for parole

Question 28

What instructions were given to the guards in zimbardos SPE? AO1

Answer 28

Guards were encouraged to play their role by being reminded of their complete power over the prisoners

Question 29

What were the results of zimbardos SPE? AO1

Answer 29

• guards grew increasingly abusive and harassed prisoners
• guards created opportunities to enforce rules and administer punishments
• prisoners become depressed and anxious
• one prisoner went on hunger strike and was force fed by being put in the hole
  Participants seemed to forget it was a study and some guards seemed to enjoy the power over the prisoners they had
• zimbardo ended the study after 6 days instead of the intended 14

Question 30

What was concluded from zimbardos SPE? AO1

Answer 30

Social roles appear to have a strong influence on individuals behaviour demonstrates through guards becoming brutal and prisoners becoming submissive, these roles were very easily taken on

Question 31

What are the evaluation points of zimbardos SPE? AO3

Answer 31

+ lab setting / high control
- low ecological validity
+ counterpoint, participants behaved as if prison was real
- population validity

Question 32

How is high control a strength of zimbardos SPE? AO3

Answer 32

P: a strength of zimbardos study was that it had high control over key variables such as selection of participants
E: for example, only emotionally stable participants were selected and assigned to the roles of prisoner and guard, this is one way zimbardo controlled the individual differences
E: this is a strength because we can be confident that findings are not being effected by confounding variables and are caused by the roles allocated to the participant. This increases internal validity and increases confidence about conclusions drawn from the study

Question 33

How has zimbardos SPE been criticised for having low ecological validity? AO3

Answer 33

P: a limitation of zimbardos study is that it has been criticised for having low ecological validity
E: many of zimbardos simulated prison do not reflect real life e.g. maximum sentence being 14 days and participants being able to leave the study freely
Banuazizi argues participants were merely playing acting rather than conforming to social roles since their performances heavily reflected stereotypes in movies
E: this is a limitation because it may be difficult to generalise the findings about social roles to real life
Further E: however there is considerable evidence in favour of zimbardo. For example McDermott argued participants did behave as if the prison was real as 90% of private conversations were about life in prison and only 10% were about outside lives. Furthermore when introduced to a priest they regarded to themselves as their number with few prisoners asking the priest for a lawyer to get out of prison. Therefore it can be argued that zimbardos experiment does offer insight into real instances

Question 34

PEE for counter point - participants did behave as the prison was real in zimbardos SPE AO3

Answer 34

P: McDermott argues that participants did behave as if the prison was real
E: for example 90% of private conversations were about prison life and amongst themselves prisoners talked about how it was impossible to leave prison before their sentences were over
Prisoner 416 explained how he thought the prison was real but run by psychologists rather than the government
E: this is a strength of the SPE as it suggests the study did replicate the social roles of prisoners and guards giving the study a high degree of internal validity

Question 35

How is population validity a limitation of zimbardos SPE? AO3

Answer 35

P: a limitation of zimbardos SPE is that it has low population validity
E: since the sample was 21 male American students it could not be representative of all people such as females and non students who may behave differently
E: this is a limitation as results are difficult to generalise to other people meaning the study might not explain the extent to which all people conform to social roles

Question 36

Define obedience

Answer 36

Carrying out the instructions of an authority figure

Question 37

What was the aim of milgrams obedience study? AO1

Answer 37

To investigate whether ordinary Americans would obey an unjust order from a person in authority to inflict pain on another person

Question 38

What sample was used in milgrams obedience study? AO1

Answer 38

40 volunteer American men

Question 39

How was the sample decieved in milgrams obedience study? AO1

Answer 39

Participants were told they were taking part in a study on the role of punishment on learning

Question 40

Where did milgrams obedience experiment take place? AO1

Answer 40

In a lab at Yale university

Question 41

What was the method of milgrams obedience experiment? AO1

Answer 41

Participants were allocated the role of teacher and learner and had to memorise word pairs (the learner was always a confederate)
The teacher then tested the learner on their ability to remember word pairs
Participants were told to administer electric shocks when the learner gave a wrong answer starting from a low voltage and going to 450 volts, enough to kill, the shocks were not real but the participants were decieved to believe they were.
An experimenter oversaw the participants wearing a while lab coat and when the participant began to worry or hesitate about giving the shocks the experimenter would encourage them to continue

Question 42

How many participants administered shocks of 300 volts in milgrams obedience study? AO1

Answer 42

All participants

Question 43

How many participants administered shocks of 450 volts in milgrams obedience study? AO1

Answer 43

65%

Question 44

What qualitative data was collected from milgrams obedience study? AO1

Answer 44

Collected via observations, participants showed signs of extreme tension e.g. sweating / trembling

Question 45

What was concluded from milgrams obedience experiment? AO1

Answer 45

Under certain circumstances participants will obey an authority figure even when they feel uncomfortable doing so

Question 46

What were the evaluation points of milgrams obedience experiment? AO3

Answer 46

+ high control
- low ecological validity
- low population validity
- ethical issues

Question 47

How is high control a strength of milgrams obedience experiment? AO3

Answer 47

P: a strength of milgrams study is that it uses the experimental method so has high control over extraneous variables so can establish cause and effect
E: when using the experimental method the researcher can be more confident that it is the IV ( presence of researcher) that is causing the DV ( number of participants who administered shock of 450 volts)

Question 48

How is having low ecological validity a limitation of milgrams obedience experiment? AO3

Answer 48

P: a limitation of milgrams research is that it has been criticised for having low ecological validity
E: the experiment was conducted in an unfamiliar controlled environment and the task was artificial because it involved giving strangers and electric shock which is not a normal everyday task
E: this is a limitation because the results may be difficult to generalise to real life situations of obedience such as following instructions of ur boss at work
Further E: however there if considerable evidence to suggest that milgrams participants did react to the situation as if it was real, for example many showed signs of stress such as nervous laughter and sweating so it can be argued that the study does have ecological validity to an extent

Question 49

How is the sample used in milgrams obedience experiment a limitation? AO3

Answer 49

P: a limitation of milgrams research is that is has low population validity
E: the sample used in milgrams study were all American males which may not be representative of non Americans / females who could be more or less obedient
E: this is a limitation because the results about obedience may not be able to be generalised to the behaviour of others such as females and citizens of other countries

Question 50

How are there ethical issues in milgrams obedience experiment? AO3

Answer 50

P: a limitation of milgrams research is that there are ethical issues with his procedure
E: for example, milgram decieved his participants in many ways such as them not knowing they weren’t administering real electric shocks or that the learner was fixed to be a confederate, furthermore not knowing the real aim of the study which also means informed consent could not be given
Milgram did not protect his participants from psychological harm as they were distressed about the idea of administering electric shocks to strangers seen through sweating and trembling
E: this is a limitation because it would go against the current BPS ethical guidelines for conducting psychological research
Further E: milgram followed up his participants with interviews where they admitted they were pleased to be part of the experiment. Milgram also argues that it was necessary to decieve his participants because if they knew the real aim of the study they would change their behaviour and show demand characteristics like not obeying. This would make findings invalid

Question 51

Define situational variables

Answer 51

Features of immediate physical and social environment which may influence a persons behaviour

Question 52

Define dispositional variables

Answer 52

Behaviour is explained in terms of personality

Question 53

What are the 3 situational variables used in milgrams follow up study? AO1

Answer 53

1. Proximity
2. Location
3. Uniform

Question 54

When authority figure didn’t wear uniform what did obedience rates drop to in milgrams experiment? AO1

Answer 54

20%

Question 55

When the location of milgrams experiment was changed from Yale to a run down office block what did obedience rates drop to? AO1

Answer 55

47.5%

Question 56

What did obedience rates drop to when the teacher and learner were in the same room? AO1

Answer 56

40%

Question 57

What did obedience rates drop to when the teacher had to force the learners hand down into the shock pad in milgrams experiment? AO1

Answer 57

30%

Question 58

What did obedience rates drop to when teacher and authority figure were in different rooms in milgrams experiment? AO1

Answer 58

21%

Question 59

What are the evaluation points of situational variables affecting obedience? AO3

Answer 59

+ research support (Bickman)
+ high control
- low population validity
- low internal validity

Question 60

What research support was there for situational variables affecting obedience? AO3

Answer 60

P: a strength of milgrams study into situational variables affecting obedience is that other studies have demonstrated the importance of situational variables on obedience
E: for example, bickman conducted a field experiment in New York City where 3 confederates dressed in a shirt and tie, milkman outfit and security guards uniform asked the public to perform tasks such as picking up litter. Members of the public were twice as likely to obey the security guard than the guy in a shirt and tie
E: this is a strength of milgrams experiment as it supports the claim that uniform does have a powerful effect on obedience

Question 61

How is milgrams sample a limitation of situational variables affecting obedience? AO3

Answer 61

P: a limitation of milgrams research into situational variables is that it has low population validity
E: the participants in milgrams experiment were American males which may be unrepresentative as males or Americans could be more or less obedient than other people
E: this is a limitation as results of situational variables affecting obedience may not be able to be generalised to behaviour of others e.g. females or people from other countries

Question 62

How is it a strength of situational variables that milgrams study has high control? AO3

Answer 62

P: a strength of milgrams research into situational variables affecting obedience is that he uses the experimental method so has high control over extraneous variables and can establish cause and effect
E: when using the experimental method milgram can be more confident that the Iv (whether researcher is in uniform or not) is causing the DV (number of participants who went to 450v)
E: this is a strength because we can be confident that results about uniform affecting obedience are not being affected by confounding variables and therefore are internally valid

Question 63

How does milgrams study into situational variables have low internal validity? AO3

Answer 63

P: a limitation of milgrams research is that the participants may of been aware that the procedure was fake
E: orne and holland made this criticism of milgrams baseline study and argue that it is even more likely in his variation due to the extra manipulation of variables for example, when the experimenter is replaced by a member of the public. Even milgram recognised that this situation was so contrived that some participants would have figured out the truth
E: this is a limitation because In all of milgrams studies it is unclear whether findings are genuinely due to the operation of obedience or because the participants saw through the deception and responded to demand characteristics by playing along

Question 64

Define agentic state

Answer 64

Agentic state is a mental state where the person does not feel responsible for their own actions. Instead they believe they are acting for an authority figure

Question 65

Define autonomous state?

Answer 65

Opposite of agentic state. So a person in autonomous state believes they are free to behave according to their own principles and feels a sense of responsibility for their actions

Question 66

Define binding factors?

Answer 66

Aspects of situation that allow the person to ignore or minimise the damaging effect of their behaviour and thus reduce moral strains on their feelings

Question 67

What are the evaluation points of the agentic state? AO3

Answer 67

+ research support - milgram
+ research support - hofling/ nurses
- contradictory evidence - rank et al nurses
- fails to explain gradual transition - nazi doctors

Question 68

How does milgrams study support the agentic state? AO3

Answer 68

P: a strength of the agentic state explanation of obedience is that it is supported by milgrams own studies
E: most participants resisted giving shocks and often asked the experimenter “who is responsible if the learner is hurt” and the experimenter replied “I’m responsible” most participants then continued with no further objections
E: this is a strength as it shows that once participants perceived that they were no longer responsible for their actions they acted more easily on the experimenters agent therefore strengthening the validity of milgrams agentic state theory

Question 69

How does holdings nurse experiment support the agentic state? AO3

Answer 69

P: a strength of the agentic state explanation of obedience is that it is supported by Hoflings research
E: 22 nurses were asked to administer a double dosage of a drug they had never heard of before by a doctor they had never met over the phone. 21 out of 22 nurses went to fetch the medication to administer the drug despite rules saying they needed a doctors signature. This suggests that they were in the agentic state and did not believe themselves to be responsible but that the doctor was responsible.
E: this is a strength as it provides evidence to suggest that the agentic state is a valid explanation for obedience and that milgrams conclusion was also valid

Question 70

What contradictory evidence was found against the agentic state? AO3

Answer 70

P: a limitation of the agentic state explanation of obedience is that there is contradictory evidence
E: rank et al found that 16 out of 18 nurses disobeyed orders from a doctor to administer excessive drug dose to a patient. The doctor was obviously authority figure but almost all nurses remained autonomous likewise in milgrams experiment
E: this is a limitation of the agentic state as it suggests that it can only account for some situations of obedience and so limits validity of the theory as explanation of obedience in all situations

Question 71

How does the agentic state fail to explain gradual transition? AO3

Answer 71

P: a limitation of the agentic state explanation of obedience is that people shift back and forth but it fails to explain the very gradual and irreversible transition of German doctors working in auschwitz
E: lifton found that these doctors had changed gradually and irreversibly from ordinary medical professionals, concerned with only the welfare of their patients, into men and women but capable of carrying out vile and potentially lethal experiments on the helpless prisoners
Staub found that rather than an agentic shift being responsible for transition it is the experience of evil over a long time which changed the way the doctors thought and behaved
E: this is a limitation of the agentic state explanation because the transition may be more gradual than milgram suggests therefore suggesting the explanation may not be valid

Question 72

Define legitimacy of authority?

Answer 72

An explanation for obedience which suggests people are more likely to obey people who they perceive to have authority over them. We feel obligated to those in power because we respect their credentials

Question 73

How is authority justified?

Answer 73

Authority is justified by the individuals position of power in a social hierarchy

Question 74

What are the evaluation points of legitimacy of authority? AO3

Answer 74

+ supported by milgram
+supported by research on aviation accidents
+ explains cultural differences
- can’t explain all disobedience

Question 75

How is milgrams study a strength of legitimacy of authority? AO3

Answer 75

P: a strength of the legitimacy of authority explanation of obedience is that it is demonstrated in milgrams research
E: in milgrams original study the authority figure wore a lab coat and obedience rates were 65% however in the variation the experimenter wore ordinary clothing and saw obedience rates drop to 20%. This suggests that when a person does not have legitimacy of authority obedience decreases because individuals believe the figure does not have credentials to tell them what to do
E: this is a strength because it provides evidence that legitimate authority is a valid explanation for obedience

Question 76

How does research on aviation accidents support legitimacy of authority? AO3

Answer 76

P: a strength of legitimacy of authority as an explanation of obedience is that it is supported by research on aviation accidents
E: tarnrow studied data of all serious aircraft incidents in the US and found a recording of a flight where crew actions were essential in the crash. Similar to milgrams study where participants accept the experimenters definition of the situation, tarnrow found excessive dependence on the captains authority, expertise with sometimes tragic consequences
E: this is a strength of legitimacy of authority explanation of obedience as it demonstrates how people do obey authority figures in real life situations therefore the explanation has validity

Question 77

How does legitimacy of authority explain cultural differences? AO3

Answer 77

P: a strength of legitimacy of authority explanation of obedience is that it is a useful account of cultural differences in obedience
E: many studies show that countries differ in degree to which people are obedient to authority. For example Mann found that 16% of female Australian participants went to 450v in milgram study but German participants went to 450v 85% of the time
E: this is a strength because it shows that in some cultures authority is more likely to be accepted as legitimate and entitled to demand obedience from individuals. This reflects the way society is constructed and how children in different cultures are raised to perceive authority figures

Question 78

What evidence is there that legitimacy of authority can’t explain all disobedience? AO3

Answer 78

P: a limitation of legitimacy of authority is that it cannot explain all instances of disobedience in a heirachy where legitimacy of authority is clear and accepted
E: for example rank found that 16 out of 18 nurses did disobey orders from a doctor to administer an excessive drug dosage to a patient. The doctor was clearly an authority figure in a clear Hierachal structure but almost all nurses disobeyed. Furthermore many of milgrams participants disobeyed despite recognising the experimenters scientific authority
E: this is a limitation because it suggests some people are more or less obedient so it is possible that these tendencies has a greater influence on behaviour than legitimacy of authority, therefore limiting the validity of legitimacy of authority as an explanation of obedience

Question 79

Define authoritarian personality?

Answer 79

A distinct personality pattern characterised by strict adherence to conventional values and a belief in absolute obedience or submission to authority

Question 80

Define dispositional

Answer 80

Explaination of behaviour such as obedience emphasise that they are caused by an individuals own personality characteristics rather than situational influences within the environment

Question 81

How does the authoritarian personality develop?

Answer 81

Develops from harsh parenting who’s punishments are physical and often have high standards for levels of obedience

Question 82

How is authoritarian personality measured?

Answer 82

Using the F scale

Question 83

What are the evaluation points of the authoritarian personality? AO3

Answer 83

+ supported by research - elms and milgram
- counterpoint - participants did not have some characteristics associated with AP
- education may determine authoritarianism and obedience
- measured using the F scale

Question 84

How is the AP supported by research? AO3

Answer 84

P: a strength of the AP is that it is supported by research
E: for example, elms and milgram interviewed a small sample who had participated in the original study. They all completed the F scale as part of the interview and these 20 obedient participants scored significantly higher on the F scale than a group of 20 non obedient participants ( the groups were distinct in terms of AP)
E: this is a strength because the findings support Adorno et als view that obedient people may well show similar characteristics to people with AP, therefore strengthen validity of the dispositional theory of obedience

Question 85

Counterpoint to Elms and milgram - how did some participants show traits not typical for AP? AO3

Answer 85

P: however, a limitation of the AP is that when researchers analysed the individual subscales of the F scale they found that the obedient participants had a number of characteristics not typical of AP
E: for example, unlike AP, milgrams obedient participants generally did not glorify their fathers and did not experience unusual levels of punishment in childhood and Also didn’t have hostile attitudes towards their mothers
E: this is a limitation because it suggests the link between AP and obedience is complex. The obedient participants were unlike AP in many ways so it is unlikely to be a good predictor of obedience so brings validity of the AP into question

Question 86

How might education affect AP and obedience? AO3

Answer 86

P: a limitation of the AP is that it may be level of education stead which determines obedience
E: middendorp et al found that less educated people are consistently more AP than well educated. Milgram also found that participants with lower levels of education tended to be more obedient than those with higher levels of education
E: this is a limitation of AP as it may be education which affects obedience instead, therefore AP as an explaination of obedience may not be valid

Question 87

How is the F scale a limitation of the AP as an explanation of obedience? AO3

Answer 87

P: a limitation of the AP is that it is measured using the F scale
E: greenstein calls the F scale ‘ a comedy of methodological errors’ since it’s a seriously flawed scale, for example it is possible to get a high score by selecting I agree answers so anyone with this self report bias would be assessed as having AP
E: this is a limitation of AP because the way in which it is measured may not generate valid results from participants and so research supporting AP may be based upon flawed methodology therefore limiting the validity and usefulness of the AP as an explanation of obedience

Question 88

What are the 2 explanations of resistance to social influence?

Answer 88

1. Social support
2. Locus of control

Question 89

Define resistence to social influence

Answer 89

The ability of people to withstand social pressure to conform to the majority of obey authority caused by both situational and dispositional factors

Question 90

What is an independent role model? (Social support)

Answer 90

Someone who does not conform to the group / disobeys authority figure

Question 91

Define social support

Answer 91

The perception that an individual has assistance available from other people in a supportive network. This can cause resistance to social influence because the independent role models demonstrate that not conforming / obeying is an available option

Question 92

What are the 2 forms of social support?

Answer 92

When someone else does not conform and breaks unanimity of the majority
Supporters and dissenters show there are other equally legitimate ways of thinking which gives the individual an independent assessment of reality which makes them feel more confident in their decision and better able to stand up to the majority

Question 93

What are the evaluation points of social support as an explaination of resistence to social influence (AO3)

Answer 93

+ supported by Susan Albrecht- smoking
+ supported by Asch
+ supported by milgram
+ Rees (alchohol)

Question 94

how does Susan Albrecht support social support? AO3

Answer 94

P: a strength of social support is that it is supported by research evidence
E: for example, Susan Albrecht evaluated teen fresh start in the USA, an 8 week programme to help pregnant adolescents ages 14-19 resist peer pressure to smoke. Social support was provided through a slightly older mentor. At the end of the programme the condition with social support showed a significant less likeliness to smoke than a control group of participants who did not have a mentor
E: this is a strength of the explaination because it shows that social support makes it easier to resist social influence in the real world. This suggests that social support is a valid explaination of resisting conformity

Question 95

How does Ash support social support? AO3

Answer 95

P: a strength of social support as an explanation of resisting conformity is that it is supported by Asch’s research
E: for example, in one of Asch variations he found that when he introduced the presence of an ally who gave the correct answer it caused conformity levels to drop from 36.8% to 5.5%
E: this is a strength of the explanation because it shows that the presence of an ally breaks the unanimity of the group which makes it easier to not conform. This suggests that social support is a valid explanation of resisting conformity

Question 96

How does milgram support social support as an explanation of resisting? AO3

Answer 96

P: a strength of social support as an explanation of resting obedience is that it is supported by Milgram
E: for example, in milgrams variations he introduced another teacher who refused to shock the learner which led to a decrease in obedience to 10% from 65% in the original study where the teacher had no social support
E: this is a strength of the explanation because Milgrams study shows that a disobedient role model challenges the legitimacy of authority figure and makes it easier for others to disobey. This suggests that social support is a valid explanation of resisting obedience

Question 97

How do Rees and Wallace support social support as an explanation of resisting conformity? AO3

Answer 97

P: a strength of the social support explanation of resisting obedience is that it is supported by research
E: for example, rees and Wallace showed that social support provided by friends helped adolescents resist conformity pressures from the majority. Individuals with a majority of friends who drank alchohol were significantly more likely to engage in drunkenness and ginger drinking over the 12 month study. However, they also found that individuals who were able to resist pressures to drink alchohol had a friend or two who also resisted
E: this is a strength because it supports the findings from lab based experiments on socials influence and shows that social support offered by non drinking friends helped decrease the odds of a non drinker consuming alchohol due to pressure the the drinking majority. Therefore suggesting that the theory of social support increasing the likelihood of resistence has some validity

Question 98

Define Locus of Control

Answer 98

Locus of control refers to a persons perception of personal control over their own behaviour. This is usually measured along a scale with high internal locus of control at one end and high external locus of control at the other end

Question 99

Define high internal locus of control

Answer 99

High internals perceive themselves as having a great deal of personal control over their behaviour and will take responsibility for their own actions

Question 100

Define high external locus of control

Answer 100

Perceive their own behaviour as being caused by external influences or luck

Question 101

What are the evaluation points of LOC as an explanation of resistance to social influence? AO3

Answer 101

+ supported by Shute
+ supported by Holland
- contradicted by Twenge et al
- over simplistic

Question 102

How is Shute supporting evidence of LOC? AO3

Answer 102

P: there is research supporting the theory that individuals with high LOC are more likely to demonstrate individual behaviour
E: Shute found that people with high LOC were less likely to conform to peer pressure on attitudes to drugs than people with high external LOC
E: this is a strength as the research demonstrates that people with high internal LOC are more likely to resist conformity than people with high external LOC as the theory suggests

Question 103

How does Holland support the LOC theory? AO3

Answer 103

P: a strength of LOC is that it is supported by research
E: Holland repeated milgrams baseline procedure and measured whether participants were internals or externals. He found that 37% of internals did not continue to 450v whereas 23% of externals did not continue
E: this demonstrates that people with high internal LOC showed greater resistance to authority which increases the validity of the LOC explanation

Question 104

How is Twenge study contradictory research of LOC? AO3

Answer 104

P: a limitation of LOC is that there is evidence challenging the link between LOC and resistance
E: for example, Twenge analysed data from American LOC studies conducted over a 40 year span and found that people became more resistant to obedience but also more external. Which is contradictory to LOC because it would be expected that if people become more resistant they also become more internal not external
E: this is a limitation because it suggests that LOC is not a valid explanation of how people resist social influence

Question 105

How is the LOC explanation oversimplistic? AO3

Answer 105

P: a limitation of the theory that individuals with internal LOC are more likely to portray independent behaviour is that it is over simplistic
E: many psychologists believe the theory of too general and inflexible as the 2 attribution styles can be interchangeable As people may have internal LOC when in college since they study hard believing they are in control of their grades but the same people have external LOC when it comes to romance since they may believe success is due to external forces / fate
E: this is a limitation of the theory because it ignores the complexity of human behaviour and does not take into consideration the influence of situational factors on independent behaviour

Question 106

Define minority influence

Answer 106

A form of social influence in which a minority of people persuade others to adopt their beliefs, attitudes or behaviours resulting in internalisation

Question 107

What are the 3 qualities needed by the minority to be influential?

Answer 107

1. Consistency
2. Commitment
3. Flexibility

Question 108

Define consistency (minority influence)

Answer 108

The minority group will be more successful if all of them have the same message over time, this makes it harder for the majority to ignore, and sends a message that an alternative view to the majority is available

Question 109

Define commitment (minority influence)

Answer 109

Some minorities engage in extreme activities in order to draw attention to themselves. It is important that these activities are at some risk / self sacrifice to the minority because it demonstrates commitment to the cause. The minority can also show commitment by sacrificing their own time e.g. researching about their own cause

Question 110

Define flexibility (minority influence)

Answer 110

The minority must not be too rigid in their arguments because this can be seen as a negative. Instead the minority should adapt their point of view and accept reasonable and valid counter arguments

Question 111

What happens in the minority is successful?

Answer 111

Overtime increasing numbers of people switch from the majority to the minority as they have become converted. Gradually the minority view becomes the new majority. This is called the snowball effect

Question 112

What are the evaluation points of minority influence? AO3

Answer 112

+ supported by moscovici
+ flexibility supported by nemeth et al
- moscovici study is low in ecological validity
- minority influence may not be powerful

Question 113

How is minority influence supported by moscovici? AO3

Answer 113

P: a strength of the theory that consistently increases minority influence is supported by moscovici
E: for example moscovici demonstrates minority influence in a study where 6 people were asked to view a set of 36 blue coloured slides that varied in intensity and state whether the slides were blue or green. In each group there were 2 confederates who consistently said the slides were green. This showed that a consistent minority influence opinion (8%) had a greater effect on changing the views of the participants than inconsistent condition (1%)
E: this demonstrates that consistency is a factor which is important for when a minority is trying to influence a majority

Question 114

How is moscovicis study low in ecological validity? AO3

Answer 114

P: one limitation of minority influence is that the tasks involved are often low in ecological validity
E: for example, in moscovicis study the task was identifying the colour of a slide remover from how minorities attempt to change the behaviours of majorities in real life. In cases such as jury decision making and political campaigning the outcomes are vastly more important.
E: this is a limitation because it means that the findings of minority influence studies are lacking in external validity and are limited in what they can inform us about how minority influence works in real life situations

Question 115

What research support is there no flexibility? Minority influence AO3

Answer 115

P: a strength of the theory that flexibility increases minority influence is that it is supported by evidence
E: for example, nemeth simulated a jury situation whereby group members discussed the ammount of compensation to be paid to someone in a ski lift accident. When a confederate put forward an alternative view and refused to change it this had no effect on the other group members but when the confederate compromised and showed some degree of shift to the majority this did exert influence on the rest of the group
E: this suggests that flexibility does play a role in minority influence but that it is only effective at changing the majority opinion in certain circumstances

Question 116

How is the power of the minority influence a limitation? AO3

Answer 116

P: one limitation of the minority influence is that the effect is not very powerful
E: for example, in moscovicis research the figure for agreement with a consistent minor was very low, on average 8%
E: this is a limitation of minority influence because it suggests that it is a quite small rate and not a useful concept

Question 117

Define social change

Answer 117

Society changes as a whole and adopts new beliefs or ways of behaving which often starts with a small group of people called minority influence

Question 118

What are the 6 changes of social change?

Answer 118

1. Drawing attention to the issue
2. Cognitive conflict
3. Consistency of position
4. Argumentation principle / commitment
5. Snowball effect
6. Social cryptomnesia

Question 119

What are the evaluation points of social change? AO3

Answer 119

• social change is very gradual
  + minority influence is supported by moscovicis study
• social norms approach doesn’t always work
  + supported by Asch

Question 120

How is it a limitation that social change is very gradual? AO3

Answer 120

P: a limitation of social change through minority influence is that it is very gradual
E: the role played by the minority influence may be limited since minorities such as suffragettes rarely bring about social change quickly. This is because there is a strong tendency for human beings to conform to the majority decision, people are more likely to maintain the status quo then engage in social change
E: this is a limitation because it suggests that the influence of a minority is frequently more latent than direct

Question 121

How is moscovicis study a strength of social change? AO3

Answer 121

P: minority influence and in particular the role of consistency is supported by research
E: for example, moscovici found that confederates who consistently gave the wrong answer had participants conform 8% of the time however when the confederate was inconsistent the participants only conformed 1% of the time
E: this is a strength of consistency since research demonstrates that if a minority is consistent the majority are more likely to conform compared to when a minority is inconsistent

Question 122

How is it a limitation that the social norms approach does not always work? AO3

Answer 122

P: a limitation of social norms approach is that it is not always effective
E: dejong et al tested the effectiveness of social norms campaigns to drive down alchohol use among students across 14 different college sites. Despite receiving Normative information that corrected their misconceptions of subjective drinking norms, students in the condition did not report lower self reported alchohol consumption as a result of the campaign
E: this is a limitation as it suggests not all social norm interventions are able to produce social change

Question 123

How is social change supported by Asch? AO3

Answer 123

P: the theory that breaking the unanimity of a majority can influence social change can be supported by Asch’s research
E: for example, in one of Asch’s variations he found that when he introduced an ally who gave the correct answer (resisting the majority) it caused conformity levels to drop from 36.8% to 5.5%
E: this is a strength of the explanation because Asch’s study demonstrates that when an alternative view is presented conformity to the majority viewpoint decreases and social change is therefore more likely to happen

Question 124

Define augmentation principle

Answer 124

Some minority enagage in extreme activities to draw attention to themselves meaning The majority group members pay more attention to the minority opinion