Brainscape's Knowledge GenomeTM

Browse over 1 million classes created by top students, professors, publishers, and experts.


See full index

Psychology > Social Influence > Flashcards

Social Influence Flashcards

1
Q

What are the 3 assumptions that social psychology is based on??

A
  • Other people & the environment influence our behaviour and thought process
  • All human behaviour occurs in a social context
  • Our relationship with others influences our behaviour & thought process
How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
2
Q

What is social influence??👯

A

When one person causes a change in the behaviour of another person!

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
3
Q

What’s conformity?? 👯👯👯

A

A change in a person’s behaviour or opinions as a result of real or imagined pressure from a person or group

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
4
Q

Summarise the Jenness (1932) study!🫘

A

Jar of beans study:
- Glass jar filled with 811 beans, ppts told to guess how many there are.
- First they gave individual answers
- then they came together as a group to get a group answer
- Average: Male ppts changed their answer by 256 beans & female by 382

Nearly all ppts changed their answer in belief that the group answer was more likely to be right.

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
5
Q

What are the 3 types of conformity??🤔

A
  • Internalisation
  • identification
  • Compliance
How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
6
Q

Define identification!

A

Publicly changing our opinion/behaviour even if we don’t fully agree because there’s something about that group that we value.

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
7
Q

Define compliance!

A

Most minor form of compliance. Going along in public but not private. Conformity disappears when group pressure disappears.

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
8
Q

Who came up with the Two-process Theory and in what year??📅

A

Deutsch & Gerard in 1955!

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
9
Q

What does the Two-process Theory state are the 2 reasons that people conform??

A
  • To be liked
  • To be right
How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
10
Q

What is the conformity called when someone wants to be right??😇

A

informative Social Influence (ISI)
A COGNITIVE process where we follow behaviour of a group because we want to be right

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
11
Q

What are the 4 situations where ISI is most likely to happen??

A
  • Situation is new to you
  • There are people who are more expert than you
  • Element of ambiguity
  • Decisions need to be made quickly
How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
12
Q

What is the conformity called when someone wants to be liked??👍

A

Normative Social Influence (NSI)
An EMOTIONAL process where we want to do what is ‘normal’ for a group. people want to fit in rather than be rejected.

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
13
Q

What are the 4 situations where NSI is most likely to happen??

A

-You’re with strangers
- You fear rejection
- You seek the social approval of people you know
- You’re in a stressful situation and need group support

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
14
Q

What are the 3 evaluation points of the Two-Process Theory??

A
  • NSI & ISI work together
  • Supported by research
  • Individual Differences
How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
15
Q

Discuss the AO3 points of the Two-Process Theory: NSI & ISI work together👯

A
  • Theory suggests situations are only NSI or ISI but in most cases they work together
  • Asch’s experiment found that there’s less conformity when there’s another dissenting ppt
  • Reduces NSI: Dissenter provides social support
  • Reduces ISI: Alternative source of information
How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
16
Q

Discuss the AO3 points of the Two-Process Theory: Supported by research📋

A
  • ISI is supported with evidence collected in other studies
  • People will conform in situation where they feel they don’t know the answer

Lucas et al (2006): asked students to give answers to math problems varying in difficulty.
More conformity of wrong answers for tougher question

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
17
Q

Discuss the AO3 points of the Two-Process Theory: Individual Differences🧑‍🦳🧑‍🦱

A
  • NSI doesn’t affect everyone in the same way.
  • Care less about being liked = less affected by NSI
  • Care about being liked = greater need for affiliation

McGhee & Teevan (1967) found that students with a higher need for affiliation are more likely to conform.

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
18
Q

Who did Asch’s Line Experiment and in what year??🖇️

A

Solomon Asch in 1951

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
19
Q

Summarise Asch’s Line Experiment!

A
  • One naive ppt in a group of confederates
  • Ppts given 4 lines. 3 of which were on the right and 1 on the left.
  • Ppts told to guess which of the 3 was the same length as the one of the left.
  • Line lengths were very clearly different
  • Confederates told to deliberately answer wrong
  • Due to group pressure, naïve ppt would occasionally answer wrong due to conformity
How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
20
Q

What’s the main statistic that came from Asch’s Line Experiment??🔢

A

75% of ppts answered wrong atleast once

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
21
Q

Discuss the generalisability and reliability of Asch’s Line Experiment!

A

Not generalisable (all ppts white American males in high school)
Nelo (1995) -> Women are more conformist as they’re more concerned about social relationships & perceptions than men

High reliability (Controlled environment so can be replicated)

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
22
Q

Describe the Application and Validity of Asch’s Line Experiment!

A

Low application (task wasn’t representative of real-life situations & group wasn’t representative of who we’d be around irl)

Internal validity (Controlled conditions)

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
23
Q

Discuss the Ethics of Asch’s Line Experiment!

A

Deception (given wrong aim that it was a vision test)
Privacy & Confidentiality
Protection & Harm (subject to embarrassment)

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
24
Q

What type of bias is Asch’s Line Experiment subject to??📄

A

Culture bias -> done with a collectivist culture (they do everything together so are more likely to conform)

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
25
Q

Who and what year was the Stanford Prison Experiment??

A

Zimbardo in 1971!

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
26
Q

What did Zimbardo want to investigate with the Stanford Prison Experiment??

A

If prison guards behave brutally because they have sadist personalities or is it the situation that creates this behaviour??

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
27
Q

What are social roles??

A

The parts that people play as members of a social group & the expectations that come with it

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
28
Q

Summarise 3 key ideas of the Stanford Prison Experiment

A
  • Volunteer sampling
  • Random allocation
  • Lasted 6 days (but was meant to be 2 weeks)
  • Both guards and prisoners settled into their roles very quickly
How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
29
Q

What happened to Prisoner #819 in the Stanford Prison Experiment??

A

Began showing signs of distress. Zimbardo took him to another room where he could hear the other prisoners chanting about how bad he was as a prisoner. He wanted to go back to prove them wrong but Zimbardo had to tell him that he was not prisoner #819, he was [real name] and he snapped out of his trance and agreed to leave.

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
30
Q

What happened on day 5 of the Stanford Prison Experiment??

A

Visitations from family. Many family members asked Zimbardo about the safety of the prisoner but he just responded by questioning the prisoner’s toughness.
Most families left with the aim of getting a lawyer.

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
31
Q

What were the 2 reasons that the Stanford Prison Experiment was ended prematurely??

A
  1. Guards escalated the abuse at night when they thought researchers weren’t watching
  2. Christina Maslach severely questioned the morality after visiting
How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
32
Q

Is the Stanford prison experiment generalisable and reliable??

A

Not generalisable -> Not similar to normal prison environment, only done by white, young men

High reliability -> Controlled environment so can be easily replicated

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
33
Q

Discuss the applicability and ethics of the Stanford Prison Experiment

A

High application -> Can be used to explain the behaviours at Abu Ghraib

Unethical -> Psychological harm (against protection & harm), prisoners not told they would be ‘arrested’ (deception & informed consent)

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
34
Q

What was the validity of the Stanford Prison experiment??

A

Low external validity -> not similar to the regular prison environment

high internal validity -> Controlled environment, each volunteer given personality test to ensure they were emotionally stable enough to take part, random assignment

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
35
Q

Who argued that there was a lack of realism in the Stanford Prison Experiment and when??

A

Banuazizi & Mohavedi in 1975

36
Q

What did Banuazizi & Mohavedi argue for the Stanford prison Experiment and how could this possible be disproved??

A

Argued that prisoners & guards acted on stereotypes they had seen in the media.

However, quantitative data collected by Zimbardo showed that 90% of conversations were about prison life.

37
Q

Who argued that there were dispositional influences in the Stanford Prison Experiment and when??

A

Fromm in 1973

38
Q

What did Fromm argue about the Stanford Prison Experiment and what evidence is there to disprove this??

A

Zimbardo minimised personality factors when drawing conclusions.

However… 1/3 behaved brutally, 1/3 applied the roles fairly and 1/3 supported the prisoners and reinstalled privileges
(shows that individual differences lead some guards to be able to differentiate between right & wrong)

39
Q

What is obedience??

A

A form of social influence in which an individual follows a direct order. The person issuing the order is usually a figure of authority with the power to punish disobedient behaviour!

40
Q

When was Milgram’s experiment and what was his aim??

A

1963
To investigate how much pain a person would inflict on another person when instructed by an authority figure!

41
Q

Who were the type of ppts in Milgram’s experiment and what type of experiment was it?

A

American males
Lab experiment

42
Q

Summarise Milgram’s experiment!

A
  • ppts were told to read out questions to a confederate who is attached to an electric shock machine
  • everytime he got it wrong (as instructed to), the ppt had to increase the voltage of the shock
  • highest shock was 450V (lethal)
43
Q

In Milgram’s experiment, how many ppts went up to 450V and how many went up to 300V?

A

450V - 65%
300V - 100%

44
Q

What were Milgram’s conclusions??

A

People will obey authority figures when told to do something, even if it’s harmful.
People obey either out of fear or out of a desire to appear cooperative

45
Q

Describe the Generalisability and the Reliability of Milgram’s experiment!

A

Not generalisable: only males participated, unrepresentative

High reliability: controlled environment so easy to replicate

46
Q

Describe the application and validity of Milgram’s experiment!

A

Low application: not everyday environment and behaviours wouldn’t be done in real life

High internal validity: controlled conditions, standardised procedure

47
Q

Discuss the ethics of Milgram’s experiment!

A

Protection from harm: ppts put under stress of hurting someone

Deception: told a different aim (that it was to help the confederate remember words)

48
Q

What did One & Holland (1968) say about Milgram’s experiment??

A

Ppts didn’t believe in the set up

49
Q

What did Gina Perry (2013) say about Milgram’s experiment??

A

Many ppts reported doubts that the shocks were real (low internal validity)

50
Q

Who provided a counter argument to Gina Perry (2013) and Ome & Holland (1968) about Milgram’s Experiment and what was it?

A

Sheridan & King (1972): conducted an experiment where ppts had to deliver real shocks to a puppy. 54% males and 100% females obeyed.
-> high external validity
Milgram’s findings and labs appear to be a true reflection of authority relationships in real life.

51
Q

What did Hoffing et al (1966) say that supported Milgram’s research??

A

21 out of 22 nurses obeyed when taking orders over the phone from an unknown doctor to give double doses of morphine to patients. Shows that obedience takes place in real life settings!

52
Q

What were Milgram’s 3 variations??

A
  • Proximity
  • Location
  • Uniform
53
Q

What were the statistics for the variations of proximity, location and uniform??

A

Researcher in different room - 40%
Rundown building - 47.5%
Everyday clothes - 20%

54
Q

What was 1 strength of Milgram’s study??

A

Milgram maintained high levels of control in each variation. He altered only one variable at a time and used 1000 ppts in total

55
Q

What were 2 weaknesses of Milgram’s study??

A
  • Cross-cultural replications - Miranda et. al (1981) found 90% of Spanish students obeyed. Therefore obedience is not limited to American males
  • Mandel (1998) states that saying the Nazis were simply obeying orders due to situational variables is offensive to survivors of the Holocaust.
56
Q

What did Milgram propose in 1974??

A

Obedience to destructive authority occurs because a person believes that they aren’t responsible

57
Q

What are the autonomous and agentic states??

A

Autonomous - Acting independently and responsible for our own actions
Agentic - Following orders given by an authority figure so you’re not responsible for your actions

58
Q

What are the 3 reasons that people remain in agentic state??

A
  • Binding factors (Aspects of the situation that allowed ppts to ignore the damaging effects of their behaviour
  • Denying damage
  • Shifting responsibility to victim
59
Q

What are the 3 main points when evaluating the agentic state??

A
  • Research support (Students shown Milgram’s original study and answered that the researcher was responsible)
  • If agentic shift centres around hierarchy, everyone would obey (doesn’t account for those that don’t obey)
  • Battalion 101
60
Q

What happened with Battalion 101??

A

They were ordered to go from A to B and whilst doing so, they passed through a village and killed all civilians without being ordered to.

61
Q

What is legitimacy of authority??

A

The perceived right that authority has to do what they want to.
People obey authority based on their position in society

62
Q

AO3: Why can legitimacy of authority be negative?

A

Possibility that it can be used for destructive purposes -> Destructive authority

63
Q

Give a PEL example of evaluating legitimacy of authority.

A

P- Perceiving authority as legitimate varies form culture to culture
E- Kilham & Mann (1976) repeated Milgram’s original studying Australia (16%). Mantell replicated in Germany 1971 (85%)
L- Shows that authority is perceived differently in different countries

64
Q

What are the 2 explanations to resisting social influence??

A
  • Social support
  • Locus of control
65
Q

Why does social support help to resist social influence??

A

The presence of people who resist pressures to conform or obey can help others to do the same!

66
Q

What is the research supporting the resistance to conformity??

A

Asch’s variables:
Conformity reduces with a dissenter who shows that the majority decision is no longer unanimous

67
Q

What is the research supporting the resistance to obedience??

A

Milgram’s variables:
Obedience decreased from 65% to 10% when ppts were joined by a disobedient confederate.

Dissenter challenges legitimacy of authority and frees ppt to act on their own conscience

68
Q

What are the 2 evaluation points for social support reducing social influence??

A
  • Allen & Levine (1971) - Replicated Asch and conformity decreased even when dissenter wore glasses. 64% resisted with dissenter whereas 3% resisted originally
  • Gamson et al (1982) - Created situation where ppts were encouraged to disobey unjust authority. 29/33 rebelled
69
Q

Who came up with the locus of control and when??

A

Rotter (1966)

70
Q

What is locus of control??

A

The sense we have about what directs events in our lives & how much control we have over our behaviour

71
Q

What are internal & external LOC??

A

Internal - Person believes their life is determined by their own decisions and behaviours

External - Person believes their life is determined by fate, luck & external factors

72
Q

What are the 3 evaluation points for Locus of Control??

A
  • Holland (1967)
  • Twenge et al (2004)
  • Rotter (1982)
73
Q

What did Holland (1967) and Rotter (1982) do to evaluate Locus of Control??

A
  • Holland (1967): Repeated Milgram’s study. 63% of internals and 77% of external went to highest shock
  • Rotter (1982): LOC has little influence in experiences situations
74
Q

What did Twenge et al (2004) do to evaluate Locus of Control??

A

Meta-Analysis of LOC studies over 40 year period (1960-2002).
Found that people have become more resistant to obedience but also become more external

75
Q

What is Social Change??

A

Occurs when whole societies adopt new attitudes, beliefs & behaviours which become ‘the norm’

76
Q

What are the 6 steps to Social Change??

A
  1. Drawing Attention
  2. Consistency
  3. Deeper Processing
  4. The Augmentation Principle
  5. The Snowball Effect
  6. Social Cryptomnesia
77
Q

What are the Augmentation Principle and the Snowball Effect??

A

Augmentation Principle - Minority must appear willing to suffer for their cause. Often risks media attention and abuse but in extreme cases they will also risk imprisonment or death

Snowball Effect - Minority’s small impact eventually spreads. More and more people consider their position until there’s wide scale change

78
Q

What’s social cryptoamnesia??

A

Minority view became ‘the norm’ and majority can’t remember how change has taken place, only that it happened.

79
Q

What are the 3 characteristics that a minority need in order to create change??

A
  • Consistency
  • Commitment
  • Flexibility
80
Q

What are the 2 types of consistency??

A
  • Synchronic (All saying/doing the same thing)
  • Diachronic (Saying/doing something over a prolonged period of time)
81
Q

What is commitment when related to minority influence??

A

Engaging in extreme activities to prove they’re committed to the cause

82
Q

Who made a statement about flexibility relating to minority influence and what was it??

A

Nemeth (1986): Minorities need to be able to demonstrate a flexible view and appear able to accept an alternative viewpoint

83
Q

What is another point made about flexibility in minority influence (other than Nemeth (1986))

A

Minorities need to not have too rigid arguments and need to be able to provide counterarguments without aggression

84
Q

What study can be used to evaluate minority influence??

A

Moscovici et al (1969):
- Group of 6 with 2 confederates
- Slides varying in hues of blue
- Confederates said all slides were green
- 8.42% of the time, ppts also gave a wrong answer
- 32% agreed with minority at least once
- With no confederates: 0.25% answered wrong

85
Q

What explanation can be used to say that minority influence has limited application?

A

Both Moscovici et al (1969) and Asch’s variations had low mundane realism.
In real life, majorities have less power so usually make less of a difference

86
Q

Explain the evaluation point of Identification (for minority influence)

A

Minority influence theory doesn’t take into account identification.
If we identify with a person or group, we’re more likely to take their views seriously
Mass et al (1982): Gay minority less likely to influence straight majority than straight allies are

Psychology (20 decks)

Brainscape helps you reach your goals faster, through stronger study habits.
© 2025 Bold Learning Solutions. Terms and Conditions