Social Influence Flashcards
what is conformity
when someone changes their behaviour due to real or imagined pressure form a group of people
what is minority Influence
When people are influenced by a small number of people in a group
What is majority influence
When people are influenced by the majority of people in the group
What are the three levels or types of conformity
compliance
identification
internalisation
what is compliance
when a person publicly agrees with the group but privately disagrees to avoid social disapproval
what is identification
when a person changes both how they act and what they believe, but only because they want to fit in with the group. however this is only tempereroly
what is internalisation
when an individual changes their behaviour to fit in with the group publicly while also agreeing with them privately. This is the strongest level of conformity and also permanent.
what are the types of social influence
informational and normative
what is informational social influence
when we change our behaviour to fit in with others as we don’t know what the correct way to act is
what is normative social influence
this is where we change our behaviour to fit in with what others are doing to make sure that we are liked, or to avoid social disapproval by others
when was Solomon Asch experiment conducted
1950
what was Solomon Asch study
- Tested conformity
-There was a standard line and a comparison line
-One line was the same as the standard and the other two where clearly wrong - the participants were asked which lines matched, but there were also confederants which were told to lie about these results
What was the procedure for Solomon Asch experiment
- he deceived participants by saying it was a “visual task”
-on the first few trial he made the confederates say the correct answers and then the wrong ones
-All confederates (actors) were told to give the same wrong answer
-each participant took part in 18 trials and 12 were the confederates giving wrong answers
what were the results to Asch’s experiment
- 25%of participants did not conform to any trials
-75% of participants conformed at least once
What are 3 variables affecting conformity and how are each of them investigated in Asch study
-Group size - he varied the number of confederates
- Task difficulty - He made the right answers less obvious
- Unanimity(when everyone in a group agree)- made a confederate give a different answer to group
what are the 3 variables that affect conformity
-group size- need at least 3 people to conform
-task ambiguity- more ambiguous the task the higher the conformity
- Group unanimity - the higher the higher the level of conformity
what are the negative evaluation points in Asch’s study
-Gender and Culture bias (low generalisability)
-ecological validity (lab experiment)
-temporal validity (1950s America was a conformist era)
what was the aim of the Stanford prison experiment
to investigate the effect of conformity of men to the roles of prisoners and guards in a role playing exercise that stimulated prisoner life
what was the procedure in the Sandford prison experiment
-They advertised this on the local newspaper
- white American male college students volunteered
-they were screened to ensure they had no psychological disorders and shortlised to 24 of them
-the participants were randomly assigned prisoner and guard roles
prisoners were arrested at there homes, fingerprinted and photographed while guards were given uniform
-weren’t told how to act
what was the results of the Stanford prison experiment
- stopped after 6 days when it was planned to be 14 days
-negative, dehumanising, degrading and etc behaviours to prisoners from guards
-prisoners suffered depression
-pathology of power- some guards were angry it stopped
what were the strengths of the Stanford prison experiment
-insight into the potential for ordinary individuals to engage in abusive behaviour
- highlighted the significance of situational factors in influencing behaviour
-high ecological validity
what were the weaknesses in the Stanford prison experiment
-ethical criticism as it caused participants distress
-lack of clear guidance of the guards resulted in abusive behaviour to the prisoners
-low reliability as it cannot be replicated due to how unethical it is
What was the aim of Milgram’s study on obedience (1963)?
Milgram aimed to investigate how far people would go in obeying an authority figure, even when it meant causing harm to others.
What was the procedure of Milgram’s experiment?
A: Participants (teachers) were instructed by an authority figure (experimenter) to administer increasingly severe electric shocks to a learner (confederate) for every incorrect answer.
What were the results of Milgram’s study on obedience?
Milgram found that 65% of participants went up to the maximum shock level of 450 volts, showing high levels of obedience to authority.
What is agentic state in Milgram’s theory?
The agentic state occurs when an individual sees themselves as an agent executing the wishes of an authority figure, rather than as an independent actor responsible for their own actions.
What factors influenced obedience in Milgram’s study?
Factors included:
Proximity: Obedience decreased when the learner was in the same room ( proximity to victim).
Authority figure: Obedience was higher when the authority figure was seen as legitimate (e.g., wearing a lab coat).
Location: Obedience decreased when the experiment was moved from a prestigious institution (Yale) to a less formal setting.
How does the concept of authority relate to obedience?
Individuals are more likely to obey authority figures due to socialization and the perception that authority figures have power and control over the situation.
What ethical issues were raised by Milgram’s study?
Ethical concerns include:
Deception: Participants were misled about the true nature of the study.
Lack of informed consent: Participants didn’t know they would be asked to administer shocks.
Psychological harm: Participants experienced significant distress.
What criticisms did Milgram’s study face?
Low ecological validity: The artificial lab setting may not reflect real-world obedience.
Ethical issues: Participants were deceived, and some experienced significant stress.
Generalizability: The study was conducted with male participants and may not generalize to women or different cultures.
What was the replication of Milgram’s study in modern times?
Modern replications (e.g., Burger 2009) found similar levels of obedience, suggesting that the findings are still relevant today, though ethical considerations limit direct replication.
What was the purpose of Burger’s (2009) replication of Milgram’s study?
Burger aimed to replicate Milgram’s study on obedience while addressing ethical concerns, particularly protecting participants from harm, and to determine if obedience levels had changed since the original study.
How did Burger’s (2009) study differ from Milgram’s original study?
Stopped at 150 volts (the point at which participants in Milgram’s study showed signs of distress).
Used more stringent ethical guidelines to protect participants, including pre-screening for psychological stability and obtaining informed consent.
What was the key finding of Burger’s (2009) study?
Burger found that 70% of participants in his study were willing to go up to 150 volts, which is comparable to Milgram’s findings, suggesting that obedience levels have not significantly changed over time.
What ethical considerations did Burger address in his 2009 replication?
Screening participants for psychological stability to ensure they could handle the stress.
Giving participants the right to withdraw at any point.
Providing a “fully informed consent” process and using a ‘debrief’ procedure that revealed the true nature of the experiment afterward.
What is the significance of 150 volts in Burger’s study?
The 150-volt level is significant because it marks the point at which Milgram’s participants began to show significant signs of distress and where many of Milgram’s participants chose to stop administering shocks. This allowed Burger to assess how many people would continue to obey at a key threshold.
What were some limitations of Burger’s 2009 study?
Artificiality: Like Milgram’s study, Burger’s experiment took place in a lab setting, which may not fully reflect real-life situations of obedience.
Ethical constraints: Stopping the experiment at 150 volts limits the ability to see how far participants would go in a full replication of Milgram’s study.
Participant sample: Burger used a convenience sample, which may not be fully representative of the general population.
What are some ethical guidelines that modern psychologists must follow when conducting obedience research?
informed consent
right to withdraw
protection from harm
debriefing
What is the authoritarian personality
The Authoritarian Personality is a personality type characterized by a high degree of obedience to authority, rigid adherence to conventional values, and a tendency to be prejudiced and submissive to those in power
Who developed the concept of the Authoritarian Personality?
The concept of the Authoritarian Personality was developed by Theodor Adorno and his colleagues in the 1950s, as part of their study of the causes of prejudice and obedience.
What was the aim of Adorno’s (1950) study on the Authoritarian Personality?
Adorno aimed to investigate the personality traits that could explain why individuals were more likely to obey authority figures, particularly in the context of the Holocaust.
What was the method used by Adorno to measure the Authoritarian Personality?
Adorno used the F-scale (Fascism scale), a questionnaire designed to measure authoritarian traits, such as conventionalism, submission to authority, and aggression toward outgroups.
What are some characteristics of people with an Authoritarian Personality?
High respect for authority and a desire for strong, conventional leaders.
Intolerance of ambiguity and rigid thinking.
Prejudice and scapegoating of those perceived as different or weaker.
Submissiveness to higher authority figures.
Aggression towards those seen as lower in status.
What does the F-scale measure
The F-scale measures several personality traits linked to the Authoritarian Personality, such as:
Conventionalism: Strict adherence to traditional values.
Authoritarian submission: A tendency to be submissive to authority figures.
Authoritarian aggression: Aggression toward people perceived as different.
Superstition and stereotypy: Rigid, dogmatic thinking.
Power and toughness: Belief in the need for toughness and strength.
How is the Authoritarian Personality linked to obedience?
People with an Authoritarian Personality are more likely to obey authority figures because they are highly respectful of authority, follow rigid rules, and tend to view the world in black-and-white terms, with little tolerance for ambiguity or dissent.
What did Adorno and his colleagues find in their study of the Authoritarian Personality?
Adorno found that people who scored high on the F-scale (indicating an authoritarian personality) were more likely to display prejudiced attitudes and were more obedient to authority, especially in situations involving aggression or authority figures.
Name three behaviours that enable a minority to influence the majority
-commitment
-flexibility
-consistency
Explain what is meant by locus of control
-Locus of Control is how much a person believes that they have control of what happens in there lives
-It is usually measured along a scale with internal control at one end and external control at the other end
What is internal locus of control
- People who see that they have a great deal of control over their own behaviour and will take responsibility for their own actions
What is external locus of control
-it refers to those who believe that their behaviour is controlled by other forces such as luck and fate
Explain how social influence processes contribute to social change
-minority influence becomes the majority influence via them being consistent, committed and flexible –the snowball effect, when smaller group of people change the mindset of others so the group grows
-Socio cryptoamnesia
-minority influence also uses obedience ( like new laws) and conformity (informational social influence)
