Social influence Flashcards
what is conformity
when we change our behaviour to be the same as a majority group
what is compliance
A public change of beliefs and behaviours, which only lasts in the presence of the majority group
what is compliance usually caused by
A desire to fit in
what is internalisation
Both public and private change of beliefs and behaviours, where we are persuaded to take on the views of the majority
what is internalisation usually caused by
A fear of being wrong
what is identification
changing behaviour to fit in or belong to a specific social group, both public and private
is identification permanent or temporary
temporary
is internalisation permanent or temporary
permanent
what is normative social influence
When we conform due to not wanting to be rejected by the majority group, it is an emotional process as we have a strong need to be liked
what mainly causes normative social influence
peer pressure or with strangers so we dont get ridiculed
what is informational social influence
We conform due to being unsure of what the correct information is, and we conclude the majority must have the correct information, its a cognitive process as we have a need to to right
what mainly causes informative social influence
when we need to decide quickly
What is a confederate
Fake ppts
What is the aim of Asch’s study
To see if people conform in unambiguous situations when in a group
What was Asch’s method
Took a sample of 123 male American ppts in groups of 6-9 people (one real ppts while the others were confederates), 12 critical out of 18 trials, control group of 36 people completed 20 trials individually with less than 1% mistakes
What were Asch’s findings
75% conformed at least once
25% never conformed
5%conformed in all 12 critical trials
Overall conformity was 37% in critical trials
What were Asch’s conclusions
He found 3 reasons people confirmed to be:
Distortion of perception- ppts came to see lines in same way as majority
Distortion of judgment- unsure or doubtful of own judgment
Distortion of action- ppts thought differently privately but changed their public answer
What were 3 variations in Asch’s study and how they affected results
Task difficulty- when task was harder he found more people conformed
Group size- under pressure of majority of 3 conformity increased to 33%
Unanimity of majority- if one confederate was instructed to give the right answer conformity decreased to 5%
what is the aim of Zimbardos study
to examine whether people would conform to social roles of a prison guard or prisoner when placed in a mock prison, and whether behaviour in prisons was due to internal dispositional factors or external situational factors
what was Zimbardo’s method
21 male university students selected from 75 volunteers, based on their physical and mental stability and were paid $15 a day, each ppts was randomly assigned either prisoner or guard, prisoners were arrested in their homes, fingerprinted, striped and given a numbered smock to wear, the guards were given uniforms, dark reflective sunglasses and handcuffs, they were not allowed physical violence
what were the results of Zimbardo’s study
both sets of ppts quickly identified with their social roles; prisoners rebelled, while guards became increasingly more abusive, prisoners would be woken at night and forced to clean toilets with their bare hands, 5 prisoners were released early because of their adverse reactions e.g. crying and extreme anxiety, the study was terminated after 6 days instead of the 2 weeks planned
what were Zimbardo’s conclusions
people are quick to conform to social roles, even when it goes against their moral principles, he concluded that situational factors were largely responsible for the behaviour
What are some differences between conformity and obedience
Conformity can be between people of equal status, whereas obedience occurs within a hierarchy and has an emphasis on power
Why did milgram carry out his study
He was interested in why the German population had followed orders from the dictator Hitler
Explain milgrams procedure
He used 40 male ppts at a time, who were told that the study was about now punishment effects learning.
He nad 2 confederates, one who acted as experimentor, and another who was used as a fake ppts.
The confederate was always the learner when roles were drawn from rigged Iots, the teacher (real ppts) nad to test the learners ability to remember word pairs.
Every time he gave a wrong answer the learner was given a ‘shock’.
These went from 15 to 450 volts by 15 volt increments, once they reached 300 volts the learner would pound on the wall.
The experimenter had a series of verbal probes such as “you have no entice you must go on” to say it the teacher asked to stop
What were milgrams findings
65% of ppts went all the way to 450 volts.
No one stopped before 300volts.
They au moused signs of distress, sweating, laughing and fidgeting
