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
What was milgrams conclusion
Most people would obey an authority figure even if it goes against their moral code
What was milgrams aim
To find whether ordinary people would obey an unjust order
What were the 3 changes to proximity in the variations or milgrams study
Proximity of the victim, proximity of authority, and touch proximity
Explain proximity of the victim with change in obedience and why
Teacher and learner in the same room, obedience dropped to 40%, teacher could experience the pain being inflicted on learner directly
Explain proximity of authority with the change in obedience and why
Experimenter was not in room so gave directions via telephone, obedience never dropped to 21%, no authority figure present so easier to disobey
Explain touch proximity with the change in obedience and why
Teachers had to force learners hand onto the place to relieve electric shock, obidencelient down to 30%, there was more pressure so felt more responsible
Explain change in location as a variation of milgrams study
Moved from prestigious Yale university to rundown office, obedience went down to 48%, less prestigious verve so prehaps more authority
Explain the uniform variation of milligrams study (not now obedience changed)
A female researcher stopped people in the street and asks them for change so someone can renew their parking ticket, dressed in either police uniform, business wear or as a beggar,
How did obedience change in the uniform variation or milgrams study
Police- 72% obeyed
Business - 48%
Beggar - 52%
What are the two social psychological explanations of obedience
Agentic state and legitimacy theory
Explain the agentic state and now its un explanation of obedience
When we act as the agent of someone we find it easy to deny personal responsibility, individuals move from the autonomous state (when we direct our own behaviour) to the agentic state (passing responsibility to another of higher status)
What and how causes people to feel ‘stuck’ in the agentic state
Blinding factors: aspects of a situation that allow a person to minimise the damaging effects
What is the shift between the two states called
Agentic shift
Explain legitimacy of authority as an explanation for obedience
Suggest that we are more likely to obey people who we perceive to have legitimate authority
What are the 3 key criteria psychologists found we use to assess the legitimacy of authority
Legitimacy of the system, legitimacy of authority within the system, legitimacy of demands or orders given
Explain key traits of the authoritarian personality
- Highly obedient to authority
- submissive to people of higher standards
- dismissive of those seen to be inferior
Explain Adorno’s procedure
Measured 2000 middle class white Americans and their unioncious attitudes towards other racial groups
The F scale was used to measure whether someone had an authoritarian personality
What is fascism
Intolerance to those of other races
What were Adorno’s findings
Authoritarian personalities:
- identify with the Strong
- were aware of their own social status
- showed extreme respect to those of a higher status
- patronise those of lower status
- driven by stereotypes and prejudice
Explain now those with the authoritarian personality can become excessively respectful of authority figures
As a child they will have a harsh upbringing with little love and a lot of punishment from authoritarian parents, this creates a fear of their parents which results in being excessively respect of authority figures
Explain now elms and milgrams study supports Adornos findings
They gave 20 of milgrams participants who went all the way, the F scale test as well as 20 who didn’t fully obey
Those who had obeyed scored highly
What are the two ways we resist social influence
Social support and locus of control
Explain social support
The presence of people who resist pressures to conform or obey help others do the same by acting as models and allowing diffusion of responsibility
Explain now social support effectively effects conformity
Is reduced by a dissenting peer as they reduce peer pressure from majority group
How did social support affect asch’s study
Conformity dropped to 5% in unanimity variation
How does social support effect obedience
Dissenters disobedience frees the participants to act from their own conscience
How did social support affect milgrams Judy
Obedience dropped to 10%
Explain locus of control
Disposition explanation, revering to the sense we have about what directs the events in our lives
What is internal loc
They believe they are mostly responsible for what happens to them
What is external loc
They believe that things happen without their own control
Why are people with internal IOC more likely to obey
If some one takes personal responsibility for their actions and experiences they are more likely to base their decisions on their own beliefs
What is minority influence
A form of social influence in which a minority persuade others to adopt their beliefs, attitudes, and behaviours
Explain consistency in minority influence
Minority sharing the same view over time causing the majority to re think their views
What is synchronic consistency
Between two people in the minority
What is diachronic consistency
Consistency over time
Explain commitment in minority influence
Showing through their actions how much their view/belief matters to them, sometimes engaging in extreme activities to draw attention to their view (augmentation principle)
Explain flexibility in minority influence
It’s essential for a minority to win over a majority group, it’s the ability to compromise and not be too rigid in their views, it’s important as the minority is not in a position of power, however can’t be too flexible as they won’t be taken seriously
Explain Moscovici procedure
172 ppts were tested to ensure they weren’t colour blind, in groups of 6 including two confederates they were asked to state the couloir of 36 slides all different stages of blue
Condition A confederates were consistent- said all were green
Condition B confederates were inconsistent- said 12 slides were green
What were Moscovici findings
Control group- only called 0.25% green
Consistent group- answered green on 8.42% of trials
Inconsistent group- answered green in 1.25% of trials
