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Social Influence Flashcards

1
Q

What is conformity?

A

A change in a person’s behaviour or opinions due to real or imagined pressure from a person or group.

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2
Q

What are the three types of conformity according to Kelman (1958)?

A

Compliance: Publicly conforming while privately disagreeing.

Identification: Conforming to be part of a group we value.

Internalisation: Genuinely accepting group norms, resulting in a permanent change.

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3
Q

What is informational social influence (ISI)?

A

Conforming to gain knowledge or because we believe someone else is ‘right’, especially in ambiguous situations.
Linked to internalisation

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4
Q

What is normative social influence (NSI)?

A

Conforming to be liked or accepted by a group, often leading to compliance.

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5
Q

What research supports ISI?

A

Lucas et al. (2006): Greater conformity to incorrect answers on difficult maths problems, particularly among those who rated their maths ability as poor.

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6
Q

What is a limitation of ISI and NSI explanations?

A

Individual differences: For example, NSI affects some more than others (nAffiliators care more about being liked).
This is supported by McGhee and Teevan (1967) who found students who have a greater need to be liked are more likely to conform

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7
Q

What research supports NSI?

A

Asch (1951): Participants conformed to a clearly wrong answer to avoid social rejection.

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8
Q

Describe Asch’s original conformity study procedure.

A

. told p’s they were taking part in test of vision relating to perception of line length
. 123 male American college students volunteered
. groups of 6 and 7 asked to take turns calling out which line they thought matched the length of the subject
. only one p was real, rest were all confederates
. real p always seated last or second to last
. confederates always gave wrong unanimous answers in 12 of the 18 trials

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9
Q

What were Asch’s original findings?

A

Participants conformed 36.8% of the time.

75% conformed at least once.

Most conformed to avoid rejection (NSI).

in control trial with no confederates incorrect answers only given 1% of the time

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10
Q

What happened when Asch increased group size?

A

. 1 p with 1 c 3%
. 1 p with 2 c 13%
. 1 p with 3 c 32%
. further increases didn’t lead to a change in rate of conformity

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11
Q

What happened when Asch added a dissenting confederate?

A

. Asch broke unanimity by introducing 1 confed who gave the right answer 5%
. confed then gave wrong answer 9%
. this suggests unanimity is a major factor in conformity.

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12
Q

What happened when task difficulty increased in Asch’s study?

A

Conformity increased, supporting ISI.

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13
Q

What are criticisms of Asch’s study?

A

Artificial situation (low ecological validity). and they had no reason not ot conform

Biased sample (only American men). studies in china found much higher rates of conformity

Ethical issues (deception, stress).

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14
Q

What is conformity to social roles?

A

Changing behaviour to meet expectations associated with a given social role.

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15
Q

Describe Zimbardo’s prison experiment procedure.

A

. Zimbardo set up a mock prison in the basement of Stanford university
. advertised the research in a paper and selected 24 students with no criminal records who were deemed emotionally stable
. the roles of prisoner and guard were randomly assigned
. prisoners were arrested in their homes and delivered, they were blindfolded, strip searched, delouse, issued a uniform, and given a number
. prisoners daily routines were regulated, they had 16 rules enforced by guards who worked in shifts
. the prisoners were referred to only by number
. guards had uniform, clubs, handcuffs, and shades
. they were told they had complete power over the prisoners

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16
Q

What were Zimbardo’s findings?

A

. guards became increasingly tyrannical, they enjoyed the harsh treatment and did things like make the prisoners clean toilets with their bare hands
. after 2 days of strict rule from guards, p’s rebelled
. g’s put down rebellion with fire extinguishers, p’s became depressed and anxious
. meant to last 2 weeks but had to end after 6 days after intervention from a postgraduate student

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17
Q

What are criticisms of Zimbardo’s study?

A

Lack of realism (participants were play-acting).

Exaggeration of the power of roles (not all guards were abusive).

Ethical concerns, right to withdraw - Z spoke to one man who wanted to leave as a superintendent rather than a researcher and stopped him leaving
. protection from harm - both physical and mental

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18
Q

What is one strength of Zimbardo’s experiment?

A

. Abu Gharib, military prison in Iraq, known for its torture and abuse of prisoners from US military soldiers in 2003 and 2004
. Zimbardo states that guards were abusive due to situational factors rather than because they were sadistic themselves

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19
Q

what is obedience

A

a form of social influence involving acting on the orders of an authority figure

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20
Q

What was the aim of Milgram’s obedience study?

A

. to find out whether ordinary Americans would obey to unjust orders from a person in auth

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21
Q

Describe Milgram’s study procedure.

A

. 40 male American volunteers were recruited with newspaper ad
. deceived to believe they were researching punishment and learning
. real p’s always had the role of teacher. confed was learner though p’s thought roles were randomly allocated
. learner was to memorise word pairs, teacher administered shock if word pair repeated wrong
. teacher watched l get strapped to a chair and received a practice shock
. confed began to make mistakes , shocks increased with each one up to 450V from 15V
. would continue until 450V given 3 times or t refused to go on
. p then debriefed and taken to meet learner

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22
Q

What were Milgram’s findings?

A

65% of participants gave the maximum 450-volt shock.

All continued to at least 300 volts.

Participants showed signs of stress.

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23
Q

What are strengths of Milgram’s study?

A

Good external validity: Reflects authority relationships in real life.

Replications support the findings (e.g., in French TV documentary). Blass (1999) carried out a statistical analysis of Milgram’s research into obedience, the results stayed mostly the same

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24
Q

What are criticisms of Milgram’s study?

A

Ethical issues: Deception, psychological harm. though the issues may have been justified as the p’s were debriefed and 83.7% of p’s said they were happy to have taken part

Lacks internal validity: Participants may have doubted the reality of the shocks.

only male Americans were used
. this was an unrepresented sample
. this makes it difficult to generalise the findings

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25
What is the agentic state?
Acting on behalf of an authority figure; feeling no personal responsibility
26
What is the autonomous state?
Acting according to one’s own principles and feeling responsible for actions.
27
What is the agentic shift?
The transition from autonomy to agency when an authority figure is present.
28
What is legitimacy of authority?
We are more likely to obey people who are perceived as having legitimate power over us.
29
What is a strength of legitimacy of authority explanation?
Explains real-life obedience, such as obedience in the military or Nazi Germany.
30
What was the role of proximity in Milgram's variations?
When the teacher and learner were in the same room, obedience dropped to 40%. When teacher had to force the learner's hand, obedience dropped to 30%.
31
What was the role of location in Milgram’s variations?
When moved to a run-down building, obedience dropped to 47.5%.
32
What was the role of uniform in Milgram’s variations?
When the experimenter wore everyday clothes instead of a lab coat, obedience fell to 20%.
33
What is the authoritarian personality?
A personality especially obedient to authority. Shows extreme respect and submissiveness to those in power. Shows contempt for people with lower social status. Has rigid beliefs in conventional values. Believed to originate from harsh parenting and strict discipline. Measured by Adorno et al.’s F-scale. Associated with a tendency to scapegoat weaker groups (prejudice)
34
How did Adorno et al. (1950) investigate the authoritarian personality?
Developed the F-scale to measure authoritarian traits. Used questionnaires with statements to agree/disagree with. Found higher F-scale scores correlated with respect for authority.
35
What were Adorno’s findings regarding parenting?
Authoritarian personalities had strict parents who used conditional love. Led to displaced hostility towards weaker groups (scapegoating). Linked childhood experiences to adult obedience.
36
Evaluate the methodological issues with Adorno’s research.
Based on self-report questionnaires (social desirability bias). Correlational – cannot infer causation. Politically biased – leans toward a right-wing ideology.
37
what was Adorno et al (1950)?
attitudes toward racial minorities measured in 2000 white, middle class Americans . F-scale used to measure different components of authoritarian personality . was found that those with authoritarian personality type were contemptuous of weaker, conscious of social status, and had many stereotypes of others . people with authoritarian personality are more obedient because they have respect for authority
38
What is meant by ‘dispositional’ explanation of obedience?
Focuses on internal characteristics (e.g. personality) rather than situational factors.
39
: What is the concept of resistance to social influence?
Ability to withstand pressures to conform or obey. Influenced by situational and dispositional factors.
40
What situational factor increases resistance to conformity?
Social support: Presence of a dissenter reduces conformity. Asch showed conformity dropped when one confederate disagreed with the majority.
41
What situational factor increases resistance to obedience?
Disobedient role models reduce obedience (Milgram’s variations). Presence of dissenters gives confidence to resist.
42
What is locus of control (Rotter, 1966)?
Describes how much people believe they control their own behaviour. Internal LOC: Believe they are responsible for their own actions. External LOC: Believe external forces control them.
43
How does locus of control relate to resistance?
Internals are more likely to resist pressures to conform or obey. They take responsibility for actions and base decisions on personal beliefs.
44
What research supports LOC and resistance?
Holland (1967): Internals showed greater resistance in Milgram-like study.
45
What contradicts the role of LOC over time?
Twenge et al. (2004): People have become more external but more resistant—contradicts Rotter’s theory.
46
What is minority influence?
A small group or individual influencing the majority. Often leads to internalisation.
47
What are the key processes in minority influence?
Consistency: Repeating the same message over time. Commitment: Showing dedication through personal sacrifice. Flexibility: Willingness to compromise when appropriate.
48
What is the snowball effect in minority influence?
Over time, people switch to the minority view. The minority view becomes the majority view.
49
What was the procedure of Moscovici et al. (1969)’s study?
6 participants (2 confederates) asked to identify colours of blue-green slides. Two conditions: consistent minority and inconsistent minority.
50
What were Moscovici’s findings?
Consistent minority: participants conformed 8.42% of trials. Inconsistent minority: only 1.25% conformity.
51
Evaluate Moscovici’s study.
Controlled lab setting (high internal validity). Artificial task (low ecological validity). Gender bias: Only female participants used.
52
What is social change?
When societies adopt new beliefs/behaviours over time. Often begins with minority influence.
53
How does minority influence create social change?
Through drawing attention to an issue. Demonstrating consistency and commitment. Triggering deeper processing of the issue.
54
How does conformity contribute to social change?
Asch’s research: Dissenter reduced conformity. Campaigns exploit NSI – e.g., “most people do recycle”.
55
What is locus of control and who introduced the concept?
Proposed by Rotter (1966) Refers to how much a person believes they control events in their life Internal LOC: Individuals believe they control what happens to them External LOC: Believe events are out of their control, down to luck or other people
56
How is internal locus of control linked to resistance to social influence?
More likely to resist pressure to conform or obey Take responsibility for actions Tend to be more confident and less in need of social approva
57
What research supports the link between LOC and resistance to obedience?
Holland (1967) repeated Milgram’s study Internals showed greater resistance (37%) compared to externals (23%) Supports the idea LOC affects obedience
58
What evidence challenges the link between LOC and resistance?
Twenge et al. (2004) meta-analysis over 40 years People became more resistant to obedience but also more external Contradicts LOC explanation
59
What is minority influence and how does it work?
When a small group influences the majority Must demonstrate: Consistency, Commitment, and Flexibility Often leads to internalisation
60
How does consistency affect minority influence?
Increases interest from others Shows the minority truly believes in their cause Disrupts norms and encourages rethinking
61
How does commitment affect minority influence?
Shows confidence and seriousness Extreme activities draw attention (augmentation principle) Can persuade majority members
62
How does flexibility play a role in minority influence?
Nemeth (1986): consistency without flexibility = rigid Minority must adapt and be open to compromise Being flexible makes the minority more persuasive
63
What research supports the role of consistency in minority influence?
Moscovici et al. (1969) green-blue slide study Consistent group: 8.42% agreement Inconsistent group: 1.25% agreement Shows importance of consistency
64
What research supports flexibility in minority influence?
Nemeth (1986) simulated jury decision Inflexible minority had no effect Flexible minority had greater influence Shows importance of adapting views
65
What are the main evaluation points for research into minority influence?
Artificial tasks (e.g., color perception) reduce ecological validity Findings may not generalise to real-world situations Minority influence often slower and more indirect
66
What is the process of social change through minority influence?
Draw attention Consistency Deeper processing Augmentation principle Snowball effect Social cryptomnesia
67
How does drawing attention help social change?
Highlighting a problem (e.g., civil rights marches) Forces majority to notice the issue
68
What is the snowball effect in social change?
Small influence gains momentum More people adopt the minority view Eventually becomes majority view
69
What is social cryptomnesia?
People remember change occurred Forget how or that a minority started it
70
What are the lessons from conformity research for social change
Dissent (e.g., Asch’s confederate) encourages others NSI (normative social influence) campaigns work (e.g., “Most of us don’t drink and drive”)
71
What are the lessons from obedience research for social change?
Disobedient role models reduce obedience (e.g., Milgram's variation) Gradual commitment can lead to bigger steps
72
How did Nolan et al. (2008) demonstrate conformity’s role in social change?
Residents exposed to messages about energy usage Significant reductions seen in conformity-based group Supports NSI in real-world applications
73
What are criticisms of using conformity and obedience to explain social change?
Often indirect and delayed Real-world social change is complex Other factors like social context are important
74
What is the difference between compliance, identification and internalisation?
Compliance: superficial, change only in public Identification: change to be part of a group Internalisation: deep, permanent change
75
What does Moscovici’s study tell us about internalisation?
When minority influence is successful, it leads to internalisation Evidence: more participants gave green answers in private
76
What role does the augmentation principle play in social influence?
If minorities are willing to suffer, their views are taken more seriously Sacrifices act as evidence of strong belief
77
How can commitment by a minority be persuasive?
Personal sacrifices show genuine belief Extreme positions are risky and thus more convincing
78
What is a real-world example of minority influence leading to social change?
Civil Rights Movement in the USA Rosa Parks’ arrest drew attention Consistent and committed effort over time Eventually led to law changes and social cryptomnesia
79
Why might minorities often fail to create social change?
Majority sees them as deviant Focus is on the source, not the message Social influence is more effective when minorities avoid being seen as radical
80
How does obedience contribute to social change?
Milgram: Disobedient role models lead to resistance. Zimbardo suggested gradual commitment can lead to obedience-based change.
81
Evaluate the role of deeper processing in social change.
Diane Mackie argued majority influence may create more processing than minority, challenging Moscovici’s view.
82
What is a limitation of social change through minority influence?
Often slow and indirect – takes a long time to shift public opinion.
83
What is a strength of social influence research?
Practical applications: Strategies to reduce smoking, increase recycling. Supports NSI-based interventions.
84
What ethical issues are linked with social influence research?
Deception (e.g. Milgram, Asch). Potential psychological harm. Justified by the importance of findings.
85
What real-world example shows minority influence and social change?
Civil Rights Movement: Drew attention, maintained consistency, demonstrated commitment (e.g., Rosa Parks).
86
What is gradual commitment?
Once people obey a small instruction, it becomes harder to resist bigger ones.
87
What does social cryptomnesia refer to?
When people remember that change occurred but forget how it happened. Reflects how minority influence can go unacknowledged.
88
What criticisms challenge the application of minority influence?
Often lacks real-world impact. Studies use artificial tasks (low external validity).

Psych 5.0 (12 decks)

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