Social Influence

Question 1

What was the aim of Asch’s 1951 study on conformity?

Answer 1

To find out if an individual would conform to the group even if they knew the group was wrong.

Question 2

What percentage of participants in Asch’s 1951 study conformed to the wrong answer at least once and what was the average rate of conformity?

Answer 2

75% and 32%

Question 3

What is obedience?

Answer 3

Following an instruction, order or command which is given by a figure of authority.

Question 4

In Milgram’s 1963 study on obedience, how many participants pushed the button believing they were delivering 300 volts? And how many 450 volts?

Answer 4

100% and 65%

Question 5

Before his electric shock experiment, Milgram had asked some psychiatrists to predict how many people they thought would administer 450 volts. What percentage did they agree with Milgram on?

Answer 5

Around 2%

Question 6

What did Milgram conclude from his 1963 study on obedience?

Answer 6

That people will obey a figure of authority, even if it means hurting another person.

Question 7

What is social loafing?

Answer 7

When people put less effort into a task that is being performed with others.

Question 8

What is deindividuation?

Answer 8

The loss of self-awareness and sense of personal responsibility that occurs in members of a crowd.

Question 9

What is defined as “the idea that the more bystanders that witness an incident, the less likely it is that one of them will help”?

Answer 9

Diffusion of responsibility

Question 10

What was the conclusion of Latane and Darley’s 1968 study into pluralistic ignorance where smoke poured into the room and they timed to see how long people would wait to report it when a) alone or b) with others?

Answer 10

It was a clear example of pluralistic ignorance. People didn’t want to overreact in the presence of others. When others appeared calm about the smoke, the participant believed the situation was acceptable and non-urgent.

Question 11

Bob drives past a person who has broken down on the motorway; he doesn’t stop because there are lots of other motorists and he thinks by the time he has stopped someone else will be helping. Is this an example of diffusion of responsibility or social loafing?

Answer 11

Diffusion of responsibility

Question 12

What is the bystander effect?

Answer 12

The bystander effect occurs when the presence of others discourages an individual from intervening in an emergency situation.

Question 13

What happened to Kitty Genovese?

Answer 13

Kitty Genovese was assaulted several times very early one morning by a man. Her cries for help woke people living in the area. In the space of 30 minutes her attacker continued to assault her before eventually being scared off by someone shouting out. However, he returned to kill her. The police found that 38 people living nearby had either seen or heard the attack but that no one had helped.

Question 14

What did Piliavin conclude from his 1969 study of bystander behaviour and diffusion of responsibility?

Answer 14

That the cost of helping is a factor affecting bystander behaviour. The person will help if the costs are low (for example, time, danger, inconvenience).

Question 15

Whose 1979 study tested the idea of social loafing?

Answer 15

Latané

Question 16

How did Zimbardo test the idea of deindividuation in his 1979 study?

Answer 16

Using participants in groups of four, participants had to give electric shocks to Zimbardo’s confederates.

The participants believed that they were taking part in a learning exercise. There were two conditions: in one the women wore hood and identical coats (so that they were anonymous); in the other they wore their own clothes with name tags on and spoke to each other using their own names.

Zimbardo found that the anonymous women were twice as likely to give shocks compared with the women wearing their own clothes.