Social Influence

Question 1

3 different types of conformity?

Answer 1

1) . Compliance = ‘going along with others’.
2) . Internalisation = accepting group values.
3) . Identification = desire groups values so conform.

Question 2

2 types of conformity?

Answer 2

1) . NSI = desire for approval.

2) . ISI = accept groups information.

Question 3

Evaluations of ISI and NSI?

Answer 3

ISI =

1) . Research support =
- Lucas (maths questions getting harder).
2) . Individual differences =
- Asch (less conformity in students).

NSI =

1) . Research support =
- Asch (writing answers down ).
2) . Individual differences =
- McGhee and Teevan (nAffiliators).

Question 4

Asch’s procedures?

Answer 4

• Confederate gave the wrong answer for judging a line.

Question 5

Asch’s findings?

Answer 5

• 36.8% = conformity.
• 75% = conformed at least once.
• 25% = never conformed.

Question 6

Asch’s variations?

Answer 6

1) . Group size = peaked at 3.
2) . Dissenter = reduced conformity.
3) . Task difficulty = increased conformity (ISI).

Question 7

Asch’s evaluations?

Answer 7

1) . Child of its time =
- Perrin and Spencer –> less conformity.
2) . Artificial situation + task =
- trivial task –> demand characteristics.
3) . Limited application of findings =
- only on American men.

Question 8

Zimbardo’s procedures?

Answer 8

• Students randomly assigned prisoner or guard in mock prison.

Question 9

Zimbardo’s findings?

Answer 9

• Guards became brutal.

- Prisoners became withdrawn and depressed.

Question 10

Zimbardo’s conclusions?

Answer 10

Participants conformed to their social roles.

Question 11

Zimbardo’s evaluations?

Answer 11

1) . Control =
- random assigned –> increased internal validity.
2) . Lack of realism =
- Banuazizi and Movahedi –> play acting.
3) . Dispositional influences =
- Fromm –> 1/3 guards…

Question 12

Milgram’s procedures?

Answer 12

• P. (teacher) gave fake electric shock to confederate (learner).
• Received instructions from ‘experimenter’.

Question 13

Milgram’s findings?

Answer 13

• 100% = went past 300v.

- 65% = went to 450v.

Question 14

Milgram’s evaluations?

Answer 14

1) . Low internal validity =
- Orne and Holland –> guessed shocks were fake.
2) . Good external validity =
- Hofling –> applied to hospital.
3) . Ethical issues =
- deceived his participants.

Question 15

Milgram’s situational variables?

Answer 15

1). Proximity =

• touch –> 30% obedience.
• P. could hear learner = 40%.

2) . Location =
- run-down office = 47.5%.
3) . Uniform =
- member of public = 20%.

Question 16

Milgram’s situational variables evaluations?

Answer 16

1) . Research support =
- Bickman –> coin for meter.
2) . Lacks internal validity =
- Orne and Holland –> extra manipulation.
3) . Cross-culture replications =
- Miranda –> in Spanish students (90%).

Question 17

2 social-psychological factors of obedience?

Answer 17

1) . Agentic state =
- acting as an agent.
2) . Legitimacy of authority =
- created by hierarchical nature of society.

Question 18

Autonomous state? Agentic shift?

Answer 18

1) . Autonomous state =
- free to act according to conscience.
2) . Agentic shift =
- switching from autonomy to agentic state.

Question 19

Destructive authority?

Answer 19

Problems arise of legitimate authority figures.

• e.g. Hitler.

Question 20

What is the dispositional explanation of obedience.

Answer 20

Authoritarian personality.

Question 21

Adorno’s procedures?

Answer 21

F-scale = study attitudes towards fascism.

Question 22

Adorno’s findings?

Answer 22

People with authoritarian personality =

• strong on F-scale.
• fixed cognitive style.

Question 23

Authoritarian personality characteristics?

Answer 23

Extreme respect for authority and obedience to it.

Question 24

Where does the authoritarian personality come from?

Answer 24

Harsh parenting =

• creates hostility that can’t be expressed against parents so is displaced.

Question 25

Dispositional explanations’ evaluations?

Answer 25

1) . Research support =
- Elms –> Milgram’s P. had authoritarian personality.
2) . Limited explanation =
- can’t explain majority behaviour (Nazis).
3) . Political bias =
- F-scale –> extreme right wing, ignores left wing authoritarianism.

Question 26

2 ways people resist social influence?

Answer 26

1) . Social support.

2) . Locus of control (LOC).

Question 27

How does social support help resist conformity?

Answer 27

Reduced by the presence of dissenters in the group.

Question 28

How does social support help resist obedience?

Answer 28

Reduced in presence of disobedient peer who acts as a model to follow.

Question 29

Evaluation of social support as a means of resisting conformity?

Answer 29

1) . Research support =

- Allen and Levine –> dissenter decreased conformity in Asch-type study.

Question 30

Evaluation of social support as a means of resisting obedience?

Answer 30

1) . Research support =

- Gamson –> dissenter decreased obedience in Milgram-type study.

Question 31

2 types of LOC?

Answer 31

1) . Internal =
- control what happens to them.
2) . External =
- can’t control what happens to them.

Question 32

Which type of LOC are more likely to resist social influence?

Answer 32

High internal LOC =

• base decisions on own beliefs.

Question 33

Evaluations of LOC?

Answer 33

1) . Research support =
- internals –> less likely to go to 450v in Milgram replica.
2) . Contradictory evidence =
- Twenge –> people have become more external and more disobedient.

Question 34

What is minority influence?

Answer 34

Small group influence the majorities beliefs.

Question 35

What type of conformity does minority influence lead to?

Answer 35

Internalisation.

Question 36

What are the 4 factors for minority influence?

Answer 36

1) . Consistency =
- same beliefs over time and place.
2) . Commitment =
- augmentation principle –> personal sacrifice.
3) . Flexibility =
- more convincing if they accept counter-argument.
4) . Process of change (snowball effect) =
- minority view gathers momentum over time.

Question 37

Minority influence evaluation?

Answer 37

1) . Research support (consistency) =
- Moscovici –> blue/green sliders.
2) . Research support (depth of thought) =
- Martin –> minority views have longer effect as they are deeply processed.
3) . Artificial tasks =
- trivial –> not reflective.

Question 38

Role of minority influence?

Answer 38

Powerful force for innovation and social change.

• e.g. civil rights movement in USA.

Question 39

Lessons from conformity research on social change?

Answer 39

NSI = social change by drawing attention to what the majority is doing.

Question 40

Lessons from obedience research on social change?

Answer 40

• Disobedient role models.

- Gradual commitment = lead to change.

Question 41

Evaluation of social influence and social change?

Answer 41

1) . Research support =
- Nolan –> NSI led to reducing energy consumption.
2) . Only indirectly effective =
- Nemeth –> indirect and appear later (smoking).
3) . Role of deeper processing =
- majority views create deeper thinking, not minorities.