Social influence

Question 1

What are group norms?

Answer 1

Uniformities arising through interaction that may or may not reflect rules/laws

Question 2

What is the autokinetic phenomenon?

Answer 2

Sherif placed participants in room with moving light and asked to estimate distance, when in group reached consensus and when moved back to individuals still used this consensus

Question 3

How can social norms affect attitudes?

Answer 3

In experiment, conservative students became less conservative when placed in liberal accommodation

Question 4

How can social norms affect behaviour?

Answer 4

Participant more likely to litter if someone else has

conditions imply behavioural norms

Question 5

What is the effect of majority influence on unambiguous stimuli?

Answer 5

Participants likely to conform at least some of the time with objectively incorrect group opinion unless they have a supporter

Question 6

What are the two forms of influence?

Answer 6

Devitsch and Gerald 1955
Normative: wanting to be liked/accepted
Informational: wanting to be right

Question 7

What is ‘conformity bias?

Answer 7

Moscovici challenges idea that majority always influences, majority position can shift and changes can occur

Question 8

What is the ‘genetic’ model?

Answer 8

Idea that minorities break the consensus and attract attention, setting out an alternative and showing comitment/certainty

Question 9

How has a need for consintency been experimentally shown?

Answer 9

Moscovici 1969 - Participants asked to judge colour slides as blue or green (all blue), most of the participants calling them green were consistent

Question 10

What are the main majority influences?

Answer 10

• Comparison process
• Submission to social pressure
• Temporary, public conformity

Question 11

What are the main minority influences?

Answer 11

• Validation process
• Trying to understand why minority holds a certain position
• Deeper level of cognitive processing