Social Influence

Question 1

What are the types of conformity?

Answer 1

Internalisation, compliance, identification

Question 2

What is internalisation?

Answer 2

This is when we take on the majority view because we deem it to be correct, this results in a private and public change in opinion.

Question 3

Identification?

Answer 3

This is when we act in the same way as the group because we want to be accepted by it as we value it, but we don’t necessarily agree with the majority views. We agree publicly but disagree privately.

Question 4

Compliance?

Answer 4

This is a superficial type of conformity, where we outwardly go along with the groups views but privately disagree. The change in our behaviour only lasts as long as the group is monitoring us.

Question 5

Informational social influence

Answer 5

This is an explanation for conformity which is about who has the better information. So we agree on an opinion because we believe it to be correct, and we accept it because we want to be correct as well, this would usually lead to internalisation.

Question 6

Normative social influence

Answer 6

This is an explanation for conformity that says we agree with the opinion of the majority because we want to be accepted, gain social approval, this could lead to compliance or identification.

Question 7

A03 - Types of Conformity - Research support for ISI

Answer 7

Lucas et al. told students give answer to math problem hard or easy. Greater conformity to incorrect answers when hard problems. This most true for students that said they were poor at maths. Study shows people conform in situations where they feel they dont know answer. This strength because this is exactly the outcome predicted by ISI explanation.

Question 8

A03 - Types of Conformity - Individual differences in NSI

Answer 8

Research shows NSI does not affect everyone’s behaviour in the same way. People less concerned with being liked less affected by NSI than those that care. These peeps described as Naffiliators. People with greater need for affiliation. This is a limitation because this explanation of conformity does not apply to everyone as there are individual differences.

Question 9

A03 - Types of Conformity - ISI and NSI work together

Answer 9

Deutsch and Gerrard two process theory states that behaviour is either due to NSI or ISI. In truth, more often, both processes involved. Example, conformity reduced when there is one other dissenting participant (Asch). Dissenter may reduce power of NSI (social support) or ISI (alternative source of info). This limitation because, cant be sure whether NSI or ISI is at work, and shows that the two process theory is not completely correct.

Question 10

Procedure of Asch’s research

Answer 10

Solomon Asch tested conformity y showing pts. two large white cards at a time. One card had a standard line, the other had 3 comparison lines. One of three was the same length and the other two were clearly not the same length. Pts. asked which of the 3 lines matched the standard. 123 males undergrads. Each naive pts. was tested individually with a group of between 6 to 8 confeds. Pts unaware of confeds. First few trials all the confederates gave the right answer but then started making errors. Confeds instructed to give same wrong answer. Altogether each pts. took part in 18 trials, 12 of which the confeds gave wrong answer.

Question 11

Findings of Achs’s research

Answer 11

Naive pts. gave a wrong answer 36.8% of the time. Overall 25% of pts. did not conform on any trials, which means that 75% conformed at least once. When pts. were interviews after they said they conformed to avoid rejection (NSI).

Question 12

Asch’s variations

Answer 12

1. Group size
2. Unanimity
3. Task difficulty

Question 13

Group size

Answer 13

Asch increased the size of the group by adding more confederates, so increasing the size of the majority. Conformity increased with group size but only up until a certain point, levelling off when the majority was greater than 3.

Question 14

Unanimity

Answer 14

This is the extent to which all the members of the group agree. In Asch’s study, the majority was unanimous when all the confeds selected the same comparison line. This produced the greatest degree of conformity in the naive pts.

Question 15

Task difficulty

Answer 15

Asch’s line judging task is more difficult when it becomes harder to work out the correct answer. Conformity increases because naive participants assume that the majority is more likely to be right. ISI plays a greater role when task becomes harder.

Question 16

A03 - Asch’s research - A child of its time

Answer 16

Perrin and Spencer recreated this study with engineering students in the 80s. Only one student conformed in a total of 396 trials. This could be because engineering students felt more comfortable measuring lines than the original sample and therefore were less conformist. Also possible that the 50s was a conformist time in america and therefore it made sense to conform to social norms. This is a limitation as it shows that Asch’s experiment is not consistent across situations and across time.

Question 17

A03 - Asch’s research - Artificial situation and task

Answer 17

Limitation because task artificial. Pts. knew they were in a research study and may have gone along with demand characteristics. The task of identifying lines was quite trivial and therefore not much reason to conform. Even though pts. were members of a group, they did not resemble groups that we are part of in everyday life. This is a limitation because the findings do not generalise to everyday situations.

Question 18

A03 - Asch’s research - Limited application of findings

Answer 18

Limitation because limited application of findings. Only men were tested in Asch’s study, other research suggests that women are more conformist, may be because that they are more concerned about social relationships than men. Men in study from US, individualist culture, people more concerned about self than social group. Similar conformity studies conducted in collectivist cultures such as china found that conformity rates higher. This makes sense because such cultures are more oriented to group needs. This is a limitation as the study lacks generalisability because Asch didn’t take gender and cultural differences into account.

Question 19

Procedure of Stanford prison experiment

Answer 19

Zimbardo set up a mock prison in the basement of the psychological department at Stanford University. They advertised for students willing to volunteer and selected those who were deemed emotionally stable after psychological testing. Students randomly assigned roles of guards or prisoners. To heighten the realism of the study, the prisoners were arrested at their homes by the police and were then delivered to the prison. They were blindfolded, strip searched, deloused, and given a uniform and number. Social roles of prisoner and guards were strictly divided. Prisoners daily routines regulated, prisoners names never used only numbers. The guards had own uniform, complete with wooden club, handcuffs, keys and mirror shades. Told they had complete power over prisoners, like deciding when they could go to the toilet.

Question 20

Findings of Stanford prison experiment

Answer 20

The guards behaviour soon became a threat to the prisoners’ psychological and physical health, and the study was stopped after 6 days instead of the intended 14. Within 2 days, the prisoners rebelled against the harsh treatment, they ripped their uniforms and shouted at the guards, who retaliated with fire extinguishers. They conducted frequent head counts sometimes in the middle of the night, when the prisoners would stand in line and call out their number. The guards created plenty of opportunities to enforce the rules and punish the smallest misdemeanour. One prisoner was released on the first day because he showed symptoms of psychological disturbance. Two more released on the fourth day. One prisoner went on a hunger strike, the guards attempted to force feed him and punished him by putting him in ‘the hole’. Guards behaviour became more and more aggressive.

Question 21

A03 - Zimbardo’s research - Control

Answer 21

Strength of SPE was that Z and colleagues had control over variables. Most obvious examples of this was the selection of the pts. Emotionally stable indv. were chosen and randomly assigned to role. This was a way the researchers tried to rule out indv. personality differences as an explanation of the findings, therefore if guard and prisoner behave different it will only be due to fact that the situation pressurised them to do so. This is a strength because it increases internal validity of the study. So we can be much more confident in drawing conclusions about the influence of roles on behaviour.

Question 22

A03 - Zimbardo’s research - Lack of realism

Answer 22

Another strength was that there was high realism. Zimbardo showed evidence that the situation was very real to the participants. Quantitative data gathered during the procedure showed that 90% of the prisoners’ convos was about prison life, even one prisoner suggested that it was a real prison run by psychologists instead of the government. This is a strength because it shows that the situation was real to the participants and gives the study a high degree of internal validity.

Question 23

A03 - Zimbardo’s research - Role of dispositional influences

Answer 23

A limitation is that Zimbardo minimized the role of dispositional factors and exaggerated the power of the situation. Only a minority of the guards behaved in a brutal manner, others applied the rules fairly, and some even helped the prisoners, by giving cigarettes and reinstating privileges. This is a limitation because it suggests that Zimbardos conclusion, that people were conforming to their social roles, may be over stated.

Question 24

Procedure of Milgram’s research

Answer 24

Milgram recruited 40 male participants through newspaper adverts and flyers. Ad said he was looking for participants for a study about memory. The Participants recruited were aged 20 to 50, and jobs ranged from unskilled to professional. They were offered $4.50 to take part. When pts. arrived in Milgrams lab they were paid and there was a rigged draw for their role. A confederate always ended up as the learner and the pts. was the teacher. There was also an experimenter who was a confed dressed in a lab coat. Pts. were told they can leave the study at any time. Learner strapped in chair in another room and wired with electrodes. Teacher required to give the learner an increasingly severe shock everytime the learner got a question wrong. Shocks were demonstrated to the teacher. After that the shocks weren’t real. Shock level started at 15 and rose through 30 levels to 450 volts labelled danger. When the teacher got to 300 volts the learner pounded on the wall and then gave no response to next question. After 315 volt shock the learner pounded on the wall again but after that there was no further response. When the teacher turned to the experimenter for guidance, the experimenter gave a standard instruction: ‘An absence of response should be treated as a wrong answer’. If teacher unsure about continuing the experimenter used a sequence of ‘prods’ which were repeated if neccessary.
Prod 1 - Please continue
Prod 2 - The experiment requires that you continue
Prod 3 - It is absolutely essential that you continue
Prod 4 - You have no other choice you must go on.

Question 25

Findings of Milgram’s study

Answer 25

No pts. stopped below 300 volts, 12.5% stopped at 300 volts, 65% continued to the highest level of 450 volts. Qualitative data were also collected such as observations that the participants showed signs of extreme tension, three pts. even had uncontrollable seizures. Prior to the study Milgram asked 14 psychology students to predict the pts behaviour. Students estimated that 3% of the pts would continue to 450 volts.

Question 26

A03 - Milgram’s study - Low internal validity

Answer 26

One limitation is that the study had low internal valididty. It is argued that the pts. didnt believe in the set up. In which case Milgram was not testing what he intended. Some research showed that in the tapes of Milgrams pts. some of them expressed their doubts about the shocks. Another study was conducted but real shocks were given to a puppy. Despite the real shocks, 54% of male student pts. and 100% of female student pts. delivered what they thought was a fatal shock. This suggests that maybe the effects in Milgrams study were genuine because people behaved the same way when the shocks were real. Milgram did report that 70% did state that they believed the shocks were real. Howevere this is still a limitation because not all pts believed it.

Question 27

A03 - Milgram’s study - Good external validity

Answer 27

A strength is that the study has good external validity. Even though it is in a lab setting, Milgram said that this accurately reflected wider authority relationships irl. A study about nurses in a hospital ward supported this claim. 21 out of 22 nurses obeyed to unjustified demands. This suggests that the process of obedience to authority that occured in Milgrams lab study can be generalised to other situations. So this is a strength because it tells us how obedience operates in the real world.

Question 28

A03 - Milgrams study - Supporting replication

Answer 28

A strength is that there was a replication of this study. Pts. believed that they were contestants in a french game show. They were paid to give fake electric shocks when ordered by the presenter to other pts who were confederates. The results showed that 80% of the pts. delivered max shocks of 460 volts to apparently unconscious men. The participants showed signs of distress just like in Milgrams study. This is a strength as this replication supports Milgrams original conclusions about obedience to authority.

Question 29

Situational variables in Milgrams experiment

Answer 29

Proximity
Uniform
Location

Question 30

Proximity

Answer 30

Physical closeness of authority figure to person who they are giving order to, also physical closeness to teacher and student.

Teacher and learner in same room 40% obedience

Teacher forces learner hand onto plate 30%

Experimenter gave orders by phone 20.5%

Question 31

Location

Answer 31

The place where the order is given, relevant factor that influences obedience is the prestige associated with the location.

Study at Yale 65%
Run down office 47.5%

Question 32

Uniform

Answer 32

People in positions of authority often have a specific outfit that is symbolic of their authority for example, police officers.

Milgram did variation where experimenter got a call at the start of the procedure and had to leave, he was replaced by an ordinary memeber of the public and obedience dropped to 20%.

Question 33

A03 - Obedience - Research support

Answer 33

Strength is that there is research support. Study showed situational variables on obedience. Field experiment had three confederates one with jacket and tie, one milkman and one security guard. Confeds stood in street asking passerbys to perform task like picking up litter or paying for parking meter. People twice as likely to obey security. Supports Milgram’s conclusion that a uniform conveys the authority of its wearer and is a situational factor likely to produce obedience.