Social Influence

Question 1

Conformity

Answer 1

A change in our behavior to fit in with social norms or as the result of perceived group pressure

Question 2

Dispositional factors

Answer 2

Personal characteristics that may affect how a person will behave

Question 3

Asch’s conformity study

Answer 3

Aim: To investigate if people would conform to the opinions of others even if they knew the answer was wrong
Method: 123 male participants shown sets of 4 lines and asked which line was the same as the test line. Each participant was tested alongside 6-8 confederate. In total there were 18 trials.
Results: On 36.8% if the trails where the rest of the group gave the wrong answer, the participant conformed. 24% resisted the urge to conform
Conclusion: People conform to fit in with a group

Question 4

Asch’s conformity study: Eval

Answer 4

:) Lab experiment so high level of control over variables -> More reliable as easier to establish cause and effect

:( Lab so not natural situation -> participants might have been acting differently to real life -> less ecological validity

Question 5

Informational social influence:

Answer 5

The need to be right. If we are in an ambiguous situation we will see what others are doing and assume they are correct. We copy them.

Question 6

Normative social influence

Answer 6

The need to be liked. In a social situation we have a strong desire to be accepted into the group. We might say or do things just to be popular.

Question 7

Dispositional factors affecting conformity

Answer 7

• Personality (low IQ=high conformity)

- Expertise (high expertise+low conformity)

Question 8

Social factors affecting conformity

Answer 8

• Group size (bigger group=more conformity)
• Task difficulty (difficult task=more conformity)
• Anonymity (more anonymous=less conformity)

Question 9

Obedience

Answer 9

When you follow the orders of an authority figure

Question 10

Agency

Answer 10

The responsibility we feel for our own actions

Question 11

Agency theory

Answer 11

The idea that a person will obey an authority figure when they believe that the authority figure will take responsibility for whatever the person does

Question 12

Milgram’s obedience study

Answer 12

Aim: To see how far people would obey an unreasonable order
Method: 40 male participants volunteered to take part in what they thought was an experiment about memory and learning. They were told that they should shock the learner every time he got an answer wrong. The learner was a confederate and the shocks weren’t real. The participant was seated in front of a shock generator that had switches from 15V to 450V
Results: All 40 went to 300 volts and 65% went to 450 volts
Conclusion: People are prepared to obey dangerous orders if they think the person giving them is in a position of authority

Question 13

Social factors affecting obedience

Answer 13

• Authority (More likely to follow orders from people who have authority as we trust them)
• Culture (Lower leaves of obedience in individualistic cultures vs collectivist cultures)
• Proximity (Closer to authority= higher obedience)

Question 14

Dispositional factors affecting obedience

Answer 14

• Authoritarian personality

- Cognitive style (people who think in black and white prefer to have rigid stereotypes)

Question 15

Authoritarian personality

Answer 15

Develops as a result of a lack of love from strict parents. The child grows up feeling anger towards their parents but is too anxious to fight against them. Instead they displace their feelings onto a person or group of people that they see inferior to themselves. This is scapegoating and leads to discrimination against minority groups

Question 16

Pro social behaviour

Answer 16

Acting in a way that is beneficial to other people

Question 17

Bystander intervention

Answer 17

When people offer help in emergency sitatuons

Question 18

Bystander apathy

Answer 18

When people choose not to help

Question 19

Social factors affecting bystander behaviour

Answer 19

• Presence of others (more likely to help others when we are alone than when others are present)
• The cost of helping (we weight up the cost and rewards of helping a person in need. Sometimes we decide that it is too costly to intervene)

Question 20

Dispositional factors affecting bystander behaviour

Answer 20

• Similarity to victim (when there are more similarities, bystanders are more likely to help)
  Expertise (More likely to help if they believe they have the skills required to help someone)

Question 21

Piliavin’s subway study

Answer 21

Aim: To see whether the appearance of someone would influence helping behavior
Method: Someone pretended to collapse on the train. In 38 of the trials he appeared to be drunk and in 65 he appeared to be sober and have a walking stick
Results: When he was sober he received help within 70 seconds 95% of the time. When he was drunk he received help within 70 seconds 50% of the time

Question 22

Eval. of Piliavin’s study

Answer 22

:) The study was carried out in a natural setting -> higher ecological validity

:( Conducted in America, this is an individualistic culture where people deal with their own problems -> cant be generalized for all cultures

Question 23

Collective behaviour

Answer 23

People can behave differently when in groups or crowds than when they are alone

Question 24

Antisocial behaviour

Answer 24

When people do not act in a socially acceptable way

Question 25

Social factors affecting collective behaviour

Answer 25

• Social loafing (We assume that people work better when they are a team but this is not always the case. Individuals often put less effort into a group task as diffusion of responsibility occurs
• Deindividuation (When people lose their sense of individuality because they feel anonymous. People lose their sense of responsibility)
• Culture (Social norms within a culture can affect collective behaviour. In some societies such as China, people are preparers to work hard for the good of the people)

Question 26

Dispositional factors affecting collective behaviour

Answer 26

• Personality (Some people have an internal locus of control which means they believe they can control the things that happen to them (taking the blame))
• Morality (Their sense of what is right and what is wrong- e.g if people do not trust the police they may feel justified in abusing officers in collective situations)

Question 27

Social factors

Answer 27

External events which may affect how a person behaves