Social influence A03 Flashcards
What is a key strength of Asch’s study on conformity?
A strength of Asch’s study is its control over extraneous variables. The experiment was conducted in a laboratory setting, ensuring high internal validity and allowing for a clear cause-and-effect relationship between group pressure and conformity.
What is a weakness of Asch’s study regarding ecological validity?
A weakness of Asch’s study is its low ecological validity. The study was conducted in a lab with artificial tasks, which may not reflect real-world situations where conformity occurs.
How does the presence of an ally in Asch’s study reduce conformity?
The presence of an ally reduces conformity because it provides social support, decreasing the pressure to conform to the majority.
What is a strength of Milgram’s study on obedience?
A strength of Milgram’s study is its contribution to our understanding of obedience to authority, highlighting how ordinary people can commit harmful acts under the influence of an authority figure.
What is a weakness of Milgram’s study in terms of ethics?
A significant weakness is its ethical issues, including deception and lack of informed consent.
How does Milgram’s study contribute to understanding obedience in real-life contexts?
Milgram’s study provides valuable insight into how individuals can obey harmful orders from authority figures.
How does the agentic state explanation help us understand obedience?
The agentic state explanation helps us understand how people may feel less personally responsible for their actions when they see themselves as agents carrying out orders.
What is a limitation of the agentic state explanation?
A limitation is that the agentic state doesn’t fully account for individual differences.
How does the authoritarian personality explain obedience?
The authoritarian personality suggests that individuals with certain personality traits are more likely to obey authority figures.
What is a criticism of the authoritarian personality theory?
A criticism of the authoritarian personality theory is that it is overly simplistic.
How does social support reduce conformity?
Social support reduces conformity by providing validation for individual beliefs.
What is a real-world example where social support helped reduce conformity?
The civil rights movement in the 1960s provides an example of social support reducing conformity.
How does cultural bias affect studies on conformity?
Cultural bias is a limitation in studies on conformity.
What is a limitation of applying social influence research to real-life settings?
A limitation is that social influence research often takes place in controlled, artificial settings.
How does the concept of minority influence challenge traditional views of conformity?
Minority influence challenges traditional views by showing that a small group can influence the majority.
What is a strength of Moscovici’s research on minority influence?
A strength of Moscovici’s research is that it demonstrated how minorities can impact majority opinions.
What is a limitation of Moscovici’s research on minority influence?
A limitation of Moscovici’s study is its artificial task.
How does the concept of normative social influence explain peer pressure?
Normative social influence explains peer pressure by showing how individuals conform to fit in with others.
What is a limitation of normative social influence in explaining conformity?
A limitation of normative social influence is that it assumes people only conform for social acceptance.
How does task difficulty affect the level of conformity in Asch’s experiment?
Asch’s study showed that as task difficulty increased, participants were more likely to conform.
How does the presence of an authority figure impact obedience?
The presence of an authority figure increases obedience because individuals feel a sense of duty to follow orders.
What is a strength of Zimbardo’s Stanford Prison Experiment?
A strength of Zimbardo’s study is its insight into the power of situational factors in influencing behaviour.
What is a weakness of Zimbardo’s Stanford Prison Experiment?
A significant weakness of Zimbardo’s experiment is the lack of informed consent and the ethical concerns regarding the psychological harm participants experienced.
What is a strength of using field studies in social influence research?
A strength of field studies is that they are conducted in natural settings, which increases ecological validity.
How does the concept of social norms contribute to understanding conformity?
Social norms are accepted behaviours and beliefs in a society or group.
How does the idea of ‘informational social influence’ help explain conformity?
Informational social influence explains conformity as a desire to be correct.
