Social influence AO1 Flashcards
What is Asch’s baseline procedure?
Conformity
- Wanted to assess to what extent people will conform to the opinion of others
- 123 American men were tested, each in a group with other participants
- each participant saw two large white cards on each trial
- The line X is the standard line, the other three lines acted as comparison lines
- on each trial the p’s had to say which of the lines was the same
What were the baseline findings of Asch?
Conformity
- Genuine p’s agreed with confeds incorrect answers 36.8% of the time
- 25% of p’s never gave a wrong answer
What are the variables investigated by Asch?
Conformity
- Group size= wanted to know if size of group is more important than agreement
- varied no of confederates from one to 15
- curvilinear relation between group size and conformity
- conformity increased with group size
- 3 confeds= conformity 31.8% - Unanimity= presence of non conforming person affect naive
- introduced confed who disagreed with a confed
- genuine p conformed less often in presence of a dissenter - task difficulty= increased difficulty of the line judging task by making the stimulus and comparison line more similar to each other
- conformity increased
- may be that it becomes more ambiguous
What are the 3 types of conformity?
Types and explanations of conformity
- Internalisation
- Identification
- Compliance
Describe internalisation
Types and explanations of conformity
- occurs when a person genuinely accepts the group norms
- results in private and public change of opinion and behaviour
- Usually permanent
- persists even in absence of group members
Describe identification
Types and explanations of conformity
- We conform to the opinions/ behaviour of a group because there is something about the group we value
- We identify with the group so we want to be a part of it
- publicly change ops/beh to be accepted even if we don’t agree
Describe compliance
Types and explanations of conformity
- going along with others in public
- not privately changing ops/beh
- Superficial change
- behaviour stops as group pressure stops
What did Deutsch and gerard develop?
Types and explanations of conformity
- A two process theory
- There are two main reasons people conform
- Based on two central human needs
- Need to be right (ISI)
- Need to be liked (NSI)
What is informational social influence?
Types and explanations of conformity
- Who has better information
- we go with the majority because we want to be right and they are likely to be correct
- it is a cognitive process because it is to do with what you think
- permanent change
- Internalisation
What is normative social influence?
Types and explanations of conformity
- We agree with the opinion of the majority because we want to gain social approval and be liked
- For this reason it is emotional not cognitive
- temp change in ops/beh
- Likely to lead to compliance
In what situations are ISI and NSI likely?
Types and explanations of conformity
ISI= situations that are new to a person, where there is ambiguity, in crisis situations
NSI= Situations where you may feel concerned about rejection, also occur with people you know (social approval of friends), more pronounced in stressful situations
Describe the SPE
Conformity to social roles
- Zimbardo set up a mock prison in the basement of psychology dept of stanford Uni
- 21 volunteer men who are emotionally stable
- Randomly assigned to play the role of prisoner or guard
- they were encouraged to conform to social roles through uniforms and instructions about behaviour
How were uniforms and behavioural instructions used in the SPE?
Conformity to social roles
Uniform
- Loose smock, cap, identified by number
- guards had own uniform to reflect the status of their role
- guards had wooden club, handcuff and mirror shades
- Creates a loss of personal identity (de-individuation)
Behavioural instructions
- Rather than leaving early they would have to apply for parole
- guards encouraged by being reminded that they had complete power over prisoners
What were the findings related to social roles SPE?
Conformity to social roles
- guards took up roles with enthusiasm, treating prisoners harshly
- within 2 days prisoners rebelled
- ripped uniforms and shouted at guards who retalliated with fire extinguishers
- guards used divide and rule tactic by playing prisoners off against each other as well as harassing them constantly to remind them of powerlessness (e.g headcounts at night)
- created opportunities to enforce punishments
- after rebeliion prisoners were subdued and depressed
- One sent home, two more on 4th day, one went on hunger strike and was put in a dark loset
- 6/14 days
What were the conclusions of the SPE?
Conformity to social roles
- Social roles appear to have a strong influence on behaviour
- guards become brutal and prisoners became submissive
- even volunteers who came in found themselves behaving as if they were in a prison rather than a psychological study
What was the baseline procedure of Milgram?
Obedience, Milgram
- 40 American men aged 20-50 from conneticut
- Supposedly study on memory
- Each were introduced to another participant (confed)
- drew lots to see who would be teacher and learner but the draw was fixed so the p was always the teacher
- Paid $4.50 for participating
- each time the learner misremembered the teacher had to deliver a strong fake electric shock
What was the point in verbal prods?
Obedience, Milgram
To ensure that participants continued
What were the 4 verbal prods?
Obedience, Milgram
- please continue
- The experiment requires that you continue
- it is absolutely essential you continue
- You have no other choice, go on
What were the baseline findings of Milgram?
Obedience, Milgram
- All participants delivered shocks up to 300v
- 12.5% stopped at 300v
- 65% continued to 450v
- Collected qualitative data= many p’s seen to sweat, tremble, bite their lips, groan, two even had seizures
What conclusions were drawn about Milgram?
Obedience, Milgram
- Concluded that german people are not different
- American p’s willing to obey orders even if they harm another person
How were ethics controlled in Milgram?
Obedience, Milgram
- P’s were debriefed and assured that their behaviour was normal
- sent a follow up questionnaire and 84% were glad to have participated
What were the 3 situational variables of Milgram?
Situational variables, Milgram
- Proximity
- Location
- Uniform
Explain the situational variable: proximity
Situational variables, Milgram
- In this variation the T and L in same room
- Obedience rate dropped from 65 to 40%
- In the touch proximity the T had to force the L hand onto an electroshock plate if he refused to do so by himself, obedience dropped to 30
- In remote instruction variation the E left the room and gave instructions to T via phone, obedience reduced to 20.5
Explain how proximity affects obedience?
Situational variables, Milgram
- Decreased proximity allows people to psychologically distance from the consequences of their actions
Explain the situational variable: Location
Situational variables, Milgram
- The variation was conducted in a run down office block rather than in Yale Uni
- obedience fell to 47.5%
Ex:
* The prestigious uni gave Milgram’s study legitimacy and authority
* P’s were more obedient here as they perceived the experimenter to have equal legitimacy and that obedience was expected
Explain the situational variable: Uniform
Situational variables, Milgram
- In one variation the E was called away
- The role of the E was taken by a member of the public (confed) in everyday clothes
- Obedience dropped to 20%
Ex:
* Uniforms encourage obedience as they are widely recognised as a symbol of authority
* we accept that someone in uniform is entitled to expect obedience as their authority is legitimate
