Social Influence (AO2) Flashcards
1
Q
How does Zimbardo’s have high control? What is the impact?
A
- The participants were selected based based on emotional stability and were then randomly assigned these new roles. This meant that the impact personality differences had on the results would be minimised
- This increases the internal validity as it means the conclusions we can draw from Zimbardo’s findings as control over the variables were so strong.
2
Q
Explain the research for ISI
A
- P: A strength of the explanations of conformity is that there is research that supports the theory of ISI.
- E: Lucas et al (2006) found that students who were given maths problems to solve in groups were much more likely to conform if the questions were of a higher difficulty.
- I: This demonstrates the how people conform when they aren’t sure of an answer and looks to others for help, which is exactly what ISI states. This increases the reliability of the theory.
3
Q
Comment on the two forms of SI as exclusive
A
- P: A problem with the Deutsch and Gerrard’s approach is that it presents social influence as solely one or the other, not both. This exclusivity means it fails to acknowledge how they may sometimes happen at the same time.
- E: For example, it is not clear whether NSI or ISI is reduced when dissenters begin to appear in the work of Asch. You could argue either as conformity may reduce because of social support (NSI) or because a new and alternative source of information has been provided, making it NSI.
- I: This means that it isn’t always possible to determine which explanation is at work, decreasing the theory’s internal validity as perhaps it is not two separate processes.
4
Q
Is it hard to distinguish between the 3 forms of conformity?
A
- P: A problem with ideas regarding conformity is that they are hard to distinguish between from an outsider’s perspective.
- E: Although it may seem that somebody is complying, for example, they may have actually gone through internalisation, though that may not be clear for others. Or even in experiments when ppts are asked on why they changed their behaviour, they may give a false answer due to social desirability etc.
- I: This decreases the internal validity.
5
Q
What is Asch’s study typically dubbed? What is the impact on this and why?
A
- P: Asch’s study can be considered a ‘child of its time’ as the current events at the time of the study may have significantly impacted the results.
- E: At the time American society was very conformist due to the anti-communism regime, with many people feeling pressure to have the same views. This is further proven by the fact that the study was repeated in England in the 90s using engineering students and only one student conformed out of the 396 trials.
- I: Therefore, this may have caused conformity rates in general to be recorded as higher due to there being much more pressure to do so in 1950s America anyway. This decreases the external validity.
6
Q
Comment on Asch’s use of an artificial setting?
A
- P: One methodological criticism of this research is that the task and situation were both artificial.
- E: Due to the experiment’s laboratory setting, ppts were only involved in an artificial scenario. Therefore, this can be considered not reflective of the real world or real life situations to do with conformity as it is not atypical or too removed.
- I: Decreases external validity.
7
Q
What bias does Asch suffer from? Effect?
A
- Gender bias
- External validity
8
Q
Is there an issue with Zimbardo’s involvement in his experiment?
A
- P: A methodological criticism is that the experiment was subject to researcher bias.
- E: Zimbardo partook in the experiment as an observer and therefore this may have impacted the results. He stated himself that he felt himself ‘change’ change over the course of the experiment and he was only able to stop it a fellow psychologist got involved as he couldn’t bring himself to do it.
- I: Decreases internal validity.
9
Q
“There is conflicting research against Zimbardo’s findings”
Elaborate on this statment
A
- P: Another criticism is that there is research which goes against the original study.
- E: Reicher and Haslam’s 2006 BBC Prison Study had a completely different set of results, which involved the Prisoners banding together and overrunning the guard system and taking the power for themselves. This is said to be because the Guards failed to adopt a group identity.
- I: This decreases the reliability as it suggests that Zimbardo’s work was perhaps completely false or at least that research into social roles has not definitive enough to draw any real conclusions.
10
Q
Comment on possible ethical issues with Milgram
A
- P: Yet, these studies contain a variety of ethical issues.
- E: Participants were lied to in various ways such as being told the roles were randomly assigned, they were actually there for a study about memory and that the shocks were real. Under guidelines of the BPS this would be of ethical concern under the category of deception.
- I: Calls into question whether it is right to allow such experiments to be undertaken, bearing in mind the impact that such acts could have on the participants.
11
Q
Use an AO3 point for Milgram that involves Gina Perry
A
- P: One criticism of this research is that the participants displayed demand characteristics.
- E: Gina Perry analysed the tapes of the experiment and confirmed that many participants expressed doubts about whether the shocks being given were genuine, which decreases the internal validity.
- I: Though Milgram said when 70% of participants said they thought the shocks were real when feeding back, this can still cause problems with the internal validity.
12
Q
Comment on Milgram’s cultural validity
A
- P: A strength of Milligram’s work is that it has been replicated in a variety of cultures.
- E: When replicated in Spain using students who were female and male, the rate of obedience is over 90%, suggesting that Milligram’s conclusions are not just exclusive to American males.
- I: This highlights the experiment’s lack of cultural bias, which increases its external validity. However, such replications still only occurred in Western developed countries so even still, the external validity may only be slight increased.
13
Q
Elaborate on the point that “there is research to support Milgram’s work regarding uniform and obedience”
A
- P: A strength is that there is research to support uniform as a situational variable.
- E: A 1974 field experiment in New York involved a confederate dressing in three outfits consisting of a security guard, milkman’s outfit and office clothes. It was found that people obeyed the ‘security guard’ twice as often than any other costume worn.
- I: This increases the reliability as it further suggests that a uniform can convey someone’s superiority and authority as Milligram’s work also suggested.
14
Q
What research is there to support Agentic Shift?
A
- P: A strength of the explanation of Agentic Shift is that there is research to support it.
- E: Blass and Schmitt (2001) showed various video footage of Milgram’s original experiment. They all place blame on the experimenter due to his legitimate and expert authority.
- I: Therefore, they recognised the same factors as the explanation predicts, increasing its validity
15
Q
Comment on the concept of agentic shift and cultural bias
A
- P: A strength of the legitimate authority explanation is that it has a lack of cultural bias.
- E: When studies involving obedience have been done globally it has been found that obedience rates have differed based on where they were undertaken. Rates were higher in German variations, where Australians ones had a much lower rate than Milgram’s baseline study.
- I: This shows how based on how cultures and societies view authority and how they are raised to do so impacts their likeliness to obey the representative figure in the study. Support from cross-cultural studies increase the explanation’s validity.
