Social Influence (AS Paper 1)

Question 1

What is asch research about conformity

Answer 1

The procedure of this study was 128 male college students, arrived at the experiment and they were asked to take part in a perception task as a prelude to the main study. This wasn’t true as the “simple perception task” was the main study. In one study there was 6 confederates and 1 participant which we were sat in a specific order (5 confederate, participant, last confederate). Asch asked them to which lines were the same in length. He went round the table and all the confederates answered incorrectly, which impacted the answer of the confederates.

Question 2

What were the findings of the asch study

Answer 2

On average 37% of participants conformed
At least 75% conformed at least once

Question 3

What are the 2 variables that affected asch research

Answer 3

Groups size
Unanimity

Question 4

Results from the variable investaged by asch: group size

Answer 4

1 confederate= conformity was 4%
2 confederates= conformity was 14%
3 confederates= conformity was 32%

These findings show that the more confederates involved, the more likely they are like to conform.

Question 5

Findings from variables investigated by ash: unanimity

Answer 5

Conformity decreased to 5.5% if there was one confederate who gave the correct answer
Conformity increased when the task was made harder (the lines were similar in length)
Conformity decreased if a confederate went against the minority answer, because there was no agreement.

Question 6

What are the 3 types of conformity

Answer 6

Internalisation= perminant change, as we change to be correct
Identification= medium change in behaviour , we go with the group to gain social acceptance and don’t want to offend
Compliance= short-term change, want to go along with the group however, privately disagree

Question 7

What are the explanations for conformity

Answer 7

Normative social influence (NSI)- we conform to be LIKED
Informational social influence (ISI)- we conform to be RIGHT

Question 8

Conformity to social roles research

Answer 8

Zimbardos experiment consisted of 21 white male students, (who were all emotionally stable) were chosen and rondomaly spilt into 2 groups, the prison guard or the prisoner. When they were given there roles they had to wear either a uniform (guard) or were stripped from their clothes and given a loose smock (prisoner). They were then told to commit their roles and prisoners were given punishments from the guards (however these were not physical punishments). The procedure ended up lasting 6 days rather than the initial 14.

Question 9

What were some of the behaviour changes from the prisoners in zimbardos study

Answer 9

After 2 days, several prisoners experienced symptoms of psychological disturbance. Many cried uncontrollably, while some others became extremely withdrawn and a few tried to escape. As time went on, participants became more anxious and depressed

Question 10

What is the study of obedience

Answer 10

Milligrams study, this study consisted of 40 male participants aged between 20-50. They were paid £4.50 for turning up to the study. Participants were then given the role of the teacher and the confederate got the role of the student. They were then showed the electric shocks, where Mr Wallace stated he had a heart condition. Then the teacher and the experimenter went into a different room to begin the study. The teacher had to ask questions and every time Mr Wallace got one wrong, he would experience an electric shock, and these volts increased each time. It got to 300 volts, when Mr Wallace started to ay things such as ‘ow, my heart’.

Question 11

Where were the results and findings from Milgrams study

Answer 11

Every participant went up to at least 300 volts and 12.5% stopped there, while 65% of them went all the way to the full 450 volts, even with Mr Wallace making notices of pain.
After the study was complete there was a debrief and 84% of participant said they were glad to have taken part after knowing Mr Wallace wasn’t getting hurt.

Question 12

What are the situational variables in milgrams study

Answer 12

Proximity
Uniform
Location

Question 13

Situational variable- proximity findings

Answer 13

Teacher and learner in the same room, conformity rates drop to 40%
Touch proximity, conformity drops to 30%
Teacher and experiementor not in the same room, conformity dropped to 20.5% and some even lied about pressing the switch.

Question 14

Situational variable- location

Answer 14

When the experiement took place in an old run down office building, obedience rates dropped to 48.5%
Obedience dropped however it was still quite high due to the scientific nature.

Question 15

Situational variable- uniform

Answer 15

In the base line study, the experiementer wore a lab coat, indications his higher status in authority.
The experimenter was swapped with another confederate wearing ordinary clothes, conformity then dropped to 20%
Uniforms ‘encourage’ obedience because they are a symbol of authority.

Question 16

What’s the 2 situational explanations for obedience

Answer 16

Agentic state
Legitimacy of authority

Question 17

Describe the legitimacy of authority

Answer 17

From a young age, we learn to respect/obey a person who is in a higher status in a social hierarchy.
These individuals often have visible symbols of authority, this could be a uniform and they are required to use these for a well-functioning society.

Question 18

What’s the agentic state

Answer 18

You first start in the aunotominus state, this is where you make you own decisions and aren’t obeying anybody. Then you can move to the agentic state (this is called the agentic shift) which is when you listen to the person who is higher in authority and carry our orders. However you can experience the ‘moral strain’ during the agentic state. This is where you don’t feel responsible for the consequences or your actions as you are obeying the authority figure as you shift the blame onto them. However you can still feel guilty.

Question 19

What’s the dispositional explanation for obedience

Answer 19

Authoritarian personality developed by Adorno.
If you have authoritarian personality, you are likely to have had strict parents and traumatic childhood experiences. As a result of this they grow a hatred towards their parents, however the can’t display this behaviour towards them due to the consequences, therefore they display these behaviours onto someone who they perceive as weaker then them. These childhood experiences are held in out subconscious mind and suggests that we are a product of our childhood. The F-scale was produced, consisting of a list of closed questions, to determine if you had authoritarian personality. Those who scored highly, had authoritarian personality

Question 20

Resistance to social influence: social support

Answer 20

Having social support will over all increase the the rates of resisting pressures to conform or obey, and they act as a model figure, to show that resisting is possible.

Question 21

Resistance to social influence: locus of control

Answer 21

Internal LOC, suggests that people are in control of their life and are responsible for their actions
External LOC, suggests that people blame others for consequences, and feel like they aren’t in control of their life.

Question 22

Minority influence research

Answer 22

Moscovici’s study consisted of 3 groups of 6 people, where they were asked to organise blue coloured slides from most intense, to least intense and state if the slide were blue or green. The 2 confederates in the group, insisted that they slides were green, and the participants agreed with the confederates 8.4% of the time.
A second group of participants were exposed to an inconsistent minority and the agreement to the answer green was 1.25%
A final control group, with no confederates, said the sides were green 0.25% of the time.

Question 23

What are the 3 processes of minority influence

Answer 23

Consistency
Commitment
Flexibility

Question 24

In minority influence, what is consistency

Answer 24

Research suggests that minority influence are more effective if answers are consistent.
Synchronic consistency is an agreement of people saying the same thing
Diachronic consistency is an agreement of people saying the same thing over and over period of time.

Question 25

In minority influence, what is flexibility

Answer 25

People compromising and adapting their point of view and being prepared to amend valid counterarguments.

Question 26

In minority influence, what is commitment

Answer 26

Means the majority focus on the minority, and the argumentative principle is an argument in their message