social influence-conformity

Question 1

what is conformity

Answer 1

a type of social influence which creates a change in behaviour or beliefs in an individual so they can fit in with a certain group
also refered as majority influence

Question 2

why do people change their attitudes/behaviours

Answer 2

-due to exposure to the majority position
-real or imagined group pressure
-the pressure of societal norms
-general aspiration to achieve a level of success

Question 3

how is conformity beneficial

Answer 3

-it helps society to function
-maintains law and order

Question 4

how is conformity detrimental

Answer 4

-reduces your independence/expression
-may conform to bad behaviour

Question 5

what is complience

Answer 5

-where an individual changes their belief to fit in with the group
-this involves puplic acceptence of the groups behaviour but they may privately dissagree
-if is a superficial level of conformity and are only lasting as long as the group is present
-it is often due to a desire to fit in/avoid social dissapproval
-it is linked to NSI

Question 6

what is identification

Answer 6

-when individuals change their behaviour and opinions because the membership of the group is desirable
-they like/value the group so want to be similar to them eg-take on behaviour, attitudes
- deeper level of conformity as it involves private as well as public acceptance
-the effects are only temporary if the individual is no longer a member of the group there beliefs may return to normal

Question 7

what is internalisation

Answer 7

-deepest level of conformity as they change both their public and private behaviour
-this will lead to a permanent change in opinion as the individual genuinely believes the group to be correct
-the new behaviour will remain even in the absence of the group
-it linked to ISI

Question 8

the table

Answer 8

…

Question 9

what is normative social influence (NSI)

Answer 9

-people conform due there desire to be liked/accepted
-they want to gain approval from other and avoid being different

Question 10

what is informational social influence (ISI)

Answer 10

-when someone conforms because they don’t know what to do but want to be correct
-they follow the majority because they assume they are correct
-in situations that are ambiguous we look to those we believe have superior knowledge
-this is more likely to lead to a permanent change
linked to
internalization

Question 11

what was jenness procedure
support for ISI

Answer 11

101 university students were recruited as participants

they were told they were undergoing a test of ability

they were presented with a sealed jar of beans and asked to make an individual private estimate of the number of beans in the jar

They were then assigned to a large or small group to discuss their estimates and come to a group estimate. A control group did not take part in any discussions before giving a final estimate .

participants then made a second individual private estimate

Question 12

what were the findings of Jenness proceduce

Answer 12

individuals second private estimate tend to converge towards the group estimate -this demonstrates the power of conformity in ambiguous situations

Question 13

what type of conformity were shown by Jenness participants and what is an explanation for this conformity

Answer 13

internalisation
ISI

Question 14

how did Jenness study lack population validity

Answer 14

the only subjects that took part in this experiment were college students . They represent a highly select group restricted as to
age, social status, intelligence and interests
it doesn’t represent wider population (only college students) so cant generalize to wider population

Question 15

how does Jenness study lack ecological validity

Answer 15

it lacks mundane realism as its an artificial situation as people would usually consult with friends before guessing jellybeans in a jar

Question 16

how does Jenness study lack ethics

Answer 16

as they were under the impression it was a test of ability
this means they were deceived as it was actually about conformity This means they may start displaying demand characteristics which could affect validity

Question 17

what type of conformity is shown in Jenness study

Answer 17

NSI-as participants were placed into groups and wanted to be liked
ISI-as they wanted to be right about the number of jellybeans

Question 18

what was the procedure of Asch’s experiment
support for NSI

Answer 18

123 male participants from Swarthmore college volunteered to take part in task of visual perception (in uni you’re forced to volunteer)
participants were placed in a group with 7 confederates. They were all seated around a table looking at a display. The genuine participant was the 7th or 8th to be seated and to give their answer on a task
in turns the participants had to say which out of the 3 lines was the same the same as the stimulus line X. The correct answer was unambiguous
12 out of the 18 critical trials (the ones that were recorded) the confederated gave the same incorrect answer unanimously
the experimental group was compared to a performance in a control group in which there were no confederates (all true participants)

Question 19

what in the purpose of a control condition

Answer 19

so we have a baseline group to compare against

Question 20

in aschs study how many people conformed once in a critical trial

Answer 20

75%
shows the majority of people readily conform to a group

Question 21

how many conformed on all 12 critical trials

Answer 21

5%
this suggests there were individual differences in the extent to which people conformed

Question 22

what was the mean average of conformity across all critical trials

Answer 22

32% compared to 0.04% in the control condition
people are likely to conform to a majority even when the task is clear suggesting we conform to fit in

Question 23

as Asch’s task was unambiguous what conformity is this an example of

Answer 23

NSI- as we aren’t conforming to be right

Question 24

why did participants give the wrong answer in Aschs study

Answer 24

they said in the debriefing that they yielded to the majority influence as they DIDNT WANT TO STAND OUT
some believed their perception was wrong/doubted the accuracy of their own judgement

Question 25

what is the original level of confomity in Aschs study

Answer 25

32%

Question 26

in the variation what happened to conformity when the number of confederates was 2 instead of 7

Answer 26

12.8%

Question 27

in the variation what happened when the confederates weren't unanimous and one confederate gave the same answer as the genuine participant or different from the majority

Answer 27

5% as you now have a dissenting ally

Question 28

in the variation what happened when Asch made the correct answer less obvious (more ambiguous) by having lines of similar length

Answer 28

didnt report Conformity would increase

Question 29

how was Aschs study high in internal validity

Answer 29

he used a laboratory experiment which meant there was high levels of control over extraneous variables he was able to control where participants were seated and the incorrect answers confederates gave therefore cause and effect relationship can be established between the confederates and participants behavior. Participants were conforming due to the presence of the confederates

Question 30

how did aschs study lack ecological validity

Answer 30

participants were placed in an a unfamiliar group of strangers (confederates). The line task is an artificial task which does not reflect conformity in real life therefore the results cannot be generalized to real life and are limited in their application to real life

Question 31

how does aschs sample lack population validity

Answer 31

they were only male-cant generalize to females only American and individualistic cultures-cant generalize to other collectivist/other cultures

Question 32

how is Aschs study unethical

Answer 32

he told the it was a task of visual perception he didn't know the other participants were confederates he gave the psychological harm as they were doubting their own judgement which made them stress/discomfort however if he told them the truth the study would've lacked validity

Question 33

what did perrin and spencer find in regards to Aschs stiudy

Answer 33

they replicated Aschs study research using British engineering, chemistry and math students. They only found 1 conforming response in 396 trials. They concluded that Aschs study could be criticized as being a child of its time

Question 34

evaluation points of perrin and spencers study

Answer 34

-it was conducted in 1980-they could be familiar with Aschs study and displaying demand characteristics which could affect validity -they are engineering, chemistry and math students who are taught to be confident in their answers -it lack population validity -Aschs study was conducted in the mcarthysim period when people were scared to be different which could be why they conformed. His study was only valid for that time (child of its time)

Question 35

what is an individualistic culture

Answer 35

where they only care about themselves/wester culture -focussed on independence

Question 36

what is a collectivist culture

Answer 36

care about other/family unit/eastern culture interdependence

Question 37

what is cultural relativism

Answer 37

the idea that cultural norms and values are culture specific and no one culture is superior to another culture

Question 38

what is meta analysis

Answer 38

when researchers collect a range of research that was previously conducted in a specific area (look up on teams)

Question 39

what did smith et al see

Answer 39

he used meta-analysis to review studies that had used Aschs procedure and found that average conformity rate in collectivist cultures is 37% compared to individualistic cultures which was 25%

Question 40

what are social roles

Answer 40

social roles are the parts individuals play as members of a social group

Question 41

what are social norms

Answer 41

expected ways for people in that role to behave

Question 42

how do individuals conform to social norms

Answer 42

individuals look to the social roles played by others and conform to these expectations.

Question 43

what type of conformity is conformity to social roles an example of

Answer 43

identification-it is temporary when they are no longer in that group/social role they act different

Question 44

why did people think riots were rife in the 60s and 70s

Answer 44

due to the nature of the type of people that became guards and the type of people that became prisoners -> known as a dispositional hypothesis

Question 45

what is meant by a dispositional hypothesis

Answer 45

within the individual

Question 46

what is meant by a situational hypothesis

Answer 46

due to the environment/situation they are in

Question 47

two aims of Zimbardo's study

Answer 47

To test if prison brutality was because of the personality of the guards all because they are conforming to social roles

Question 48

procedure of zimbardos study

Answer 48

75 male students from the US and Canada, who were all living in the Stanford area of California volunteered to take part in a study of prison life, they were told they would be payed $15 per day -they underwent a series of assessments from which 21 students were rated the most physically and mentally stable were selected to take part -they were believed to be the most mature and free from anti-social and criminal tendencies

Question 49

strength of Zimbardo's sample

Answer 49

-all underwent assessments to ensure mental stability-they were protected from harm

Question 50

weakness of Zimbardo's sample

Answer 50

-only males -all from stanford(lacked population validity)

Question 51

how were they allocated prisoner and guard

Answer 51

randomly allocated 10 guards 11 prisoners

Question 52

why is random allocation to the roles of prisoner and guard a strength

Answer 52

reduces researcher bias which could affect validity

Question 53

why is is a concern that Zimbardo played prison superintendent

Answer 53

investigator effects

Question 54

what was the basement of the psychology department converted into

Answer 54

a mock prison with consisting of 3 cells with steel bar doors

Question 55

why is it a concern that they used a mock prison

Answer 55

as the participants know its not a real prison so could start displaying demand characteristics

Question 56

there was a room with video recording equipment to record transactions between the participants

Answer 56

people in the past and present times can observe behaviour it allows us to consistently check data

Question 57

arrest of the prisoners

Answer 57

-prisoners were arrested by local police at there homes and charged with suspicion of burglary or armed robbery they were handcuffed searched and blindfolded and taken to Stanford university when they arrived at the "prison" they were deloused, stripped and searched they were fingerprinted, given a prison outfit and given a number which they were called for the rest of their duration

Question 58

guards

Answer 58

they wore khaki uniform were given reflective sunglasses keys handcuffs and truncheons they were told to maintain order but were not given exact instructions however they were told physical punishments weren't allowed prisoner were placed in a cell and routines of mealtimes, shifts and visiting times was established three guards worked an 8 hour shift and conducted a prisoner count where they recited their identification number after 36 1 prisoner was released because of fits of crying/rage 3 more developed similar symptoms and were released the 5th developed a severe rash when his parole was declined the study was cut short after 6 days when Zimbardo realised the extent of harm that was occurring due to the guards aggressive nature -this shows they werent protected from harm

Question 59

what were the findings of zimbardos experiement

Answer 59

-prisoners and guards settled quickly into their roles an initial prisoner rebellion was crushed the guards began to inflict dehumanising punishments on the prisoners eg-placed in isolation and given boring meaningless tasks to do the prisoners became submissive and unquestioning

Question 60

what does Zimbardo's study suggest about conformity to social roles what does this suggest about group identity

Answer 60

due to situational factors as they haven't previously displayed these behaviours. However individual differences also plays a role as there were some good guards and some sadistic guards being part of a group leads to higher levels of conformity

Question 61

how was Zimbardo's study reliable

Answer 61

as it was conducted in a laboratory setting with strong controls over variables eg-all having the same experience of being stripped arrested and given a number -this is good as they can repeat the experiment and test reliability

Question 62

how does Zimbardo's study have applications to real life

Answer 62

it can show show extreme violence in prisoner can occur and can help us understand how to reduce this between prisoners and guards -it has led to the reform of real prisons eg-juveniles accused of federal crime are no longer housed with adult prisoners before trial (due to risk of violence against them)

Question 63

most of the guards claimed they were simply acting. because they were playing a role their behaviour may not be influenced by the same factors which affect behaviour irl why is this a weakness

Answer 63

as they were displaying demand characteristics which affects validity

Question 64

how did zimbardos study lack population validity

Answer 64

as there were only males from an individualistic america/canada culture from the stanford area

Question 65

how did Zimbardo breach ethics and how did he justify this

Answer 65

he didn't terminate the experiment when participants were showing signs of extreme stress he did follow the ethical guidelines at the time eg-informed consent and debriefed his participants

Question 66

what did reicher and haslam find

Answer 66

they replicated the Sanford prison experiment but with 15 male participants they were divided into 5 groups of 3 people the 3 were matched as closely as possible on key personality variables from each group 1 was randomly chosen to be a guard whilst the 2 others were prisoners -in contrast to Zimbardo's experiment the participants did not automatically conform to their roles the prisoners identified as a group and worked collectively to challenge the authority of the guards the guards were also reluctant to impose their authority on the prisoners which led to a shift in power and collapse of the prison-guard system

Question 67

how did reicher and haslam disprove zimbardos findings

Answer 67

in zimbardos experiment there were good guards and sadistic guards reicher and haslam thinks this shows participants chose hoe to behave (dispositional) rather than blindly conforming to their social role

Question 68

what did banuazizi and movahedi argue

Answer 68

that the behvaiour of the guards and prisoners was due to demand charcateristics as they were dressed in eg-reflectivive sunglasses and truchons. when they presented the details of the procedure to students who had never heard of the study the vast majority guessed the purpose was to see if ordinary people assigned to the role of guard and prisoner would act like real guards and prisoners this means the study lack validity

Question 69

what did zimbardo claim about abu gharib

Answer 69

that the us soldiers were victims of situational factors eg-lack of training and relentless boredom that made abuses more likely he served as an expert witness