Social influence key terms

Question 1

compliance

Answer 1

occurs when an individual accepts influence because they hope to achieve a favourable reaction from those around them. An attitude or behaviour is adopted not because of its content, but because of the rewards or approval associated with its adoption

Question 2

conformity

Answer 2

is a form of social influence that results from exposure to the majority position and leads to compliance with that position. It is the tendency for people to adopt the behaviour, attitudes and values of other members of a reference group

Question 3

identification

Answer 3

a form of influence where an individual adopts an attitude or behaviour because they want to be associated with a particular group or person

Question 4

informational social influence

Answer 4

is a form of influence, which is the result of a desire to be right - looking to others as a way of gaining evidence about reality

Question 5

internalisation

Answer 5

occurs when an individual accepts influence because the content of the attitude or behaviour proposed is consistent with their own value system

Question 6

normative social influence

Answer 6

is a form of influence whereby an individual conforms with the expectations of the majority in order to gain approval or to avoid social disapproval

Question 7

social roles

Answer 7

are the behaviours expected of an individual who occupies a given social position or status

Question 8

obedience to authority

Answer 8

obedience refers to a type of social influence whereby somebody acts in response to a direct order from a figure with perceived authority. There is also the implication that the person receiving the order is made to respond in a way that they would not have otherwise done without the order

Question 9

agentic state

Answer 9

a person sees himself or herself as an agent for carrying out another person’s wishes

Question 10

legitimate authority

Answer 10

a person who is perceived to be in a position of social control within a situation

Question 11

authoritarian personality

Answer 11

a distinct personality pattern characterised by strict adherence to conventional values and a belief in absolute obedience or submission to authority

Question 12

dispositional

Answer 12

explanations of behaviours such as obedience emphasise them being caused by an individuals own personal characteristics rather than situational within the environment

Question 13

f scale

Answer 13

also known as the ‘California F scale’ or the ‘Fascism scale’, the F scale was developed in California in 1947 as a measure of authoritarian traits or tendencies

Question 14

right wing authoritarianism

Answer 14

a cluster of personality variables (conventionalism, authority submission and authoritarian aggression) that are associated with a ‘right-wing’ attitude to life

Question 15

externality

Answer 15

individuals who tend to believe that their behaviour and experience is caused by events outside their control

Question 16

internality

Answer 16

individuals who tend to believe that they are responsible for their behaviour and experience rather than external forces

Question 17

locus of control

Answer 17

people differ in their beliefs about whether the outcomes of their actions are dependent on what they do (internal locus of control) or on events outside their personal control (external locus of control)

Question 18

social support

Answer 18

the perception that an individual has assistance available from other people, and that they are part of a supportive network