Social influence key terms list

Question 1

Agentic shift

Answer 1

People may move from being in a state where they take personal responsibility for their actions to a state where they believe they are acting on behalf of an authority figure.

Question 2

Agentic state

Answer 2

A state where people believe they are acting on behalf go an authority figure.

Question 3

Augmentation principle

Answer 3

If a minority appears willing to suffer for their views, they are seen as more committed and taken more seriously by others.

Question 4

Authoritarian personality

Answer 4

Aggressive feelings towards people who violate conventional norms.

Question 5

Authoritarian submission

Answer 5

A personality type characterised by strict adherence to conventional values and a belied in absolute obedience or submission to authority.

Question 6

Autonomous submission

Answer 6

An uncritical submission to legitimate authorities.

Question 7

Autonomous state

Answer 7

A state where people take responsibility for their actions.

Question 8

Boomerang effect

Answer 8

An unintended consequence of social norms interventions where people adopt the opposing position to that intended.

Question 9

Commitment

Answer 9

The degree to which members of a minority are dedicated to a particular cause or activity. The greater the perceived commitment, the greater the influence.

Question 10

Compliance

Answer 10

Going along with others to gain their approval or avoid their disapproval. There is no change in the person’s underlying attitude, only their public behaviour.

Question 11

Confederate

Answer 11

An individual in a study who is not a real participant and has been instructed how to bah by the investigator.

Question 12

Conformity

Answer 12

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 the other members of the reference group.

Question 13

Consistency

Answer 13

Minority influence is effective provided there is consistency in the expressed position over time and agreement among different members of the minority.

Question 14

Conventionalism

Answer 14

An adherence to conventional norms and values.

Question 15

Deception

Answer 15

This occurs when a participant is not told the true aims of a study. Thus, the participant cannot truly give informed consent.

Question 16

Demand characteristics

Answer 16

Cues that makes participants aware of what the researcher expects to find to how participants are expected to behave.

Question 17

Dispositional explanation

Answer 17

An explanation of behaviour that emphasises the individuals own personal characteristics rather than situational influences within the environment.

Question 18

Dissent

Answer 18

Holding an opposing view to that of the majority.

Question 19

Dogmatic

Answer 19

Refusing to consider that other options might also be justified.

Question 20

Ecological validity

Answer 20

A form of external validity . The ability to generalise a research effect beyond the particular setting in which it demonstrated to other settings.

Question 21

Externality

Answer 21

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

Question 22

F scale

Answer 22

Also known as the ‘California F scale’ or ‘Fascism scale’ the F scale was developed in California as a measure of authoritarian traits or tendencies.

Question 23

Flexibility

Answer 23

A willingness to compromise then expressing a position.

Question 24

Historical validity

Answer 24

The extent to which a research finding can be generalised over time.

Question 25

Identification

Answer 25

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

Question 26

Informational social influence

Answer 26

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 27

Informed consent

Answer 27

In terms of ethics, participants must be given comprehensive information concerning the nature and purpose of a study and their role in it. This is necessary in order that they can make an informed decision about whether to participate.

Question 28

Internalisation

Answer 28

Going along with others because we accept their point of view. This is a result of examining the group’s position, which may lead to validation of our own views, or acceptance of the group’s view, both in public and in private.

Question 29

Internality

Answer 29

Individuals who tend to believe that they are responsible for their behaviour and experience rather than externally; forces.

Question 30

Legitimate authority

Answer 30

A person or organisation who has been given command through legislation or general agreement.

Question 31

Locus of control

Answer 31

An aspect go our personality. People differ in their beliefs about whether the outcome’s of their actions are dependent on what they do or events outside their personal control.

Question 32

McCarthyism

Answer 32

The practice of making accusations of disobidience and treason without proper regard for evidence, based on the activities of American Senator McCarthy in the 1950’s.

Question 33

Meta-analysis

Answer 33

A researcher looks at the findings from a number of different studies in order to reach a general conclusion about a particular hypothesis.

Question 34

Minority influence

Answer 34

A form of social influence where members of the majority group change their beliefs or behaviour due to the actions of one or a few people.

Question 35

Normative social influence

Answer 35

The result of wanting to be liked and be accepted as part of a group by following its norms.

Question 36

Obedience to authority

Answer 36

A type of social influence whereby somebody acts in response to a direct order. There is also the implication. that the person receiving the order is made to respond in a way the would not have done without the order.

Question 37

Protection from harm

Answer 37

During a research study, participants should not experience negative physical effects, such as physical injury, nor physiological effects, such as lowered self-esteem or embarrassment.

Question 38

Right-wing authoritarianism

Answer 38

A cluster of personality variables that are associated with a right-wing attitude to life.

Question 39

Self-efficacy

Answer 39

A persons belief that they can perform competently in a given situation.

Question 40

Social change

Answer 40

Occurs when a society as a whole adopts a new belief or behaviour, which then becomes accepted as the norm.

Question 41

Snowball effect

Answer 41

Minority influence initially has a relatively small effect but this then spreads more widely as more and more people consider the issues being promoted.