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Psychology > Social Influence - Paper 1 > Flashcards

Social Influence - Paper 1 Flashcards

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1
Q

What is the definition of conformity?

A

The change in a person’s behaviour or opinions as a result of real or imagined pressure from a person or group of people.

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2
Q

What is compliance?

A

When someone goes along with what others are doing to fit in - doesn’t have same beliefs in private.

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3
Q

What is identification?

A

When someone values something about a certain group and want to be a part of it. Can possibly hold the same beliefs.

changes in public and private beliefs only occur when in a particular social role

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4
Q

What is internalisation?

A

When a person genuinely believes and accepts a group norm. It’s permanent - public & private.

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5
Q

What are the 3 variables of conformity?

A

Group size, unanimity & task difficulty.

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6
Q

What relationships is thought to be linked with group size? Correct or incorrect?

A

Curvilinear relationship. It has been disproven as it levelled off after groups of about 4.

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7
Q

What does the disproven curvilinear suggest?

A

That most people are sensitive to other’s views as it didn’t take many people to conform (2-3).

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8
Q

What is unanimity?

A

When a non-confirming confederate is introduced to the task.

explain how he used unanimity -> made one confederate give a complete separate answer to the other confederates

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9
Q

How did task difficulty affect the participants conformity?

A

Conformity increased. There’s an unclear answer & they look to others for help & assume they’re right.

explain how he changed the task difficulty -> making comparison lines closer together

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10
Q

How is the G.R.A.V.E acronym applied to Asch’s study?

A

G- only American males.
R- not up to date (-), real answers/ reactions (+).
A- doesn’t apply to real world.
V- Trivial, not replicating real situation.
E- not fully informed.

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11
Q

What is artificial situation & task? Positive or negative?

A

When participants know they’re in a study & can go along with what’s expected - low stakes.
Negative- Susan Friske says they don’t resemble real life groups.

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12
Q

What is limited application (Asch’s study)? Positive or negative?

A

The fact that only American men took part, no women or other cultures.
Negative- other research suggests women conform more. Doesn’t apply to whole world.

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13
Q

Is Asch’s study reliable? Positive or negative?

A

It is as Lucas et Al (2006) managed to replicate results for task difficulty. ^ difficulty = ^ conformity.
Positive- it is reliable as results were replicated.

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14
Q

How many male students were involved in Asch’s study?

A

123.

must call them confederates in exam- use exact terminology

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15
Q

What did Asch tell the participants the study was about?
What was the actual aim of the study?

A

A ‘visual perception’ task.
How social pressure affects someone’s behaviour.

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16
Q

How often did the participants give an incorrect answer?
How many conformed at least once?
How many never confirmed?

A

36.8%.
75%.
25%.

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17
Q

What were the reasons for the participants conforming in Asch’s study?

A

So they would fit in & avoid rejection - they thought they’d be ridiculed.

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18
Q

What are the two types of conformity Deutsch and Gerard developed?

A

Need to be right- ISI.
Need to be liked- NSI.

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19
Q

What is informational social influence (ISI)?

A

When a person looks to a person or group of people who have better info than them - to be right.

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20
Q

When does informational social influence (ISI) occur? (3)

A

1) a person is new to a situation and wants to do the right thing.
2) situation is ambiguous and you look for what is right or in times of crisis.
3) a person within the group is regarded as being more of an expert.

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21
Q

What does informational social influence (ISI) result in?
How is it applied to Asch’s study?

A

Internalisation.
People were looking to others as conformity increased when task difficulty increased.

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22
Q

What is normative social influence (NSI)?

A

When someone follows social norms to be accepted into a group- fear of rejection.

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23
Q

When does normative social influence (NSI) occur? (2)

A

1) when seeking approval of strangers (e.g. interviews).
2) when an individual is in a stressful situation & people are in greater need for social support.

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24
Q

What does normative social influence (NSI) result in?
How does it apply to Asch’s study?

A

Compliance.
People said they agreed with confederates because they wanted to fit in.

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25
Q

What is a real life application of normative social influence (NSI)?

A

Schultz et al (2008) - change behaviour of hotel guests by printing messages encouraging them to save energy. Suggested other guests were using fewer towels & were successful.

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26
Q

What are social roles?

A

Parts people play as a member of a social group - because of societal expectations and pressure to conform.

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27
Q

What experiment did Zimbardo conduct and what was its aim? (3)

A

Stanford Prison Experiment.
How readily people would conform to the social roles of guard and prisoner in a role-playing exercise.
Whether behaviour displayed in prisons was due to internal dispositional factors (people) or external situational factors (environment).

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28
Q

How many male students took part in the Prison experiment?
How long was it supposed to last?
How long did it last?

A

24.
14 days.
6 days.

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29
Q

How were the people assigned to the prisoner and guard roles?

A

Randomly!

(important)

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30
Q

What symbols of power did the guards get? (5)

A

Khaki uniform, whistles, handcuffs, batons, dark glasses.

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31
Q

How were the prisoners prepared for the experiment? (5)

A

Blindfolded, strip-searched, de-loused, issued a uniform and referred to by their number only.

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32
Q

What role did Zimbardo play?

A

He had a duel role- researcher and superintendent.

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33
Q

What were Zimbardo’s findings? (6)

A
  1. Day 4- after rebellion guards got a lot more aggressive.
  2. Guards behaved in brutal and sadistic manner, apparently enjoying it.
  3. Prisoners becamee more submissive & guards became more aggressive & assertive.
  4. Became like proper prison roles - “told tales” to get on guards good sides.
  5. Started to sexually abuse prisoners.
  6. Behaviour became threat to prisoner’s psychological and physical health.
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34
Q

What were Zimbardo’s conclusions? (2)

A
  1. People quickly conform to social roles even if it goes against moral principles.
  2. Situational factors largely responsible for behaviour found, none of participants demonstrated those behaviours previously.
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35
Q

What is obedience?

A

Form of social influence where individuals follow a direct order from a person of authority.

36
Q

What is destructive obedience?

A

When an individual obeys an order to do something immoral which causes the individual (that is carrying out the order) distress and regret.

37
Q

Why did Milgram want to conduct his experiment? (1)
What were his aims? (2)

A

1) he was commissioned to investigate the psychology behind the holocaust.
2) Wanted to know if Germans were different, more obedient to authority than people in other countries.
3) Wanted to find out if ordinary American citizens would obey an unjust order from an authority figure & inflict pain on another person because they were instructed to.

38
Q

What was Milgram’s procedure? (4)

A

1) 40 male participants were ‘randomly allocated’ to either teacher or learner (it wasn’t random, learners weren’t real participants).
2) learner was strapped into chair in other room (teacher watched it happen & saw a test electrical shot). They weren’t actually strapped in.
3) teacher ask recall questions & purposely get them wrong.
4) each time learner got an incorrect question they’d get an electric shock- volts got higher each time.

39
Q

What were Milgram’s findings? (3)

A

1) all real participants went up to at least 300 volts, 65% continued until 450 colts (max).
2) participants showed signs of extreme tension (sweat, trembling, biting lip, etc). 3 went into ‘full blown uncontrollable seizures’.
3) findings were not what he expected. Asked 14 students to predict-> only 3% would go up to max volts.

40
Q

What were Milgram’s conclusions? (2)

A

1) under right circumstance ordinary people will obey unjust orders.
2) Germans aren’t different, holocaust would’ve still happened even if Hitler was in another country (e.g. France or England).

41
Q

What are the weaknesses of Milgram’s study? (3)

A

Ethics- Milgram deceived his participants as he said the experiment was on ‘punishment and learning’.
Validity- Milgram’s study has been criticised for lacking ecological validity (very controlled).
Generalisability- Milgram’s research lacked population validity (only 40 male American volunteers).

42
Q

What are the strengths of Milgram’s study? (2)

A

Reliability- other studies into obedience have found similar results (Le Jeu de La Mort documentary, new game show).
Reliability- Sheridan and King (1972) conducted a similar experiment with a puppy and male & female participants. Similar results (F- 100%, M- 54%).

43
Q

How many other experiments did Milgram conduct to look at situational variables (do not include baseline experiment).

A

5

44
Q

What are the 6 experiments he conducted and what % of the participants are fully obedient? (Include type of situational variable).

A

1) Baseline at Yale university, 65%.
2) Run down office, 47.5%, location.
3) T & L in same room, 40% proximity.
4) T forcing L hand onto plate, 30%, proximity.
5) E giving orders by phone, 20.5%, proximity.
6) E played by a ‘member of the public’, 20%, uniform.

45
Q

What is legitimacy of authority?

A

People are more likely to obey someone who is perceived to have authority -> individuals position of power.

46
Q

What is the agentic stage?

A

When a person gives up independence to someone they trust and hand control over to person of authority.

47
Q

What is destructive authority?

A

When legitimate authority becomes destructive- ordering people to behave in a callous, cruel, stupid and dangerous manner.

48
Q

What is the autonomous state?

A

When an individual feels responsible for their own actions and behave according to their own principles.

49
Q

What is an agent?

A

When a person is in the agentic stage and obeys authority- acts on behalf of someone or a group.

50
Q

What is the problem with being an agent?

A

Can cause anxiety and can feel powerless.

51
Q

How did Milgram look into the agentic stage? (3)

A

1) In his original experiment 65% went up to highest (450) volts - told experimenter had full responsibility.
2) One variant- confederate administered electric shock - % rose to 92.5%.
3) The participants shifted responsibility as they didn’t give the shocks and felt less responsible.

52
Q

What is the dispositional explanation?

A

Argues that certain personality characteristics are associated with higher levels of obedience.

53
Q

What procedure did Adorno et al (1950) use for the Authoritarian personality?

A

Investigated the causes of obedient personality in a study of more than 2000 middle class white Americans and their unconscious attitudes towards other racial groups. Used the F-scale- fascist (which is a dictator with complete power that people follow).

54
Q

What were Adorno et al‘s findings for investigating Authoritarian personality?

A

People who scored high on the F-scale identified with ‘strong’ people- disrespectful, hatred for ‘weak’, conscious of their own and others’ status and showed excessive respect, submission and were slave like to those of higher status.

55
Q

What are the characteristics of an Authoritarian personality? (6)

A

1) Especially obedient to authority.
2) Extreme respect for authority, a submissiveness to it
3) Hatred for inferior (social status) people.
4) Traditional attitudes to sex, race and gender.
5) Society downhill and think need strong, powerful leaders enforce traditional values.
6) Outlook is inflexible - black or white - very uncomfortable with uncertainty.

56
Q

What are the origins of an Authoritarian personality? (6)

A

1) Harsh parenting.
2) Extremely strict discipline.
3) Expectation of loyalty.
4) Impossibly high standards.
5) Severe criticism of perceived failures.
6) Conditional love.

57
Q

What is resistance to social influence?

A

The ability of people to withstand the social pressure to conform or obey authority.

58
Q

What is resistance to social influence, influenced by?

A

1) social support (situational).
2) locus of control (dispositional).

59
Q

What is social support?

A

When people can resist the pressure to confirm if they have an ally supporting their POV. It can build confidence & allow independence.

60
Q

What does social support help to do? (3)

A

1) break unanimity, no longer fear ridicule, avoid NSI.
2) more likely to disobey, support of view, mod of disobedience.
3) allows individuals to act according to own conscience, resisting social influence (link to Asch & Milgram).

61
Q

How does Asch’s study support social support?
How does Milgram’s study support social support?

A

1) confederates give incorrect answer, participant has confidence to break from group & resist social influence.
2) 1 participant, 2 confederates who withdrew early. Rate of obedience went from 65%-10% (who went up to 450 volts) as are more likely to revisit pressure of authority figure.

62
Q

What is Locus of Control?

A

The degree of
control an individual feels they have
over their own life and is measured on a continuum from internal to extenal.

63
Q

What is internal Locus of Control?
What is external Locus of Control?

A

1) When you take responsibility for your own actions (more likely to resist social influence).
2) When you believe your actions are outside your control.

64
Q

What is the Locus of Control continuum?

A

High internal———————————————— high external

65
Q

What is a strength of the Locus of Control?

A

Evidence to support link between LOC & revisiting obedience. Charles Holland recreated Milgram, measured whether internal or external, int- 37% & ext- 23% didn’t continue.

66
Q

What are the 2 weaknesses of Locus of Control?

A

1) may be exaggerated how it resists social influence. Rotter (1982) found that LoC is only important when people are in a novel (new) situation.
2) There is contradictory evidence, LoC and resistance. Twenge et al. (2004) analysed data from American locus of control studies over 40 years (1960-2002), knew American public become independent. But also more external. If resistance is linked people would’ve becone more internal.

67
Q

What is minority influence?

A

Form of social influence in which a minority of people persuade others to adopt their beliefs, attitudes or behaviours.
Leads to internalisation.

68
Q

Who studied the process of minority influence and what was the experiment? (3)

A

1) Moscovici- ‘blue slide, green slide’ study. Six people view set of 36 differing blue-coloured slides and state whether they were blue or green- two confederates in each group consistently said slides were green on 2/3 of the trials. Participants gave same wrong answer on
8.42% of trials.
2) 2nd group exposed to inconsistent minority, agreement fell 0.25%.
3) 3rd control group, no confederates, had to identify colour of slides. Got wrong on 0.25% of the trials. Study drew attention to main processes of minority influence.

69
Q

How does consistency affect minority influence?

A

The consistency in the minority’s views increases the amount of interest from others. This consistency might be a an agreement between people (synchronic consistency, say same thing). Consistency might be over time (diachronic consistency, have been saying same thing for some time now).

70
Q

How does consistency make people think differently?

A

Consistency makes other people start to
rethink their own views.
Minority influence need to keep the same beliefs,over time and between all individuals from minority. Effective- draws attention to the minority view.

71
Q

How do the minority influence show commitment to their views?

A

Sometimes engage in extreme activities to draw attention to views. Important that the activities are at some risk to minority as this demonstrates commitment, MI is more powerful if personal sacrifice is made. Effective- shows not acting out of self-interest.

72
Q

Who criticises consistency (minority influence) and what do they say about it?

A

Nemeth (1986) argued that consistency can be interpreted negatively - repeating same
arguments and behaviours seen as rigid, unbending, opinionated and inflexible (off-putting to the majority).

73
Q

What was Nemeth’s solution to negative consistency (minority influence)?

A

Members of the minority need to be prepared to adapt their point of view and
accept reasonable and valid counter-arguments. Strike a balance between consistency and flexibility.

74
Q

What does Nemeth say about minority influences effectiveness?

A

Minority influence is more effective if the minority show flexibility by accepting the possibility of resent- compromise.

75
Q

How does the process of change apply to minority influence?

A

The factors make people think about a topic. If hear something which agrees with what you already believe, it does not make you stop and think, if you hear something new, then you might think about it - especially if the source of this view is consistent
and passionate.

76
Q

What is important to the conversion process (minority influence)?

A

Deeper processing (thinking about it) which is important in the process of conversion
to a different, minority viewpoint.

77
Q

What is the snowball effect (minority influence)?

A

Over time, increasing numbers of pepple switch from the majority position to the minority position- become ‘converted’. If happens more, the faster the rate
of conversion (the snowball effect). Gradually minority view has become the majority view and change has occurred.

78
Q

What is social change?
What are the 3 factors that cause social change?

A

1) The process by which society changes its beliefs, attitudes & behaviours to create new social norms- continual process which happens gradually.
2) Minority influence, conformity & obedience.

79
Q

How does minority influence cause social change? (6 steps)

A

1) minority draws attention to issue.
2) influential because of the consistency of their position, consistent -> majority.
3) deeperprocessing of issue-> people ? beliefs.
4) augmentation principle, pay more attention, minority willing to suffer.
5) snowball effect, spreads more widely.
6) social cryptomnesia, memory of social change but not how it happened.

80
Q

How does minority influence effect social change? (6 steps)

A

1) Draw attention to issue.
2) Consistency of their position. Consistent -> majority influence.
3) This causes deeper processing of the issue, question their beliefs.
4) Augmentation principle- pay more attention, minority will suffer for attention.
5) Snowball effect spreads more widely, more people consider the issue.
6) Social cryptomnesia- memory social change occurred but not how.

81
Q

How does conformity create social change?

A

Dissent, potential to lead to social change, encourage others to dissent (not conform). Environmental and health campaigns exploit conformity by appealing to NSI. Info on other people are doing to get people to change behaviour.

82
Q

How does obedience create social change?

A

Obedience has potential to lead to social change. Milgram’s research shows disobedient role models = real participants also disobeyed. Also lead to social change through the process of gradual commitment. Once a small instruction is obeyed, becomes difficult to resist a bigger one. “Drift” into a new behaviour.

83
Q

How does conformity maintain social change?

A

People may conform to the new norms via compliance (public not private acceptance of the new attitudes). Want to fit in with the people around them - NSI.

84
Q

How does obedience maintain social change?

A

New social norm may have laws and rules put in place to ensure that people obey the new attitudes and behaviours. E.g homosexuality, illegal -> legal.

85
Q

Strengths of social change? (2)

A

1) Research support- Nolan et Al (2008) hung messages on doors to reduce energy use. Save energy but no reference to other’s behaviour.
2) Level of processing- Moscovici, minority & majority influence involve different cognitive processes. Think more deeply about issue than majority influence.

86
Q

Limitations of social change? (3)

A

1) Mackie disagrees with Moscovici and says majority influence create deeper processing if don’t share same view.
2) artificial tasks- all studies criticised for lacking validity, artificial nature.
3) slow to change- e.g attitudes to homosexuality. Minority influence may be weaker than first thought.

Psychology (7 decks)

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