Social Influence - Paper 1 Flashcards
social psychology
types and explanations of conformity
studies individual beliefs. attitudes and behavours in settings where other people are pressent (or implied)
key study - jeanness
types and explanations of conformity
- aim - wether individuals will change their opinion in an ambigious situations
- method - glass bottle filled with 811 white beans
- 26 students- divided into 3 groups
- estimate how many beans in the jar
- asked to give group estimate and the estimated individually
- findings - average before - m,790,f,925
- avergae after m,695,f,878
- average change m,256f,382
- results - nearly all particapants changed their awsner when had a group discussion
conformity
types and explanations of conformity
- involves a change of behaviour or opionion in oder to fit in the group
- may be a membership group (family or peers) or reference group (celebs)
- takes place when we privatly and/or publicly go along with behaviours of the majority
explanations of conformity
types and explanations of conformity
- normative social influence
- information social influence
normative social influence
explanation of conformity
- the want to be liked/accepted
- most often in stressful situations where you want social support
- emotional process
infomational social influence
explanations of conformity
- desire to be correct
- cognitve process
- leads to internalisation
- most likely in new or ambigious situations, or a percieved expert
types of conformity
types of conformity
- complience
- identification
- internalisation
compilence
types of conformity
- go along with others to gain their approval to avoid dissaproval
- invloves process of social compasison - looking at what others say or do to adjust your opionion
- desire to fit in
- publicly change views but not privately
identification
types of conformity
- going along with others bc they have accpeted their point of view but only because they want to be liked
- establish a relationsip with a group by taking their attitudes and behaviours to feel closer with them
- however belief is likly to stop when not in the presence of the majority group
internalisation
types of conformity
- go alongs with views bc they have been accepted and they believ that it is right
- leads to long term change with both public and private views
- change in behaviours even without majority of group
key study - sherif
types and explanations of conformity
- aim - demonstarte that people conform to group corms when they are put in an ambigious situation
- method - lab expermient using the autokinect effect - small spot of light in a dark room and will appear to move
- basline - asked how far it moved orginally
- expermient - tested in groups of three , put 2 people who had simiar guess with someone who didnt
- say outloid what they guessed
- resullt- the person who had a different awsner had a simialr awsner to the others when in the group
- conc - in ambigious situations a person will look to others for support
supporting evidence for normative explanation
types and explanations of conformity
- jeanness - make intial judgments before discussion and then awsner chanhed to others
- asch - went along with the obviously wrong awsner as they didnt want dissaporval from the group
- schultz - gathered info from gotel when there was a sign that said 75% recycle their towels and the need for fresh towels reduced to 25%
evaluations of informative social influence
types and explanations of conformity
- postive - * jeanness - make intial judgments before discussion and then awsner chanhed to others
- negative - perrin and spencer - conducted asch like study in the uk, only one confomity in 400 trials - doesnt occur in every situation
support for internalisation conformity
types and explanations of conformity
jeanness - make intial judgments before discussion and then awsner chanhed to others
support for complience
types and explanations of confomity
- asch - went along with the obviously wrong awsner as they didnt want dissaporval from the group
support for identification
types and explanations of confomrity
- schultz - gathered info from gotel when there was a sign that said 75% recycle their towels and the need for fresh towels reduced to 25%
key study - asch
asch
- aim - the extent to which social pressur to conform from a unanimous majority affects confomrity in an ambigious situation
- sample - 123 white americans undergrads
- method - believed they were taking part in visual test , line judgemnet and had to pick the right one
- in a room of 6-8 confederates
- completed 18 trials, 12 trials were the critical trials which confederates gave incorrect awsner
- findings - control - 1 error , experiment - 36.8% incorrect
- conformed 32% of critical trials
- 74% can incorrect awsner at least once
- conc - confomred bc they wanted to fit in with the group because even though they knew it was wrong - normative , identification
factors affecting conformity
asch
- group size
- unanimity
- task difficulty
group size
factors affecting conformity - asch
- ranged from 2 -15 confederates
- increased to 12.8% from 3% when 2 confederates
- 3 confederates - 32%
- decreased to 29% when 15 conferderates
- increase then decreased when more
unanimity
factors affecting conformity - asch
- refers to the extent that members of the majority agree with one another
- when one conferderate gave right awsner conformity dropped 5%
- different incorrect, conformity dropped to 9%
- gives them confidence
task difficulty
factors affecting conformity - asch
- correct awsner was always obcious in the first trials
- made lines closer together
- conformity increased when task became difficult bc it was ambigioud
evaluations
asch
- ecolgoical
- gender
- ethics
- temporal
- lab study
ecological validity
asch
- low ecological validity
- line judgments is an artifical task - lacks mundane realism
- unable to generalise to other real life situations
- limited application
gender bias
asch
- gender bias
- 123 american white male undergraduates
- we cannot generalise to wider populations as they may not conform in the same way
- lacks population validity
ethics
asch
- ethical issues
- deception - told them they were doing somehting else
- although wouldnt have been able to do it without that
- needed decption but also a debrief
temporal validty
asch
- temporal validty
- research took place when confomrity was high in america
- perrin and spencer tried to recreate but found significantly lower results
aim
zimbardo - standford prison expirement
- wether people would conform to the social roles of prison guard or prisoner when placed in mock environment
- also wanted to see if it was due to dispositional factors or external factors
sample
zimbardo - standford prison expirement
- 21 male university students
- volenteered in a newspaper
- paided $15 a day
- randomly assigned to prisoner or guard
why did zimardo do psychological tests before
zimbardo - standford prison expirement
- to see if they had pre existing mental issues
- set a base for the experiment
the environment
zimbardo - standford prison expirement
- 3 cells , 1 guard room
- hold
- prison cell
- visting hours
- court yard
- priests, lawyers
- number asisgned
- arrested by real police offciers
method
zimbardo - standford prison expirement
- priosners were arrested by real officers infront of friends and family
- given a number to wear with chains to wear
- guards given uniforms , dark reflective sunglasses and handcuffs
- meant to be 2 weeks but only lasted 6 days
why do this to the prisoners
zimbardo - standford prison expirement
- degreade and humilate them
- dehumanise
- make them feel small and useless
- remove identiy
why do this for the guards
zimbardo - standford prison expirement
- deindividuation of the guards - dont see them as one persom
- feel like a different person
- reflective glasses - “cant see their pain”
- putting on a uniform means they are a different person
findings
zimbardo - standford prison expirement
- found they quickly identifed with their roles
- guards getting increasivly more abusive and would dehumaise the prisoners
- prisoners became submissve
- 5 of the prisoners got realise early due to psychological damdge
- stopped when one of his students convided him this was inhumane
- had interviews after and then met 2 months after
conclusion
zimbardo - standford prison expirement
- people quickly conform to social roles even when the roles go against their moral principles
- situational factors were extremely influenciaal
evaluations
zimbardo - standford prison expirement
- high interal validity
- important application
- ethical guidlines
- condtridicting findings
high internal valdity
zimbardo - standford prison expirement
- high level of control over extranous variables
- good ecological validyt
- did what happened in prisoners
important applications
zimbardo - standford prison expirement
- found suicide is 8x more likly in prisons
- how poeple should act in prisons
- how guards need to act
- the support needed in prions
ethical
zimbardo - standford prison expirement
- right to withdraw - didnt let them go unless they went crazy
- particapnt harm - caused extreme psychriatric damadge
contridicting research
zimbardo - standford prison expirement
- bbc prison study
- did not conform to social roles
- prisoners tried to take over
- guards didnt abuse prisoners
- temporal valdity
obediance
milgram and obediance
- a form of social influence where an individual acts in a response to a direct order from another individual , who is usally an authority figure
milgram study
milgram and obediance
- aim - to see if the americal male would act the same to germans in obediance
- prodecure - met with learner and lab coat
- picked role (always teacher)
- had to learn words shock if wrong
- had a shock to see what its like
- went from 15v to 450v
- lab coat urged the teacher to carry on
- particapnt - 40 america males , volenteers , payed 4.5
- results- 65% went to 450 , 100% went to 300v
- conc - ordinary people obey to orders of a percieved authority figure even to extent of killing
variation 1- the teacher and learner in same room
milgram and obediance
- close proximity
- obediance decreased to 40%
- humanises learners
- feel more responsible
variation 2 - the expiremtor left the room and issued instructions from telephone
milgram and obediance
- proximity
- decreased to 20%
- feel less acountable to authority figure
- less risk of punishment
variation 3 - took place in a run down office
milgram and obediance
- location
- decrease to 47.5%
- reduces the expirementers legitamcy of authority
variation 4 - teacher forces hand on plate
milgram and obediance
- touch proximity
- decrease to 30%
- humanise learner
- feel more responable
variations 5 - experimtor was played by an ordianry person of the public
milgram and obediance
- legitamate authority uniform
- decrease to 20%
- experimentor doesnt seem legitemate
- no reason to obey
bickman - key study - uniform
milgram and obediance
- feild experiment
- 3 men ordering new yorkers
- dressed as , everyday civvilan , milkman , security guard
- poeple were 3 times more likly to obey guard than civillan
- 89% obeyed guard , 57% obeyed milkman , 33% civillian
key study - hofling - obediance in hospitals
milgram and obediance
- obdiance among nurses to docors
- docotr telephone nurses and told them to give drug to patient
- didnt know docotr
- didnt take protacal
- 21/22 took the order
- highlights issues nurses face
evaluations
milgram and obediance
- strenght
- ecological validity - hofling
- application
- reliable
- good interal validity
- negatives
- particapnt harm , no informed consent - hofling
- rank and jacoubson
- sample
ecological validty - holfing
milgram and obediance
- nurses in hispotal , taking orders over the phone and obeying - shows how people can abuse their power
- negatives
- particapnt harm - no informed consent , particapnt harm - nurses feel distress after , could loose their job
- rank and jacoubson - did it again but with a normal drug that nurses always use and there was no obeying
sampling
milgram and obediance
- small
- biased
- all men
- oaided 4.50
- vollenteers
aplication
milgram and obediance
- why they use uniforms in army or police
- percieved authority
- schools
reliable
milgram and obediance
- controlled
- lab study
- control extranous varibales
agentic state
explanation for obediance - agency theory
acting as an agent for an authoritain figure - dont have responsability
autonomous state
explanation for obediance - agency theory
acting on your own demands - free from control
authority
explanation for obediance - agency theory
someone who has power and respect in society
legitamate
explanation for obediance - agency theory
wether they are real or not
social heirachy
explanation for obediance - agency theory
someone who is higher in society
socialisation
explanation for obediance - agency theory
- learning through others - parents , friends , school
destructive authority
explanation for obediance - agency theory
- gain authoirty due to harm and want to cause harm
moral strain
explanation for obediance - agency theory
the fight between morals and what youve been asked to do
binding factors
explanation for obediance - agency theory
- the factor that keeps you in the agentic state
explanation for obedience
explanation for obediance - agency theory
- two states of behaviour
- agentic and auonomous
- autonomous - people act on their own values and take responsability
- agentc - when they let people direct their actions and dont take responsability - act as an agent
explanation for obediance
explanation for obediance - agency theory
- poeple are generally in autonous
- go through the agentic shift
- to go through the shift, the person giving the order must be a percieved authority figure
- need to be seen as legitamte
- ascpects - locaton , uniform
explanation for obediance
explanation for obediance - agency theory
- how we react to authority is to do with our upbringing - socialiasation
- we learn through our parents and school ect
- we are taught to respct people who have power over us
explanation for obediance
explanation for obediance - agency theory
- if they are aware the order they have been goven could cause a negative impact - they go through moral strain
- as they understand its bad, however will not feel responsable as tey are an agent
- the person giving the orders also feels less as they arent doing it psychically
- to stay in agentic state there are binding factors - denying what theyve done , blaming the victum/order
evaluations of explanation for obediance - agency theory
explanation for obediance - agency theory (milgram)
- suporrting evidence - blass and schmitt
- showed video of milgram study and everyone blamed the experimentor
- shows uniform deems them to be more authortarian and have more power
- limited explanation - doesnt explain why they didnt all obey in milgrams study
- as hofling - shouldnt be obeying on the phone
- cant be this one explanation
- culutral differences - did milgrams study in australia , germnay and america
- all had different obediance levels
- could be more factors to obediance
- cant be generalised
dispositional explanation
explanation for obediance - authoritarian personality (adorno)
based on characterisitcs of (within) the individual as opposed to curcusmtances they find themesleves in (situational)
personality type
explanation for obediance - authoritarian personality (adorno)
as traits that were believed to cluster together in individuals as a result of childhood experiences
cognitive style
explanation for obediance - authoritarian personality (adorno)
that puts others into sterotypical catagories (sterotyping)
status conscious
explanation for obediance - authoritarian personality (adorno)
hostile to people seen as inferior , serve to people seen as superiror , contemprous of weakness
intolerant to ambiguity
explanation for obediance - authoritarian personality (adorno)
uncomfortable with uncertinty , see things in black and white , rigid and inflexible with their views
conventrional values
explanation for obediance - authoritarian personality (adorno)
very rigid and traditional values and beleive society requires strong leadership to enforce these
childhood experinces
explanation for obediance - authoritarian personality (adorno)
- strict parenting
- the love of their parents was conditional and dependant upon how they behaved
- they create an uncounscious resent,ent inside the child as they grow up
- as they cant express this, its displaced on others who are seen as weak
key study - authoritain personality (adorno)
explanation for obediance - authoritarian personality (adorno)
- aim- to determine if obdeiance is a result of personality differences
- sample - 2000 white middle class americans
- procedure - used an fscale to assess attidues and morals
- looked at morals, race , relgion, economic and politics
- wethered they agreeded to the questions or not
- finding - those who scored high on the fscale identified with strong people and were comtemptous of the weak - concious of status and respects higher status
- had a black and white cognitve style
- conc - there are indivudials who have authoritatian personalities who tend to be espically obediant
evaluations for explanation for obediance - authoritarian personality (adorno)
explanation for obediance - authoritarian personality (adorno)
- supporting evidence - milgram interviewed people who fully obeyed in his study and found they had a high score on the f scale
- suggests a certain personality type you are more likely to obey
- highers validty
- however only correlation not causation - not a full explantion
- problem - we try to explain obdediance for the majoirty of the country
- pre germany - antisemantic , racisst , obediant
- america - donald trump
- this cannot be explained by ap because not everyone has the personality to do this
- over generalised
- politcal bias - places like russia and north korea obeying extreme views however have low fscale
- generalising a whole idiolgy becomes problamtic - socially senstivve
- limited explanation
resisting social influence
resisting social influence
- the ability to withstand social pressire to conform to the majoirty or obey authroity
- the ability to do this is influences by situational and disponsital factors
locus of control
explanation fo resiting SI - disponsitional - locus of control
is the sense we each have about what directs events in our lives, it is our preception of our personal control over our own behaviour
interal locus of control
explanation fo resiting SI - disponsitional - locus of control
- outcomes within your control
- determined by your work. attributes or decisions
- high levels of control over your life -take personal responsability
- seeks info which will personally help them
- resists group pressure - less likly to rely on others
external locus of control
explanation fo resiting SI - disponsitional - locus of control
- outcomes are out of your control
- deterimed by fate and independant of your hardwork or decisions
- believe life is determined by external factors
- “wrong place wrong time”
- rely on luck
- influenced by others
- dont beleive they exercise personal control
evalutating of locus of control
explanation fo resiting SI - disponsitional - locus of control
- supporting - spector used a loc scale on 157 students - people with high were less likly to conform
- supports reason why we obey - supports existance
- however - only applys in social situations as didnt show a difference for informational social influence
- supporting - oliner and oliner - interviwed non jewish surviors of ww2 and compared to those who resisted orders
- real life application
- contradicting - meta analysis of all studies over 40 years -over time people become more external but less likly to obey
- lacks temporal validty
- correlation isnt as strong
