social influencee

Question 1

define conformity

Answer 1

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

Question 2

the 3 types of conformity

Answer 2

internalisation - the changing of belief both publicly and privately to match the majority of the group (LONG-TERM)

identification - the changing of beliefs both publicly and privately but only in the presence of a group (short-term)

compliance - changing of behaviour to match the majority group however the beliefs do not change (temporary)

Question 3

2 explanations for conformity

Answer 3

normative social influence - influence of people that leads us to conform due to wanting to be accepted

informational social influence - wanting to be right and looking to the group for the answer

Question 4

explanations for conformity AO3

Answer 4

NSI:

ISI:

Question 5

3 factors affecting conformity

Answer 5

task difficulty
unanimity
group size

Question 6

Asch’s line study

Answer 6

aim : to investigate whether social pressure would make a person conform

procedure : 123 male American undergraduates in groups of 6 with 5 confederates were asked to identify which line is most in comparison to the main line. real participant was always asked last or second to last and the confederates intentionally gave the wrong answer 12 out of 18 trials

findings : 75% conformed at least once, 36.8% conformed, 25% didn’t conform only 1% were incorrect

conclusion : most conformed to avoid rejection from majority even though they knew the right answer.

Question 7

AO3 of Asch’s line study

Answer 7

strengths : high heuristic value, highly controlled

weaknesses : gender bias, population validity and deception

Question 8

Zimbardo’s Stanford prison experiment

Answer 8

aim : To investigate how readily people would conform to the social roles in a simulated environment, and specifically, to investigate why ‘good people do bad things’

procedure : 24 American male undergraduates who were deemed ‘ mentally stable’ were selected and assigned roles of either prison guard or prisoner. both had uniforms and the prisoners were referred to as only their numbers in a mock prison set up in the basement of the psychology department. guards were given handcuffs and sunglasses to reinforce boundaries

findings : guards became increasingly brutal and aggressive, some admitted to enjoying their roles. The guards became more demanding of obedience and assertiveness towards the prisoners while the prisoners became more submissive

conclusion : the uniforms created a loss of personal identity and social roles had a strong influence on the individuals behaviours

Question 9

AO3 of Zimbardo’s experiment

Answer 9

strengths :
real life application- this research changed the way actual US prisons are run
-the ppts were fully debriefed about the aims and results of the study
-highly controlled

weaknesses :
-protection from harm
-gender bias, lacks population validity
-demand characteristics, ppts knew they were participating in the study

Question 10

what is the agentic state?

Answer 10

a mental state where we feel no personal responsibility for our behaviour because we believe we are acting for an authority figure

Question 11

what is legitimacy of authority

Answer 11

an explanation for obedience which suggests that we are more likely to obey people who we perceive to have authority over us

Question 12

Milgram’s shock experiment

Answer 12

aim : To observe whether people would obey a figure of authority when told to harm another person i.e. evaluating the influence of a
destructive authority figure.

procedure : 40 male volunteers were assigned either the role of a teacher or learner, ppts were asked a series of questions when the confederates got an answer wrong the ppt was asked to shock the confederate

findings : 65% continued to the highest of 450V , all continued to 300V

conclusion : ordinary people are likely to follow orders given by an authority figure

Question 13

AO3 of Milgram’s shock experiment

Answer 13

strengths : real life application- it could reduce future obedience in response to destructive authority figures.
-high control
-ppts were fully debriefed on the real aims of the study

weaknesses : no right to withdraw, no protection from psychological harm
-gender bias
-ecological validity, tasks given are not like those we would encounter everyday

Question 14

the authoritarian personality

Answer 14

a person with high respect for authority and is more likely to be obedient to those who hold power over them

Question 15

what is social support

Answer 15

the presence of people who resist pressures to conform or obey can help others to do the same

Question 16

resistance to social influence: what is the locus of control?

Answer 16

a measurement of an individuals sense of control over their lives

Question 17

internal locus of control

Answer 17

(more control) their behaviour is caused by their own personal decisions and effort

Question 18

external locus of control

Answer 18

(less control) behaviour is caused by luck or fate

Question 19

the 3 main processes in minority influence

Answer 19

consistency - the influence of a minority is most effective when it is consistent and when the minority have so much passion and confidence in their point of view, it suggests to the majority that their view must somehow be valid.

commitment - engaging in quite extreme activities

flexibility - majority opinions shifts more if the minority is flexible

Question 20

what is social change?

Answer 20

when whole societies rather than just individuals adopt new attitudes, beliefs and ways of doing things.

Question 21

what is the snowball effect?

Answer 21

when a minority succeeds in attracting enough supporters, it is transformed into the new majority