Social Infulece

Question 1

Describe internalisation

Answer 1

• Internalisation occurs when a person genuinely accepts a groups norms
• Results in private and public changes in behaviour and so behaviour persist even in the absence of other group members
• Change is likely to be permanent

Question 2

Describe identification

Answer 2

• sometimes we conform to the opinions/behaviours of a group because there is something about the group we value
• we identify with the group, so we want to be part of it.
• results in a public change in behaviour even if we don’t agree with everything the group stands for
• done out of relating to the groups values rather than out of pressure not to be different

Question 3

Describe compliance

Answer 3

• involves ‘going along with others’ in public
• No private change to personal opinion or behaviour
• superficial change
• done out of pressure not to be different rather than wanting to be like the group

Question 4

Name the two types of social influence

Answer 4

Informational social influence (ISI)

Normative social influence (NSI)

Question 5

Describe ISI

Answer 5

• about who has better information
• often we are uncertain about what behaviours or velociraptor are right or wrong and so you look to an individual or a majority who are likely to know better
• cognitive proses because it’s about what you think
• occurs when a person is in a new situation or where there is some ambiguity
• typical in crisis situations when’s decisions need to be made quickly
• occurs when a person (or group) is regarded as being more of an expert

Question 6

Describe NSI

Answer 6

• about what’s considered normal in a group
• people do not want to stand out and would rather gain social approval rather than be rejected
• NSI is emotional rather than cognitive
• most likely to occur in situations with strangers where you may feel concerned about rejection

Question 7

Describe research support for ISI

Answer 7

Lucas et al. (2006)

• Asked students to give answers to mathematical problems that varied in difficulty
• there was greater conformity to incorrect answers when they were difficult questions rather than easier ones
• this was most true of students who rated their mathematical ability as poor.
• supports the idea people conform to situations where they feel they don’t know the answer.

Question 8

Describe individual differed in NSI

Answer 8

• research shows that MSI dose not effect everyone on the same way
• people less concerned with being liked will be effected less
• people such as nAffiliators have a greater need to be liked and so will be effected more
• McGhee (1967) found students with a high need for allfiliation are more likely to conform

Question 9

Research support for NSI

Answer 9

• Asch (1951) found that many of his participants went along with a clearly wrong answer just because other people did
• when asked why they did this participants said out of fear of disapproval
• when Asch repeated the experiment, instead asking participants to write down their answers, conformity fell to 12.5%

Question 10

Describe what is meant by the agentic state

Answer 10

• a mental state where we feel no personal responsibility for our behaviour as we believe ourself to be acting for an authority figure
• this frees us from the demands of our conscience
• usually happens when we perceive someone as being higher in the social hierarchy

Question 11

Describe what is meant by an Autonomous state

Answer 11

Opposite to being in an agentic state, means being independent or free.
The shift from autonomy to ‘agency’ is known as the agentic shift

Question 12

What is meant by dispositional explanation for obedience

Authoritarian personality, locus of control

Answer 12

• Any explanation of behaviour that highlights the importance of an individuals personality
• contrasted with situational explanations