Social psychology Flashcards
What is social psychology?
To understand aspects of human behaviour that involves an individual’s relationships to others, groups, society and culture.
What is social influence?
Where behaviour of an individual is influenced by a real or imagined pressure from another.
What is obedience?
Doing what you’re told by someone in a position of power.
What does dissent mean?
People who go against obeying.
What was Milgram’s aims?
To investigate whether ordinary people would follow orders and give an innocent person a potentially harmful electric shock.
What was the gender, occupation, age, payment and location for milgram’s advertisement for the experiment?
Male, all occupation (excluding students), 20-50 years, $4.50 and New Haven in America.
What were the four verbal prods?
- Please continue
- The experiment requires that you continue
- It is absolutely essential that you continue
- You have no other choice; you must go on.
Why was it important that the experimenter used standardised prods?
Standardised prods are important for replication, meaning that you can check the reliability of the experiment.
What were the quantitative findings?
100- 100% obedience up to 300 volts
65- 65% Obedience rate as a %- those who went to the full 450 volts.
What is the conclusion of Milgram’s experiment?
- Ordinary Americans are surprisingly obedient to legitimate authority.
- Milgram suggested a number pf factors may explain obedience such as the perceived competence and reputation of the researcher and the idea that the participant was somehow advancing science.
What are some factors as to why people obey?
Buffers, perception of legitimate authority, lack of personal responsibility, verbal prods and legitimacy of setting.
What does buffer mean?
Anything (e.g. the wall) that prevents those who obey from being aware of the full impact of their actions.
What does perception of legitimate authority mean ?
The experimenter was presented as having status (e.g) wore a grey lab coat and carried a clipboard.
What does lack of personal responsibility mean?
Many participants asked whose responsibility was it if the learner was harmed and showed visible relief when the experimenter took responsibility
What does verbal prods mean?
Participants encouraged to continue by the experimenter (e.g) “you must continue, the experiment requires that you continue”
What does legitimacy of setting mean?
Took place at Yale University so participants thought the researchers were experts.
What is another study of obedience?
Hoflingn as he uses a field experiment to study obedience.
What is the Hofling et al (1966) study?
- A total of 21 out of 22 nurses followed the doctor’s orders and attempted to give the medicine
- Several nurses justified their behaviour as being as a result of the hierarchy of authority at the hospital.
How does Hofling et al (1966) relate to Milgram’s research?
Their study showed that ordinary people are obedient to authority even if it goes against their sense of right/ wrong.
How can Hofling et al (1966) be seen as more useful than Milgram’s study?
They showed how high levels of obedience can occur in real life settings ( high ecological validity)
What does autonomous mean?
In an autonomous state a human acts according to their own free will.
What does agentic mean?
In an agentic state, the individual displaces responsibility for their actions on to the authority figure.
What is moral strain?
When an individual is torn between the drive to obey and their moral conscience.
What is an example of autonomous state?
Participants in Milgram’s study who said that they wouldn’t do anything that they thought would hurt the learner and refused to continue.
What is an example of an agentic state?
Participants who asked who would be responsible for hurting the learner and continued when they were told the experimenter was responsible.
How do you overcome moral strain?
- Shift to an agentic state
- Adopt an autonomous state
Why did Milgram suggest that obedience is an evolved characteristic?
As it came from our nurture and nature, so from our genes or the influence of our environment.
What does the organisation of human society contain?
Evolution and survival, Social organisation and obedience
How do people know to be obedient?
Primary socialisation and secondary socialisation
What is primary socialisation?
Nurture- Socialisation, our upbringing and exposure to authority figures nurture this preparedness.
What is secondary socialisation?
Nature- Innate preparedness, all humans are born with the capacity for language, in a similar way we are innately prepared to be obedient. (passed on genetically)
What does SIN stand for?
Strength, Immediacy, Number
What is division of impact mean?
The number of targets to be influenced affects the impact of the source.
What does status of authority mean?
The authority figure needs to be perceived to be legitimate if people are going to obey their orders.