T1: Social Influence Flashcards
1
Q
validity definition
A
accuracy (how true)
2
Q
2 types of validity
A
internal validity and external validity
3
Q
internal validity
A
is a study measuring what it intends to
4
Q
external validity
A
can the findings be generalised outside of the study to different places or people
5
Q
conformity definition
A
changes in an individuals behaviour or beliefs as a result of real or imagined group pressure
6
Q
3 types of conformity
A
compliance, identification, internalisation
7
Q
compliance meaning
A
most SUPERFICIAL and LEAST PERMANENT change[1]
PUBLIC CHANGE of behaviour to GO ALONG with group to FIT IN[2]
PRIVATELY REVERT BACK behaviour when GROUP PRESSURE STOPS[3]
8
Q
identification meaning
A
INDIVIDUALS LOOK TO GROUP FOR GUIDANCE[1]
adjust BEHAVIOUR as MEMBERSHIP OF THAT GROUP IS DESIRABLE - take on ROLE[2]
MAY REVERT BACK when GROUP IS NO LONGER VALUABLE[3]
9
Q
internalisation meaning
A
PUBLIC + PRIVATE BEHAVIOUR CHANGE to be IN LINE with the group[1]
we ACCEPT these attitudes into our own COGNITIONS[2]
behaviour lasts when group pressure stops[3]
10
Q
2 reasons for conformity
A
informational social influence and normative social influence
11
Q
ISI
A
DESIRE to be RIGHT[1]
UNSURE -> SEEK INFO FROM GROUP + ASSUME its RIGHT -> COGNITIVE[2]
leads to INTERNALISATION, PUBLIC + PRIVATE change to be in line with group[3]
12
Q
NSI
A
DESIRE to be LIKED[1]
GO ALONG WITH group AVOID RIDICULE, GAIN ACCEEPTANCE + FIT IN -> EMOTIONAL[2]
leads to COMPLIANCE, PUBLICLY change but PRIVATELY REVERT BACK[3]
13
Q
factors that affect external validity
A
gender bias, culture bias, ecological validity
14
Q
gender bias
A
the findings may not be accurate for females
15
Q
culture bias
A
the findings may not be accurate for other cultures
16
Q
ecological validity
A
the findings may not be the same in a real life environment
17
Q
Asch’s aim
A
To investigate the effects of a majority opinion on individuals judgements
18
Q
Asch’s sample and method
A
Lab experiment and 123 American male students
19
Q
Asch’s procedure
A
- Participants in groups of 7-9 confederates
- match the standard lines abc to the stimuls line x in terms of length
- participants last or second to last to answer
20
Q
Asch’s findings
A
Average: wrong answer 37% when confederates are present
PEI: participants conformed publicly not privately to avoid ridicule
21
Q
Asch’s conclusion
A
Supports NSI as participants conformed publicly not privately indicated by the unambiguous nature of the task in order to be accepted by the group
22
Q
What are the 3 variables affect conformity
A
Group size, unanimity, task difficultly
23
Q
Group size method
A
1:1 3%
2:1 13%
3:1 32%
Plateaued after this
24
Q
Group size conclusion
A
When group size increased the conformity rated increase but only to a certain point 3
25
Unanimity method
Unanimity 37%
Dissenting confederate (broke unanimity) 5.5%
Lone confederate 9%
26
Unanimity conclusion
When unanimity decreases conformity rates decrease
27
Task difficultly method
Made the stimulus line x and the comparison lines more similar in length
Answer less obvious -> task harder
ISI unclear -> lose confidence in our own abilities -> guidance from group to be RIGHT
28
Task difficultly conclusion
When the task difficultly increases the conformity rated increases
29
conformity to social roles definition
the parts that people play as members of various social groups e.g. teachers. These are accompanied by expectations that we and others have of what is appropriate behaviour in each role. We internalise these expectations so they shape our behaviour.
30
background info to Zimbardo's research
1970 lots of prison riots in America -> wanted to know why prison guards behaved brutally (personality vs social role)
31
Zimbardo's aim
to investigate how freely people would conform to the roles of guard and prisoner in a role-playing exercise that re-created prison life
32
Zimbardo's sample and method
volunteer sample of 24 'emotionally stable' US male university students in a controlled participant observation
33
Zimbardo's procedure
- students randomly selected role (prisoner / guard)
- prisoners (arrested at home -> taken to prison, searched, deloused, dressed in smock uniforms -> given number)
- guards (given uniforms, 'night stick' mirrored glasses -> prisoners under control, NO physical violence)
- uniforms -> loss of PERSONAL IDENTITY to encourage conformity
- prisoners placed in cells, regular routine shifts, mealtimes, visiting times, a parole, disciplinary board, prison chaplain
- Zimbardo was prison superintendent.
34
Zimbardo's findings
- within day prisoners rebelled / ripped off numbers -> guard response locked them in + confiscated blankets
- experiment continued -> punishments by guards escalated -> prisoners humiliated + sleep deprived by guards
- identification -> prisoners referred themselves + others by numbers
- prisoners became subdued, depressed, some with serious stress-related reactions (5 prisoners released early -> showed psychological disturbance)
- intended to run for 2 weeks but called off in 6 days
35
Zimbardo's conclusion
- guards, prisoners, researchers conformed to role within the prison
- social roles have an extraordinary power over individuals, making even the most well-adjusted capable of extreme brutality towards others
36
ethical guidelines meaning
recommendations / advice for psychologists to follow
37
ethical issues meaning
conflicts between the rights of the participants in the research
38
ethical guidelines / issues
consent
deception
confidentiality
debrief
withdraw
protected from physical + psychological harm
39
ethical guidelines / issues anagram
can
do
can't
do
with
participants
40
consent meaning
know fully what is happening + agreed
41
deception meaning
participants lied to
42
confidentiality meaning
participants data / info = anonymous
43
debrief meaning
post research chat about what happened
44
withdraw meaning
participants should be able to leave the research / cut data
45
protected from physical + psychological harm meaning
participants should be safe
46
demand characteristics definition
where a participant picks up on clues from the research task or situation about what the psychologist is investigating and changes their natural behaviour to help or hinder the researcher
47
obedience to authority definition
where somebody acts in response to a direct order from a figure with perceived authority [1]. The person who receives the order may also respond in a way that they would have not done without the order [1].
48
background info for Milgram's research
Milgram sought to answer the question of why such a high proportion of the German population obeyed hitler's commands to murder over 6 million jews in the holocaust. He thought one possible explanation could be that german people were more obedient than people from other countries or was it just authority? In order to determine this he designed a procedure to test how obedient people are.
49
Milgram's aim
to investigate if individuals would obey the orders of an authority figure even if this led to negative consequences.
50
Milgram's method and sample
laboratory experiment at Yale university
40 American males aged 20-50
51
Milgram's procedure
- Milgram placed an advert in a newspaper seeking volunteers for an experiment supposedly researching memory on learning and they were paid $4.50.
- when participant arrived at uni they were introduced to 'another' participant
- drew lots, were rigged -> real participant = teacher, confederate = learner, researcher = authority figure
- teachers job -> administrate learning tasks and deliver electric shocks to learner if they got it wrong
- shocks began at 15v to 450v -> increased in increments of 15
- TESTING OBEDIENCE experimenter prompted if teacher refused (1 please continue (or please go on) / 2 you have no other choice; you must go on)
52
Milgram's findings
- all ppts went to at least 300v, 12.5% stopped at that point
- 65% of ppts continued to the maximum 450v showing high levels of obedience
53
Milgram's conclusion
- ordinary people are obedient to authority when asked to behave in an inhumane way.
- it is not necessarily evil people who commit evil crimes but ordinary people who are just obeying orders
54
how did milgram vary his investigation
conducted research on situational variables which affect obedience
55
why did milgram vary his investigation
to consider situational variables that might increase or decrease obedience levels
56
what are situational variables
an external explanation of obedience where features of an environment affect levels of obedience
57
what 3 situational variables did milgram investigate
proximity, location, power of uniform
58
proximity definition
how near or far (close) the ppt (teacher) is to the learner (confederate) or experimenter (authority figure)
59
original experiment (proximity)
teacher and learner in different room
65%
60
3 variations of proximity
- teacher and learner in same room
- teacher touch proximity to learner (placed hand on shock plate)
- experimenter left room and gave instructions over the phone
61
what was found when the teacher and learner were in same room
65% to 40%
teacher could see directly how their behaviour was having an unpleasant consequence on the learner
62
what was found when the teacher was in touch proximity with the learner
65% to 30%
63
what was found when the experimenter left the room and gave instructions over the phone
65% to 20.5%
the closer an authority figure is to an individual, the more obedient that individual will be
64
how did milgram vary location
changed location from a prestigious university (Yale) to a 'run down' office
65
what happened when milgram varied location
obedience decreased (65% -> 48%)
66
why did obedience decrease when milgram varied location
the amount of perceived legitimate authority of the experimenter was reduced
67
what can wearing uniforms do
can give perception of added legitimate authority to the individual delivering the order.
68
how did milgram vary uniform
researcher wore a 'grey' lab coat to everyday clothes
69
what did the grey lab coat do for the researcher
gave him an air of authority
70
what happened when milgram varied uniform
obedience decreased (65% -> 20%)
71
why did obedience decrease when milgram varied uniform
when not in uniform the perceived legitimate authority of the experimenter was reduced
72
what was concluded about uniform
uniform acts as a strong visual authority symbol and a cue to act in an obedient manner
73
2 explanations of obedience
1 legitimacy of authority figure
2 agentic state
74
legitimacy of authority figure definition
obedience increases when a person perceives that an AF has legitimate authority (parents, teachers, police officers) and see them as being in charge [1]
authority they have is agreed by society and we accept their credentials and believe that they know what they are doing [1]
its ingrained in us from a young age to obey these people even if we believe that order may be un-ethical or unjust
75
agentic state definition
obedience increases when a person is in an agentic state. when they receive an order from an AF an agentic shift occurs where they move from being in a state where they take personal responsibility for their actions (autonomous state) to a state where they believe they are acting on behalf of an AF (agentic state). this is known as the agentic shift [1]
when individual in agentic state they lose sense of personal responsibility and no longer feel guilty for their actions as they see themselves as carrying out the wishes of a more knowledgeable AF [1]
therefore a person in an agentic state will be more likely to obey [1]
76
the dispositional explanation of obedience
the authoritarian personality
77
AP intro
- proposed by adorno
- internal explanation
- certain personality traits are associated with higher levels of obedience
78
AP how it develops
- strict parenting in early childhood (extremely strict discipline - higher levels of punishment)
- making them more obedient to AF
79
AP what is it (characteristics of the individidual with AP)
- personality traits
- extreme respect for PA
- submission to PA (because superior)
- black and white thinking
- strict adherence to social rules / hierarchies
- ALL increase obedience rates
80
AP how is it measured
- F-scale questionnaire
- over 2000 American ppts
higher score on questionnaire = more traits of AP = more obedience
81
what are the 2 types of explanations for resistance to social influence
social support and locus of control
82
when people receive social support...
they resist pressures to conform or obey
83
resisting conformity social support definition
- individual identifies ally (role model of independent behaviour / supports their view)
- no longer fear ridicule
- gives confidence to avoid NSI
MORE LIKELY TO RESIST
84
resisting obedience social support definition
- ally (model of independent behaviour) increases confidence so individual acts from their own conscience
- allies -> diffusion of responsibility -> individual feels less responsible -> shared consequence
85
locus of control definition
a personality trait which refers to a person's perception of personal control over their behaviour
86
2 types of locus of control
internal LOC and external LOC
87
internal LOC definition
- more likely to resist SI
- they believe they control their own behaviour
- control own personal decisions
- trust own judgement
- strong internal LOC more likely to remain independent
88
external LOC definition
- less likely to resist SI
- what happens is determined to external factors (luck / fate)
- trust others / AF judgement
- strong external LOC less personal responsibility for actions / less likely to remain independent
89
minority influence definition
where members of the majority group change their beliefs / behaviours because of the minority influencing their decision, this usually leads to internalisation. The minority must be consistent, show commitment and be flexible in their behaviour.
90
what 3 things do the minority do to influence the majority
consistency, commitment, flexibility
91
consistency definition
when the minority keep repeating the same beliefs to the majority, both over time and between all individuals that form the minority
92
diachronic synchrony meaning
over time
93
synchronic consistency meaning
between all individuals
94
what do the majority do when the minority be consistent in their beliefs
the majority then reassess the situation and consider the minority idea more carefully
95
how can this be shown (consistency - minority influence)
all people in the minority repeat the same message / behaviour over time
96
real life example of consistency - minority influence
suffragettes kept same belief of wanting equal right to vote over several years
97
commitment definition
when the minority show dedication and make personal sacrifices when facing the majority. some minorities engage in extreme activities.
98
what do the majority do when the minority are committed in their beliefs
extreme activities draws attention from majority to the minorities views
99
augmentation principle
riskier the activity = greater commitment = greater attention from the majority
100
how can this be shown (commitment - minority influence)
- the minority must show personal sacrifice / effort (volunteering time or be willing to accept ridicule or criticism)
- the minority could conduct research and educate the majority (advertising campaigns / give assemblies or lectures on the message)
101
real life example of commitment - minority influence
suffragettes commitment shown through hunger strikes, chaining themselves to railings at parliament, protesting
102
flexibility definition
suggested that whilst consistency of argument is important, too much consistency can be seen as dogmatic and rigid. members of minority need to be prepared to adapt their point of view and accept reasonable arguments
103
what do the majority do when the minority aren't flexible in their beliefs
may stop majority moving over to the minority viewpoint
104
what balance should be reached in flexibility
consistency and flexibility
105
how can this be shown (flexibility - minority influence)
the minority need to listen to the views of the majority and not make the changes all at once (bring the change in as small changes or taking on some views / opinions of the majority)
106
real life example of flexibility - minority influence
suffragettes compromise agreed at first that they would be happy with a right to vote at age 30
107
social change definition
- change in society's attitudes, behaviours and laws.
- not just with individuals, but on a large scale, how societies (social norms) have changed
- increased rights for women - suffragette movement in UK campaign for women's right to vote in the 1920s.
108
process of social change
minority influence -> 1 consistency, 2 commitment, 3 flexibility -> majority -> internalisation -> snowball effect -> social crypto amnesia -> social change
109
why minority influence (1 consistency, 2 commitment, 3 flexibility) used
the 3 behaviours that minority must show to influence the majority
1 same belief between members of group over long period of time
2 showing dedication and making personal sacrifices
3 not completely rigid, show compromise
110
what does it mean if the majority show internalisation
if the minority influence the majority, majority will change their beliefs publicly and privately to the minority idea
111
what does the snowball effect mean in terms of the process of social change
- more of majority move over to the minority idea -> gathering momentum
- what once was the minority becomes the majority
112
what does the social crypto amnesia mean in terms of the process of social change
when the majority remembers the minority idea, but not that the idea came from the minority group. the 2 become separated
113
what does the social change mean in terms of the process of social change
change in society's attitudes, behaviours and laws
