Untitled Deck Flashcards
What does conformity mean?
A person changes their beliefs and/or behaviour in response to group pressure from the majority.
- E.g an individual may pretend to enjoy an artist’s music because all their friends like and listen to it.
What are the three different types of conformity?
Compliance, Identification, Internalisation
What is compliance? Compliance is a type of conformity whereby an individual changes their behaviour to fit in with the
Compliance is a type of conformity whereby an individual changes their behaviour to fit in with the majority
Is compliance public or private?
Only public - meaning that they maintain a different private view.
- Compliance is only temporary. Once the majority group is no longer present, they returns back to their original behaviour.
- Compliance is the shallowest type of conformity.
E.g. Teenager smoking when with their friends even though they don’t like it and never smoke when alone.
What is identification?
Individual changes their behaviour and beliefs because they are a member of a group and have a role to play.
Is identification public or private?
- Both public and private as they look to their group for guidance on how they should behave.
- Can be temporary > behaviours and beliefs can change over time if the individual is no longer a member of that group.
- Identification is a deeper than compliance but shallower than internalisation.
EXAMPLE: - An individual changing their football team from Liverpool FC to Manchester United because they moved from Liverpool to Manchester and now identify as a Mancunian.
What is internalisation?
- The majority viewpoint has become a part of their own belief system.
Is internalisation public or private? Both public and private.
- Both public and private.
- Permanent type of conformity as it lasts even if the majority is no longer present.
- Internalisation is the deepest level of conformity.
- EXAMPLE: an individual permanently converting to veganism because they have internalised the belief that consuming meat is morally wrong.
What are the two explanations for conformity?
Normative social influence (NSI) and Informational social influence (ISI).
What is NSI?
- Individuals conform to the majority to be liked and accepted by the group to avoid not fitting it or being ridiculed.
What does NSI result in? It typically results in compliance whereby the individual publicly changes their behaviour despite maintaining a different private view. NSI tends to have a temporary effect.
- An individual continuing to drink even though they feel sick because they do not want their friends to think they cant handle their alcohol.
What’s ISI? Individuals conform to the majority because they lack knowledge of how to behave so look to the majority for guidance because they want to be right when the correct answer or right thing to do is ambiguous.
- The individual conforms to avoid the embarrassment of being wrong.
What does ISI result in? - ISI typically results in internalisation whereby the individual both publicly and privately changes their behaviour and beliefs. ISI tends to have a permanent effect.
- An example of ISI would be a student accepting an answer they initially thought was wrong because the class agreed on it and are more likely to be right.
What is the aim of Asch’s (1951) original conformity research? To see if participants conform to a majority in an unambiguous situation (where the correct answer should be obvious).
What is the procedure of Asch’s (1951) original conformity research? 123 male American college students volunteered to take part in a study investigating ‘visual perception’.
- In the lab room
7 male student participants looked
at two cards: the test card displaying one vertical line
and the comparison card displaying three vertical lines of different lengths.
- The participants called out in turns which of the three lines was the same length as the test line. All of the participants were confederates (accomplices of the researcher) except the one who sat second from last who was a real participant. All
of the confederates gave unanimous wrong answers on 12 of the 18 trials. These 12 trails were called the critical trials.
What is the findings of Asch’s (1951) original conformity research? - On average
participants conformed to the unanimous incorrect answer provided by the confederates on 32% of the
critical trials.
- 74% of participants conformed at least once
meaning 26% never conformed.
In post-research interviews
some participants stated they conformed because they believed the confederates were
correct. In contrast
others stated they conformed because they did not want to risk being ridiculed or excluded by the
group.
What is the conclusion of Asch’s (1951) original conformity research? Even when the situation is unambiguous
people still conform to group pressure. There also appears to be different
reasons for conforming - wanting to fit in and wanting to be correct.
What are the different variables that affect conformity? Group size
unanimity and task difficulty.
What was the procedure of Asch’s variations of his original conformity research on group size? In Asch’s original conformity research
there was a majority of
six (i.e. six confederates). Asch therefore investigated group size by varying the number of confederates.
What was the findings of Asch’s variations of his original conformity research on group size? Asch found that conformity rates increased with group size.
However
this effect was only seen up until there was a majority
of three people. After this
conformity rates plateaued (levelled
off) despite any increases in the size of the majority.
What was the conclusion of Asch’s variations of his original conformity research on group size? These findings suggests that a small majority is sufficient for
majority influence to be exerted.
What was the procedure of Asch’s variations of his original conformity research on unanimity? In Asch’s original conformity research
the confederates gave unanimous incorrect answers on 12 out of the 18
trials. Asch then varied unanimity in two ways:
- Asch instructed one of the confederates to give a different answer to the rest of the group. This answer was the
correct answer.
- Asch instructed one of the confederates to give a different answer to the rest of the group. But this time the
answer was another incorrect answer.
What was the findings of Asch’s variations of his original conformity research on unanimity? In the first unanimity variation whereby the confederate gave the different correct answer
Asch found that conformity rates reduced from 32% (as seen in his original conformity research) to 5.5%. Asch also found that conformity rates still reduced to 9% in the second unanimity variation whereby the confederate gave a different incorrect answer.
What was the conclusion of Asch’s variations of his original conformity research on unanimity? The higher conformity rates in the original research suggests that a unanimous majority exerts the most influence.
However
by breaking the unanimity of the majority (regardless of whether the new answer is right or wrong)
What was the procedure of Asch’s variations of his original conformity research on task size? Asch made the line judgement task more difficult by making the stimulus line and comparison lines more similar in length. This therefore made it more difficult for participant to identify which comparison line was the same length as the stimulus line.
What was the findings of Asch’s variations of his original conformity research on task size? Asch found that conformity rates increased as the line judgement task was made more difficult.
What was the conclusions of Asch’s variations of his original conformity research on task size? Conformity rates increase in ambiguous tasks when naïve participants are more likely to look to the majority for guidance.
What does conformity to social roles mean? Conformity to social roles means changing your behaviour to suit that of the role you are given in a situation or society. It can
therefore be used to explain identification as a type of conformity.
What does conformity to social roles results from? Deindividuation and Situational factors
What does deindividuation mean? When an individual loses their sense of individual identity
their moral constraints on their behaviour are loosened. This makes them more likely to conform to social roles expected of them
What does situational factors mean? Variables in the environment can trigger or cause a change in behaviour e.g. providing a person with a uniform can influence them to conform to the social role that is expected of people who wear that uniform.
What’s the aim of Zimbardo’s research into conformity to social roles? To investigate how readily people would conform to new roles assigned to them.
What’s the procedure of Zimbardo’s research into conformity to social roles? 24 well adjusted
healthy American male volunteers took part in a two-week simulation study of prison life. Volunteers completed psychological evaluations and those deemed most psychologically healthy were randomly allocated to being either a guard or a prisoner. The local police helped by arresting prisoners at their homes without warning. They were then taken to the mock prison which was set up in the basement of Stanford University. Once there
guards who were given a uniform including reflective sunglasses. They were informed they had complete power over the prisoners however no physical aggression was permitted.
What’s the findings of Zimbardo’s research into conformity to social roles? - The prisoners rebelled against the guards after 2 days
however
extinguishers.
- Some of the prisoners became depressed and anxious
causing mental breakdowns.
- The guards harassed the prisoners and conformed to their perceived roles with such dedication (e.g. attempting to
force-feed prisoners on hunger strike and locking them in dark closets similar to solitary confinement) that the study
which was planned to last 2 weeks
had to be discontinued after 6 days.
What’s the conclusion of Zimbardo’s research into conformity to social roles? The deindividuation of the participants and prison environment played a crucial role in creating the guards’ brutal
behaviour as none of them had shown these tendencies before the experiment. People therefore readily conform to
social roles they are expected to play.
According to Milgram
what are two states an individual can be in? Autonomous state and Agentic state
What is the autonomous state? When in an autonomous state
people see themselves as
behaving voluntarily. This means that people are less likely to obey unjust orders as they feel responsible for their actions.
What is the agentic state? When an individual is in an agentic state
they see themselves as acting on behalf (as an agent) of an authority figure. This means that when they obey an authority figure’s orders
What is legitimacy of authority? The authority these individuals have is legitimate in that it is agreed by society and can often be recognised through the use of uniforms.
- For example
most people accept that authority figures
such as police officers should exercise social power over others to enable society to function smoothly.
- Individuals are therefore likely to obey those with legitimate authority because it is accepted that they have the right to tell us what to do
and are also trusted to exercise their authority appropriately.
What is the aim of Milgram’s (1963) original obedience research? To investigate whether people will obey an order from an authority figure to inflict pain on another person.
What is the procedure of Milgram’s (1963) original obedience research? - 40 American men aged 20-50 volunteered to take part in a paid laboratory study advertised to be investigating ‘punishment on learning’ at Yale University.
- Participants were met by an experimenter dressed in a lab coat who entered them into a fixed draw with a confederate to decide who would become the teacher (which was always
assigned to the naive participant) and who would become the learner (which was always assigned to the confederate).
- The teacher was instructed to administer an electric shock to the learner
who was sat in another room
- During the test
pre-recorded tape recordings played the learner shouting and crying in pain. If the naive participant expressed an unwillingness to continue
What is the findings of Milgram’s (1963) original obedience research? - 100% of participants obeyed the experimenter’s instructions to administer an electric shock up until 300 volts. 65% of participants obeyed to the maximum 450 volts.
- Most participants found the experience stressful and showed signs of distress (e.g. digging their nails into their flesh and sweating).
After his original obedience research
Milgram conducted a series of additional studies to investigate the extent to which different variables affect obedience. Which variables were these? Proximity and Location.
What does proximity refer to and how did Milgram conduct this? Proximity refers to the physical distance between individuals. Milgram conducted three proximity variations whereby he varied the proximity either between the participant
(teacher) and the confederate (learner) [referred to as proximity of the victim] or the participant and the experimenter [referred to as proximity of the authority figure].
What did Milgram find when he increased the proximity between the participant (teacher) and confederate (learner) by placing them in the same room? Obedience rates decreased from 65% (as seen in the original
research when the learner was out of sight in a different room)
to 40%.
What did Milgram find when he increased the proximity between the participant (teacher) and confederate (learner) by instructing the teacher to hold the learner’s hand onto the electric shock plate? Obedience rates decreased from 65% (as seen in the original
research) to 30%.
What did Milgram find when he decreased the proximity between the participant and experimenter by making the experimenter leave the room and give orders via a telephone? Obedience rates decreased from 65% (as seen in the original
research when the experimenter was in the same room) to 20.5%.
What does Milgram’s study of proximity as a variable affecting obedience suggest? These proximity variations suggest that increasing the proximity between an individual and their victim decreases obedience rates. Also
decreasing the proximity between an individual and the authority figure decreases obedience rates.
What was Milgram’s procedure of location as a variable affecting obedience suggest? Milgram’s original obedience research took place at the prestigious Yale University. Milgram therefore varied the location by changing the research setting to a run-down office block.
What was Milgram’s study of location as a variable affecting obedience find? Obedience rates decreased from 65% in the original research to 47.5%.
What was the procedure of Bickman’s research on uniform? In a field experiment
Bickman had three confederates ask passers-by to perform tasks such as picking up litter. These confederates were either dressed in:
• A jacket and tie
• A milkman’s outfit
• A security guard’s uniform
What did Bickman’s research on uniform find? Passers by were most obedient to the security guard.
What is the dispositional explanation for obedience? The dispositional explanation for obedience ignores situational factors and says that personality is the most important factor in
predicting how obedient an individual is.
What is an example of dispositional explanation for obedience? The authoritarian personality
What does the authoritarian personality refers to? A personality type characterised by a belief in absolute obedience to those of perceived higher status.
- Results from overly strict and rigid parenting whereby a child is socialised to unquestioningly obey authority. Those with an authoritarian personality are therefore very aware of social status
conventional and have a high amount of respect for
those in positions of authority
hence their high obedience rates.
How does the authoritarian personality develop? Strict parenting results in this unquestioning obedience can also result in prejudice. - Results in a child feeling constrained which
in turn
- Usually hostile towards minority groups - Less likely to be influenced by minority groups who encourage disobedience when attempting to bring about social change. This means they typically maintain the status quo.
How do you measure the authoritarian personality? The F-scale questionnaire.
What does the F-scale questionnaire comprise of? This comprises of a series of statements such as “obedience and respect for authority are the most important virtues children should learn” and “people can be divided into two distinct classes: the weak and the strong”. Respondents then agree or disagree with each statement on a scale. The higher an individual scores
the more authoritarian they are.
What does resistance to social influence refer to? Refers to when individuals resist pressures to conform and/or obey.
What does Locus of control refer to and how is it measured? How much a person believes they have control over events that happen in their lives. This is usually measured along a scale with a high internal locus of control at one end and a high external locus of control at the other. LOC is therefore measured on a continuum.
What do people with an internal locus of control believe? People with an internal LOC view themselves as having a great deal of control over their own behaviour and will take responsibility for their own actions.
- For example
if a student with an internal LOC fails their exam
they will recognise that perhaps they didn’t revise as much as they should have.
What do people with an external locus of control believe? People with an external LOC believe their behaviour is controlled by forces outside of their control such as luck or fate.
- For example
if a student with an external LOC fails their exam
questions.
What are the three characteristics that make people with an internal LOC better able to resist pressures to conform and/or obey? 1. View themselves as responsible for their actions.
- They are therefore more likely to remain in an autonomous state whereby they are less likely to obey unjust orders.
- View themselves more as a leader than a follower.
- They are therefore more likely to resist pressures to conform to the majority.
- Do not seek social approval.
- They are therefore less likely to be influenced by pressures to conform due to normative social influence (i.e. when an individual conforms because they want to fit in).
Why does another person who doesn’t conform to the majority or obey an authority figure make it easier for another individual to also resist pressures to conform or obey? This is because seeing others not conform/disobey gives observers the confidence to do the same.
What are the two forms of social support? Having a disobedient role model (for resisting pressures to obey) and Having an ally (for resisting pressures to conform)
What does having a disobedient role model (for resisting pressures to obey) help resist social influence? this gives other individuals the confidence to resist
pressures to obey because it challenges the legitimacy of the authority figure. For example
if a student refuses to follow a
substitute teacher’s instructions and gets away with it
other students may also refuse to follow the substitute teacher’s
instructions. This is because the legitimacy of their authority has reduced - i.e. the students realise the substitute teacher has
no control over them.
Why does having an ally (for resisting pressures to conform) help resist social influence? Gives other individuals the confidence to resist pressures to conform because it breaks the unanimity of the group. This would
in turn
What does minority influence refer to? When one person or a small group of people challenge
the beliefs and behaviours held by the majority in order to bring about social change.
- Over time
through the snowball effect
What is social crypto-amnesia? Once the minority become the majority
the original source of the influence is usually forgotten
For a minority to be effective
name the three characteristics/behaviours should they demonstrate? Commitment
What does commitment show and involve? When members of the minority demonstrate their dedication to their belief.
- It involves the minority placing themselves at some risk or inconvenience. For example
commitment can be demonstrated by individuals explaining how they are spending time or money on their cause. This will draw more attention to their cause and suggests certainty
- It also shows that the minority is not acting out of self-interest.
In turn
this may influence other people to join from the majority.
What does consistency show and involve? When a minority initially forms
people assume they are wrong because their beliefs/behaviour go against the majority. However
- Consistency can therefore be demonstrated by the members of the minority all repeating the same message and highlighting that they have held this view over a long period of time.
What does flexibility show and involve? Minorities need to negotiate their position with the majority.
- Flexibility therefore involves the minority adapting their view by accepting valid counterarguments. This means that the minority must listen to the majority and come to an agreement. - However
they cannot be too flexible and switch views
completely as this would be viewed inconsistent. The key is to strike a balance between consistency and flexibility by making a compromise.
When does social change occur? When a minority view challenges the majority and eventually becomes the majority.
- Examples of social change including recycling
the smoking ban
- Take place over time and result from various social influence processes.
What are the 7 ways that social influence processes can help result in social change? 1. Create attention by showing commitment
- Show consistency
- Be flexible
- The snowball effect
- Normative and informational social influence
- Obedience
- Social crypto-amnesia
