Chapter 6 - Active Recall

Question 1

Describe what was done and what was found in Asch’s (1955) study.

Answer 1

• Asch’s studies explored conformity
• Asch’s conformity experiments showed that most people tell the truth even when others do not.
  
  • Ex. peer or group pressure

Question 2

Discuss the ethics of Milgram’s study

Answer 2

• Milgram’s studies explored obedience
• His studies pressured people to go against their own consciences
  
  • by saying, “It is absolutely essential that you continue.”
• Milgram’s obedience studies tested the consequences of the demands of authority clashing with the demands of conscience
  
  • ​The ethics lies on the verbal command that was used by the experimenter in Milgram’s study to encourage the participants to continue.
  • The phrase used was “It is absolutely essential that you continue.”

Question 3

Describe three of the variations done on Milgram’s original obedience experiment. Be sure to discuss how the results varied as a function of these changes.

Answer 3

• The learner was in the same room as the teacher.
  
  • Under these conditions there was a decrease in compliance to shock.
• Teachers were required to force the learner’s hand into contact with a shock plate.
  
  • Under these conditions there was a decrease in compliance to shock.
• Milgram arranged for a second confederate (posing as a fellow participant) to assume command in the experimenter’s absence.
  
  • As a result of this manipulation 80% of the teachers refused to comply fully.
    
    • it tells you that when there’s no authority figure, they won’t follow.

Question 4

Briefly summarize the studies by Sherif, Asch, and Milgram by listing the topic and method of each. Be sure to also provide a real-life example of each study.

Answer 4

Sherif

• Norm formation and acceptance
• Individuals had to watch a pinpoint of light in a dark room. The test indicated that people conform when they face ambiguous situations.
  
  • Ex. Rachel, a middle-aged woman, appreciates maggot cheese because her friends love it and consider it healthy. She agrees with her friends’ views about the health benefits of maggot cheese.

Asch

• Study on comformity
• Study on group pressure
• Showed that most people tell the truth even when others do not.
• Found that there is more conformity with three to five people than one to two.
  
  • Ex. Meghan, a versatile singer, is a judge on a reality show. She scores a contestant lower than the other judges in the panel do. She does not revise her scores despite requests from the management of the show. According to Asch’s study on conformity, Meghan most likely sticks to her judgment because of her prior commitment
  • Connor, a 20-year-old student, gets a skull tattoo and a mohawk just like his friends have.
  • Avery, a young adult, ends up eating more when she dines with her friends than when she is alone (group pressure).

Milgram

• Study on obedience
• Tested the consequences of the demands of authority clashing with the demands of conscience
• Found factors that determined obedience
  
  • victim’s emotional distance
  • the closeness of an authority

Question 5

Define and provide examples of both normative influence and informational influence.

Answer 5

Normative influence = we want to be liked
Informational influence = we want to be right

Normative Influence

• Conformity based on a person’s desire to fulfill others’ expectations, often to gain their acceptance
• Normative influence is “going along with the crowd” to avoid rejection, to stay in people’s good graces, or to gain their approval.

Informational Influence

• Conformity that occurs when people accept evidence about reality that is provided by other people
• Captures how beliefs spread. Just as people look up when they see others looking up, they use the same fork others are using at a fancy dinner party

Question 6

“Conformity is neither all bad nor all good.” Do you agree? Why or why not?

Answer 6

It can be bad because it makes people believe in things they don’t necessarily believe in due to peer pressure.

Question 7

John wants to go out with Sue, but Sue is playing hard to get. John is all the more intrigued and motivated to get a date with Sue. Explain this scenario in terms of the theory of psychological reactance.

Answer 7

• Knowing that someone is trying to coerce you may prompt you to do the opposite of that person’s wishes is the theory of psychological reactance.
• It is the motive to protect or restore one’s sense of freedom
  
  • Ex. High school students Aisha and Jared have been dating each other casually. When Aisha’s parents tell her to stop seeing Jared and ask her to go out with “nicer boys,” Aisha announces that she and Jared are actually “in love” and have decided to go steady. Aisha’s behavior most likely illustrates the effects of:
  • Thomas and Maya have been married for eight years. Lately, Thomas has developed a drinking habit, and Maya tries to dissuade him from this habit. However, he drinks more than usual when Maya rebukes him.
  • Laura generally likes to go home to visit her family during vacation. However, after her father strictly tells her that she must be home during spring vacation, Laura decides to remain at college.
  • Why people feel motivated to work out more when exercise becomes a “must” or “should” activity