Conformity Eval Flashcards
(12 cards)
Asch Eval:
Asch Eval:
(-) Artificial tasks: DEMAND CHARACTERISTICS. Fiske: “Not
very groupy.”
(-) Limited application: American men, IMPOSED EMIC + ANDROCENTRIC. INDIVIDUALIST culture rather than COLLECTIVIST culture.
(+) Research Support: Lucas: Supports Asch task difficulty, 3 confederates with maths problems.
CC: High confidence conformed less
Explanations for conformity Eval
(-) Individual Differences: NAFFILIATORS. Strong need for AFFILIATION. McGhee and Teevan: nAffiliators more likely to conform.
(+) Lucas Support: More likely when difficult
(+) Asch Support: When participants answered privitally, conformity fell to 12.5%. No NORMATIVE GROUP PRESSURE.
CC: NSI and ISI could work together
Zimbardo Research
(+) Control over variables: Prisoners selected to be emotionally stable. Roles selected by chance
(-) Exaggerated findings: The thirds. Most able to resist. Exaggerated SOCIAL ROLES, minimised DISPOSITIONAL FACTORS.
(-) Lack of realism: Banuazizi and Movahedi: Participants were PLAY-ACTING based on STERYOTYPES. Examples: Guard claimed he based on brutal character from “Cool Hand Luke”. Prison riot.
CC: McDermott: Seemed real. 90% convos about prison life. Prisoner 416 said it was a real prison run by a psychologist.
Milgram Baseline
(+) Beauvois (French TV show) support: “Le Jeu da la Mort” game: 80% delivered maximum shock to unconscious. Same observations
(-) Alternative findings: 4 prods, all referred to science except 4th, where everyone disobeyed. SOCIAL INDENTITY THEORY: Participants identified with science, not obeying authority.
(-) Low Internal Validity: Milgram said 75% believed. Orne and Holland: Play acting Gina Perry Tapes: Only half believed shocks were real. DEMAND CHARACTERISTICS
CC: Sheridan and King: 54% male and 100% female delivered fatal shock to puppy.
Milgram Situational Variables
(+) Bickman Support: FIELD EXPERIMENT. Jacket and tie, milkman, security guard
(-) Aware its faked: Member of public replacement ridiculous. Saw through DECEPTION. Responded to DEMAND CHARACTERISTICS.
(+) Cross Cultural Replication: Meeus and Raaijmakers 90% of Dutch stressful. WHen not present dramatic decrease
CC: Michael Bond: Only India and Jordan tested, other countries western.
Agentic State
(+) Milgram Support: Participants who asked who was responsible was told the Experimenter. Acted as experimenters AGENT.
(-) Contrasting evidence: Rank and Jacobsen: 16 / 18 nurses disobeyed doctor
Legitimacy of authority
(+) Explains cultural differences: Kilham and Mann: Australia 16% in Milgram. David Mantell: German 85%
(-) Cannot explain disobedience: Rank and Jacobsen: 16 / 18 nurses disobeyed doctor
Authoritarian Personality
(-) Can’t explain widespread obedience (Germany). Alternative: SIT, identified with Nazi party, SCAPEGOATED OUTGROUP of Jews.
(-) Doesn’t measure left-wing authoritarianism (RUSSIAN BOLSHEVISM, CHINESE MAOISM), AQUIESCENCE BIAS
(+) Milgram and Elms Support: Interviewed 20 participants from original and found significantly higher F-Scale in those obedient
CC: There were differences: Did not glorify fathers, did not have hostile attitudes towards mother, did not receive high level of punishment
Social Support
(+): Albrecht Support: “Teen Fresh Start USA” Pregnant adolescents with no buddy were more likely to smoke.
(+) Gamson support: 29/33 Groups decided to not help oil company with smear campaign. Dissenting peers
Locus of control
(+) Holland Support: Replicated Milgram: 37% internals 23% Externals
(-) Twenge Contradiction: 40-year period people become more internal but also more obedient
Minority Influence
(+) Wendy Wood Support for consistency: META-ANALYSIS of 100 studies found consistent was the most influential
(-) Artificial tasks: Different from LAW and POLITICAL COMPAIGNS
(+) Martin Support for deeper processing: One group shown minority agree, other majority agree, less likely to change views if minority group agree
CC: Artificial setting: Majorities have power irl, minorities face opposition
Social Change
(+) Minority influence can be explained: Nemeth: People engage in DIVERGENT THINKING which is boarder and searches for more info. This is what leads to DEEPER PROCESSING
(-) Deeper processing inaccurate. Mackie: Majority leads to deeper processing
(+) Nolan Support: Hung messages in San Diego saying residents were reducing energy use, other messages just telling people to not use energy. Significant decreases in first group.
CC: Foxcroft: Review of 70 studies on effects of NSI on alcohol reduction: Not much reduction
