Influence of Others on Decisions and Actions Flashcards
(46 cards)
What is INFORMATIONAL social influence?
When we conform because we think others have more information on what is true/accurate.
It often leads to conversion.
(we use others as a reference for what is the right thing to do)
What is NORMATIVE social influence?
When we conform to the expectations of others
= behavioural compliance in group contexts.
(we want to be liked by others)
What is conversion?
Internalisation of change in attitude/behaviour
What is compliance?
External change in attitude/behaviour
(e.g., public agreement)
What was Sherif’s (1936) method in his autokinetic experiment? What were the findings?
Asked participants how much they saw the line move. They took it in turns to call out their estimates.
There was a tendency for the results to converge over time.
What was the average conformity of Asch’s (1952) study?
33%
What percentage conformed for all trials? (Asch, 1952)
5%
What percentage conformed for 6 or more trials? (Asch, 1952)
50%
What are some criticisms of Asch’s experiment?
- Only a third of participants conformed
- There was almost no private persuasion
What are 3 social factors that influence conformity?
- High status/expertise group members have more social influence
- We conform less when we understand the reasons for others’ behaviour
- Cultural norms (conformity is greater in interdependent cultures that focus on social harmony)
What is referent informational influence?
Where social identity shapes individual behaviour to be consistent with salient group identity.
This influences public responses, but also private responses are shaped by group membership.
What is obedience?
Submitting to the demands of someone who is higher in the social hierarchy than oneself.
What mindset is essential for obedience? What is it?
Agentic state.
“Anything you do, the blame will be placed onto the authority figure.”
Experts predicted that only ____% would exceed 180V.
Actually, ____% continued past 150V.
10%.
80%.
Why did scientists criticise Milgram’s study?
They suggested it was due to aggression rather than obedience to authority that the shocks were administered.
How did Milgram disprove that his results weren’t due to aggression?
He eliminated the “Please continue” instruction.
Then, only 3 participants went past 135V and only 1 went to 450V.
What are 3 explanations for obedience?
- Closeness of learner to participant
- Proximity of shock equipment
- Legitimacy of authority figure
What did Haslam et al. (2014) find from a meta-analysis of Milgram’s studies?
Obedience rate across 21 conditions was 43.6%.
(323 out of 750 participants)
What 3 things can decrease obedience?
- Witnessing others disobey
- Inconsistent instructions
- Closer proximity to witness the harm inflicted
What 3 screening processes did Burger (2009) incorporate into his more recent replication of Milgram experiment?
- People who had taken 2 (or more) psychology courses were excluded.
- People with history of mental health conditions excluded
- People who passed these 2 checks had in-person interview with clinical psychologist.
At what voltage was Burger’s experiment terminated at?
150V.
What was the difference between the base and modelled refusal condition?
In the modelled refusal condition, an extra confederate refused to continue.
Findings from Burger’s base condition:
70% of participants went to continue past 150V.
(not sig diff from Milgram’s orig - 82.5%)
Findings from Burger’s modelled refusal condition:
63% of participants went to continue past 150V.
(not sig diff from base condition)
