key terms

Question 1

group size

Answer 1

• asch increased the group size by adding more confederates which increased size of majority
• conformity increased but only to certain point as it levelled off once majority was greater than 3

Question 2

conformity

Answer 2

change in persons behaviour/opinions due to imagined/real pressure from a person/group of people

Question 3

unanimity

Answer 3

the extent to which all members of a group agree
–> in aschs studies, the majoiry was unanimous when all confederates selected the same comparison line - this produced greatest degree of conformity on naïve participants

Question 4

task difficulty

Answer 4

aschs line-judging task became more difficult when it becomes harder to work out the correct answer
–> conformity increased as naïve participants assumed majority was right

Question 5

internalisation

Answer 5

• deepest type of conformity where we take on majority view as we believe it’s correct
• far reaching & permanent, even in absence of group

Question 6

identification

Answer 6

• moderate type of conformity where we take on majority/group view as we believe it’s correct
• don’t necessarily agree with everything group/majority believes

Question 7

compliance

Answer 7

• superficial & temporary type of conformity where we go along with majority view but privately disagree
• change in behaviour lasts as long as groups monitoring us

Question 8

information social influence

Answer 8

• explanation for conformity that says how we agree with the opinion of the majority as we believe it’s correct
• we accept it as we want to be correct
• may lead to internalisation

Question 9

normative social influence

Answer 9

• explanation for conformity that says how we agree with the opinion of the majority as we want to gain social approval & be liked
• may lead to compliance

Question 10

social roles

Answer 10

• ‘parts’ people play as members of various social groups
• eg. parent, child, student, passenger
• accompanied by expectations we/others have

Question 11

obedience

Answer 11

• form of social influence where an individual follows a direct order
• order usually issued by person of authority who has power to punish when obedient behaviour isn’t forthcoming

Question 12

situational variables

Answer 12

• features of immediate physical & social environment that may influence behaviour - eg. location, proximity & uniform
• alternative: dispositional variables = behaviour’s explained in terms of personality

Question 13

proximity

Answer 13

• physical closeness/distance of authoritative figure to the person they’re giving the order to
• also refers to physical closeness of teacher & victim (learner) in milgrams studies

Question 14

location

Answer 14

• place where orders are issued
• relevant factor which influences obedience is status/prestige associated with location

Question 15

uniform

Answer 15

• people in positions of authority may have specific outfits symbolic of their authority
• eg. police, judges
• indicates how they’re entitled to expect our obedience

Question 16

agentic state

Answer 16

• mental state where we feel no personal responsibility for our behaviour as we believe ourselves to be acting for an authority figure - eg. as their agent
• frees us from demands of our conscience & allows us to obey (even a destructive) authority figure

Question 17

legitimacy of authority

Answer 17

• explanation for obedience that suggests we’re more likely to obey people we perceive to have authority over us
• authority is justified by individuals position of power within a social hierarchy

Question 18

dispositional explanation

Answer 18

• any explanation of behaviour that highlights the importance of an individuals personality (eg. their disposition)
• such explanations are often contrasted with situational explanations

Question 19

authoritarian personality

Answer 19

• type of personality that Adorno argued was especially susceptible to obeying people in authority
• submissive of those of higher status & dismissive of inferiors

Question 20

resistance to social influence

Answer 20

• refers to ability to withstand social pressure to conform to majority & obey authority
• this ability is influenced by situational & dispositional factors

Question 21

social support

Answer 21

• presence of people who resist pressures to conform/obey can help others do the same
• act as models & show how resistance to social influence is possible

Question 22

locus of control (LOC)

Answer 22

• refers to the sense we each have about what directs events in our lives
• internals believe they’re mostly responsible for what happens to them (internal LOC)
• externals believe its mainly luck/other outside forces (external LOC)

Question 23

minority influence

Answer 23

• form of social influence where a minority (sometimes 1 person) persuades others to adopt their beliefs, attitudes & behaviour
• leads to internalisation & conformity

Question 24

consistency

Answer 24

• minority influence is most effective when minority maintains same beliefs over time & between individuals in minority
• effective as draws attention to minority view

Question 25

commitment

Answer 25

• minority influence is more pwoerful if minority demonstrates dedication to position
• eg. person sacrifices
• effective as shows minorities not acting out of self interest

Question 26

flexibility

Answer 26

• relentless consistency could be counter-productive if majority view it as unbending & unreasonable
• minority influence is more effective if minority show flexibility by accepting possibility of compromise

Question 27

social influence

Answer 27

• process by which individuals/groups change each others attitudes & behaviour
• includes conformity, obedience & minority influence

Question 28

social change

Answer 28

occurs when whole societies (not individuals) adopt new attitudes, beliefs & ways of doing things
- eg. accepting earth orbits the sun, womens suffrage, gay rights & environmental issues