Lecture 6: Social influence Flashcards
(22 cards)
What is social influence?
The process whereby attitudes and behaviours are influenced by the real or implied presence of other people.
What is compliance?
Superficial, public change in behaviour and expressed attitudes in response to requests or group pressure.
What is the agentic state?
- Milgram (1963) people are socialised to respect authority
- Unquestioning obedience in which personal responsibility is transferred to the person giving orders
- Milgram linked this to the holocaust
How did immediacy of the victim affect Milgram’s obedience study?
- When the victim was neither seen nor heard it was 100%
- When the victim was visible (in the same room) it was 40%
- When the teacher had to hold the victims hand down it was 30%
How did immediacy of the authority figure affect Milgram’s obedience study?
- When experimental relayed instructions via telephone 20.5%
- When no orders were given at all 2.5%
- Presence of two disobedient peers 10%
- Presence of two obedient peers 92%
What is conformity?
Deep seated private and enduring change in behaviour and attitudes due to group pressure
What is the convergence effect (Sherif 1936)?
The need to be certain that behaviour is correct and appropriate.
What is frame of reference?
The middle positions perceived to be more correct than fringe positions.
Allport (1924): People in groups give less extreme judgements of odours and weights in groups, compared to when they are alone.
What is the procedure of Asch’s study?
- Pp took it in turns in a fixed order to call allowed their response of which line was most similar to the standard line
- All were confederates except one naive pp
- Pp would always give the penultimate response
- Confederates gave incorrect responses on 12 trials and correct responses on 6 trials.
What were the results of Asch’s study?
- Control group - performed the same task privately
- 1% of the responses were incorrect (confirmation of unambiguity)
- 25% of niave pp did not conform to confederates incorrect responses at all
- 50% conformed to the erroneous majority on 6 or more trials
- Overall conformity rate was 33%
- 5% conformed on all incorrect trials
Why did the participants conform in Asch’s study?
- Feelings of uncertainty and self-doubt
- Evolving into self-consciousness and feelings of anxiety
- Many pp knew that they saw differently to to how the group responded by this led to them doubting themselves
- Neuroimaging data shows stronger amygdala response to nonconformity (Berns et al 2005)
Define group size as a situational factor in conformity.
- Asch 1952- as the group increased, conformity increased
- Group unanimity - conformity rates are significantly reduced if the majority is not unanimous.
What is informational influence?
- Accepting information from another individual as evidence about reality
- Affects us when we are uncertain (ambiguity)
What is normative influence?
- To conform to the positive expectation of others to gain approval or avoid social disapproval
What is the inhibitory norm model of eating?
Herman, Roth and Polivy 2003
- Significant concern for most people is not being seen to eat excessively
- Often negative stereotypes have been applied to those who eat excessively
- Eaters may then take care to ensure that their food intake is not perceived as excessive
- People might engage in social comparison to avoid this
What is referent informational influence?
- The dual process model says people conform either because of normative or informational influence: but it might not be this simple
- Social identity theory says we define ourselves by the groups we belong to
- We see ourselves as similar to group members (self-catagorisation)
- Referent informational influence means we follow group norms because they reflect who we are - not just to fit in or because we think others know more
What is minority influence?
- If only the majority could influence people, then everyone would have the same views by now (social homogeneity)
- But we don’t, and thats because small groups can change peoples views overtime by being consistent
What is the genetic model of minority influence?
- Consistency across time and context
- Showing investment in its position, making a significant sacrifice
- Autonomy - acting out of principle rather than from ulterior motives
How does consistency aid minority influence?
- Disrupts the majority norm and produces uncertainty and doubt
- Draws attention to the minority as an entity
- Creates the impression that an alternative view exists
- Demonstrates certainty and commitment to this view
What is the conversion effect?
Sudden internal change in the attitudes of the majority
What is the convergent-divergent theory? (Nemeth 1986)
- When we have attitudes which are in disagreement with the majority, we find this surprising and stressful
- Leads to narrow focused (convergent) thinking
- In contrast minority influence improves performance on tasks related to divergent thinking, as compared with minority influence
