Social impact theory

Question 1

What is the multiplication effect?

Answer 1

The impact of strength, number and immdiacy when multiplied together has a greater impact on someone than one individual factor alone.

Question 2

What is the psychsocial law?

Answer 2

-Each person added to a situation increases the impact on the target but for each person added they have less impact on the target.

Question 3

What is social impact theory?

Answer 3

The more number, strength and immedicy, the more likely someone is to obey an authority figure.

Question 4

What are the strengths of the social impact theory study (Milgram, Bickham and Berkowitz).

Answer 4

-Is a field experiment so it has high ecological validity, a naturalistic setting and can account for real life.

Question 5

What are the weaknesses of the social impact theory study (Milgram, Bickham and Berkowitz).

Answer 5

-It is not in a controlled and standerdised setting.
-No informed consent.
-Low mundane realism(not a likely situation to see).
-Theory only accounts for three factors which can impact obedience.

Question 6

How did Milgram, Bickham and Berkowitz investigate social impact theory?

Answer 6

-Had between 1 and 15confederates stand in a street and look up at the 6th floor of a building.

Question 7

How many people obeyed in the study with 1 confederate?

Answer 7

42%

Question 8

How many people obeyed in the study with 15 confederates?

Answer 8

86%

Question 9

What factors does the study of social impact theory demonstrate?

Answer 9

-Number
-Psychosocial law

Question 10

What is the source?

Answer 10

The person giving the order (authority figure).

Question 11

What is the target?

Answer 11

Person receiving the order.

Question 12

What is the divisional effect?

Answer 12

-The more targets to impact the less strength the source will have (strength is divided by the number of targets).

Question 13

What is strength?

Answer 13

How much power you believe the person influencing you has (legitiamate authority will have more strength)

Question 14

What is immediacy?

Answer 14

-How recent the order was.
-How close the source is to the target.

Question 15

What is number?

Answer 15

-The more people putting pressure on you the more social impact they will have on you.

Question 16

What are the weaknesses of social impact theory?

Answer 16

Doesn’t account for all factors which can effect obedience.
-Ignores individual differences such as authoritian personality.

Question 17

How is social impact theory useful?

Answer 17

-Can understand things such as the holocaust and the mai li massacre (why soilders followed orders).

Question 18

What other theories can explain obedience other than social impact theory?

Answer 18

-Agency theror shows how obedience happens in the 4 stages.
-Social impact theory doesn’t take into account more factors which makes it less credieble.

Question 19

What evidence conflicts social impact theory?

Answer 19

-Mullen(1985):
-Conducted meta analysis about sources immediacy and strength.
-Concluded strength and immediacy were weak and lacked consistancy.

Question 20

What evidence supports social impact theory?

Answer 20

-Milgram’s variations :
7-shows how immediacy effects obedience
-10 and 13 shows how strength effects obedience.
-Milgram, Bickham and Berkowitz:
Confederates looking up at sixth floor and shows number and psychosocial law.