SOCIAL INFLUENCE Flashcards
(33 cards)
dissenting
Holding an opinion that is contrary to the majority.
What are the three different types of conformity?
Internalisation, identification and compliance.
What is internalisation?
Internalisation occurs when people genuinely agree with the group norms which leads to a private and public change in behaviour. This change in behaviour is likely to be permanent as attitudes have been internalised.
What is identification?
A moderate type of conformity where we act the same way as the group because we value it and want to be apart of it but we don’t agree with everything the majority believes.
What is compliance?
A temporary type of conformity where we outwardly go along with the majority view but privately disagree with it. This means a particular behaviour stops as soon as group pressure stops.
What are the two main reasons people conform?
ISI and NSI
What is ISI?
An explanation of conformity that says we conform because we want to be correct. ISI is likely to occur when there is an ambigious situation, new situation or someone is regarded as an expert. This is a cognitive process.
What is NSI?
An explanation of conformity that say we conform to the group majority because we want to be accepted and gain social approval. NSI is more of an emotional process. NSI is more likely to occur with strangers where people may feel concerned about rejection and with people we know because we value their opinion.
Who did a study about ISI and what did it show?
Lucas et al asked students to give answers to mathematical problems that were more easy or difficult. The study showed that there was greater conformity to incorrect answers when they were difficult rather than easier ones showing that people conform in situations when they feel like they don’t know the right answers.
What is a disadvantage(evaluation) for NSI?
NSI affects people’s behaviour in different way eg not everyone has the desire to be liked and therefore are less likely affected by NSI. Those who have a greater need for association with other are called nAffliators and they have a greater need to affliate (be in a relationship with others).
What is obedience?
Obedience is a form of social influence in which a person follows a direct order from an authority.
What was the procedure of Milgram’s research before the actual experiment?
- Milgram recruited 40 male participants from a newspaper ad
- They were offered $4.50 to take part
- When they entered Milgram’s ‘lab’ they were given the money and ‘picked’ their roles, this was rigged so that the naive participant would always be the teacher and the confederate ‘ Mr Wallace’ would always be a learner. There was another confederate ‘The experimenter’ who was dressed in a lab coat.
What was Milgram’s procedure during the experiment?
- The learner was strapped in a room with electrodes and given an increasingly severe shock when they got an answer wrong.
- The first shock was demonstrated to the teacher and after that weren’t real.
- When the teacher got to 300 volts the learner pounded and the wall and gave no response after that.
- When the teacher turnt to the experimenter for guidance he said ‘an absence of response should be treated as a wrong answer’ and if they were unsure he gave them a prod.
What were the four prods the experimenter gave in Milgram’s experiment?
Prod 1- Please continue
Prod 2- This experiment requires you to continue
Prod 3- It’s absolutely essential that you continue
Prod 4- You have no other choice, you must go on
What were the findings of Milgram’s study?
- No participants stopped before 300 volts, 12.5% stopped at 300 volts and 65% of participants went all the way to 450 Volts.
- Participants showed signs of extreme tension ; many started to sweat, tremble and stutter
What did Orne and Holland say about Milgram’s study?
- The participants behave that way because they didn’t believe the shocks were real and lacked internal validity.
- However Sheridan King did a similar study with dogs and real shocks and found that 54% of the male partipicants and 100% of the female participants delivered what
they thought was a fatal shock - Milgram reported that 70% of his particpants thought the shocks were real so doesn’t lack internal validity
- Another study on a French game show replicated Milgram’s study and received similar results.
What is internal validity?
Internal validity is when the observable differences in the dependant variable are directly due to the independent variable and not another factor.
How does Milgram’s study have good external validity?
The relationship between the experimenter and the teacher reflected authority relationships in real life. Eg Hoffling et al did a study with nurses in a hospital ward asking them to carry out unjustified demand and 21/22 nurses obeyed. Showing it has high external validity.
What is a disadvantage of milgram’s study?
It had many ethical issues. Baumrid was critical of how Milgram decieved his participants through this fake allocation of roles and leading the participants to believe the shock was real.
What does the social identification theory say about Milgram’s study?
When participants identified with the experiment they identified with the science. Eg the first three pods that didn’t demand obedience helped for their appeal to the science by using words such as ‘experiment’ however obedience levels fell after the 4th prod which demanded obedience.
What is minority influence?
minority influence is when one person or a small group of people influences the beliefs and behaviours of the majority
What are three things that helps a minority to influence?
Consistency, commitment and flexibility.
What is consistency and why is it important in minority influence?
Minority influence is more likely to be successful when the minority keeps the beliefs over time and between the individuals in the minority, this draws attention to the minority view.
Why is commitment important in minority influence?
Commitment shows dedication to the minorities position by making personal sacrifices eg being at risk of getting arrested at a protest. This is effective because it shows that the minority isn’t acting out of self interest and is called the augmentation principle.
