Social Influence

Question 1

Define Compliance

Answer 1

When an individual accepts influence in order to achieve a favourable reaction from those around them

Question 2

Define Conformity

Answer 2

A form of social influence that results from exposure to the majority position and leads to compliance with that position.

Question 3

Define Identification

Answer 3

Form of influence where an individual adopts and attitude to be associated with a particular person or group

Question 4

Define informational social influence

Answer 4

A form of influence which is a result of a desire to be right- looking to others in order to gain evidence about reality

Question 5

Define Internalisation

Answer 5

When an individual accepts influence because the content of the attitude is consistent with their own value system.

Question 6

Define Normative social influence

Answer 6

Influence whereby an individual conforms with the expectation of the majority in order to gain approval or avoid social disapproval

Question 7

How many participants took part in the first Asch study and what were they?

Answer 7

123 US undergraduates

Question 8

Average conformity for Asch’s study?

Answer 8

33%
• 1/4 never conformed
• 1/2 conformed on 6 or more
• 1/20 conformed on all 12 trials

Question 9

Name the 3 variables affecting conformity

Answer 9

Group Size, Unanimity of the Majority and Difficulty of the task

Question 10

How does Group Size affect conformity?

Answer 10

• 1-2 confederates has little effect
• 3 confederates causes conformity to jump to about 30%
• Any increase past three has little effect

Question 11

How does unanimity of the majority affect conformity?

Answer 11

•On the Asch study if one confederate answered the right answer, conformity dropped from 33% to 5.5%
• If a confederate answered a different wrong answer then conformity dropped to 9%

Question 12

How does difficulty of the task affect conformity?

Answer 12

If the difficulty of a task is increased then the conformity will increase.

Question 13

How many took part in the Stanford Prison Experiment and how were they picked?

Answer 13

24, most stable

Question 14

How were roles assigned?

Answer 14

Randomly

Question 15

What were the guards and prisoners given?

Answer 15

Prisoners
Given a uniform and an ID number that was used instead of their name
Guard
Given uniforms, clubs, whistles and wore reflective sunglasses

Question 16

Summarise the Findings of The Stanford Prison Experiment

Answer 16

• First few days - guards grew tyrannical, woke them in night and forced them to clean toilets.
• Participants appeared to forget that it was a study, unaware of themselves being watched.
• 5 prisoners had to be released early after just 2 days - study only lasted 6
• Prisoner asked for “parole” instead of being asked to leave.

Question 17

How many participants in the Milgram experiment?

Answer 17

40 with different aspects to their situation

Question 18

How was teacher and learner decided?

Answer 18

Rigged so that the confederate was always the learner

Question 19

Shock range for Milgram?

Answer 19

15-450 going up by 15 volts each time

Question 20

What feedback did the learner give throughout the experiment?

Answer 20

• Gave mainly wrong answers until 300 volts
• At 300 and 315 he would bang the wall and give no response to the next question.
• After that there was no response

Question 21

What happened if the “teacher” asked to stop?

Answer 21

The experimenter had a series of “prods” to repeat eg ‘It is absolutely essential that you continue’

Question 22

What did psychiatrists believe would happen before the experiment?

Answer 22

• Predicted that very few would go over 150 volts.
• 1 in a 1000 would administer the full 450 volts

Question 23

Results of the Milgram study

Answer 23

• 26/40 continued to max. shock
• Only five stopped at 300 volts

Question 24

Situational Factors in Obedience

Answer 24

Proximity, Location and Power of uniform.

Question 25

How did proximity affect the results for obedience in the Milgram study?

Answer 25

•When the learner and the teacher were in the same room, obedience dropped to 40% • When the teacher had to hold the learner’s hand onto the shock plate, obedience dropped to 30% • When the experimenter gave instructions and then left the room and then gave subsequent instructions by phone, the obedience dropped to 21% with some giving the weakest shock over and over.

Question 26

How did location affect the results of the Milgram study?

Answer 26

•When the study was conducted in Yale university- participants said that it gave them confide in the study. • When the study took place in a rundown office in Bridgeport, obedience dropped to 48% giving the maximum volts.

Question 27

How does the power of uniform affect obedience?

Answer 27

Bushman (1988) - Study where a woman dressed as a , a business woman and a homeless person and would ask people if she could borrow some money for a parking meter. 72% - policewoman 52% - homeless 48% - business

Question 28

What is the agentic state?

Answer 28

When someone shifts from an autonomous state to one where they take little responsibility for their actions and instead place the blame on a figure that they perceive as legitimate.

Question 29

Self-image as an explanation for why someone goes into the agentic state.

Answer 29

One explanation as to why people take on the agentic state is to maintain their self- image and it no longer affects them.

Question 30

What is legitimate authority?

Answer 30

In order for someone to perceive someone as a legitimate figure of authority they have to a institution behind them.