social influence Flashcards
(48 cards)
what does conformity mean?
yielding to group pressure.
outline Asch’s study of conformity:
A: to investigate group pressure in an unambiguous situation.
M: -participants (123 male students) thought they were taking part in a study of visual perception.
-participants were shown a standard line and three comparison lines, they were told to pick which line was the same as the standard line.
-each participant was tested with a group of 6/8 confederates and the true participant was always sat at the end so they could hear everyone else’s answers first.
-the first 12 trials the participants said the correct answer to gain trust.
-the last 6 trials the confederates all gave the identical wrong answer.
-Asch counted how many times the participant agreed with this wrong answer.
R: when wrong answers were given:
-32% conformed overall.
-5% always conformed.
-75% conformed at least once.
-25% never conformed.
C:-majority of people are influenced by group pressure.
- though many can resist.
weakness of Asch’s study of conformity:
*collectivist
P- Asch’s research is more reflective of conformity in individualist cultures (UK and America).
E- research has found that conformity studies done in collectivist countries (China) produce higher conformity rates as they’re more oriented to group needs.
L- suggests that Asch’s findings are probably less reflective of conformity in collectivist cultures.
weakness of Asch’s study of conformity:
*artificial task
P- task and situation was artificial.
E- judging the length of a line with strangers isn’t an everyday task.
L- results may not reflect everyday situations (especially when the consequences of conformity are more important).
what is a social factor?
explanation in terms of the social world around you.
what are the social factors affecting conformity?
anonymity
task difficulty
group size
how does anonymity affect conformity?
social factor
reduces our concern (less pressure) about people disagreeing with our views.
lowers conformity as we aren’t worried about what others will think of us.
how does task difficulty affect conformity?
social factor
-as the difficulty of the task increases, the answer becomes less certain so people will feel less confident about their own answer and look to others for the right answer.
how does group size affect conformity?
social factor
- more people in a group = greater pressure to conform.
- two confederates: 13.6% conformity.
- three confederates: 31.8% conformity.
- more than three made little difference.
what are disposition factors?
explanation in terms of the individual’s personal characteristics
what are the dispositional factors that affect conformity?
personality (locus of control)
expertise
how does personality affect conformity?
dispositional factor
Locus of control:
-personality dimension (on continuum).
-extent to which people believe they’re in control in their lives.
Internal Locus:
-in control of what happens to them.
-personal responsibility.
-more likely to resist social influence.
External Locus:
-feel they can’t control situations.
-don’t feel in control of their actions (fate, luck).
-likely to conform/obey.
how does expertise affect conformity?
dispositional factor
- increases your confidence in your opinions.
- more knowledgeable = conform less.
- research found that math experts were less likely to conform to other’s answers on math problems.
- older people consider themselves more knowledgeable = less likely to conform.
obedience:
response to a direct order from an authority figure.
social factors affecting obedience:
proximity
authority
culture
outline Milgram’s study of obedience:
A: to investigate whether in certain circumstances a normal person would give somebody a potentially lethal electric shock if told to do so by an authority figure.
M: -40 paid male volunteers (thought it was for a study on memory).
-a confederate was the “learner” while the participant always ended up being the “teacher”.
-an “experimenter” (other confederate) directed the study.
-experimenter instructed the teacher to give the (fake) electric shock (15 increasing to 450 volts) to the learner every time he answered incorrectly on a memory task.
-learner began to pound on wall and stop giving responses at 300 volts.
-teacher was asked to continue when asked for guidance.
R: -no participant stopped below 300 volts.
-65% shocked to 450 volts.
-caused participants extreme tension.
C: ordinary people are likely to follow orders given by an authority figure even to the extent of killing someone.
weakness of Milgram’s study of obedience:
*lab
P- was done in lab conditions.
E- may not represent how we obey in everyday life.
L- lacks ecological validity.
weakness of Milgram’s study of obedience:
*ethical issues
P- participants experienced considerable stress.
E- caused psychological damage to participants (3 seizures were reported) as they thought they were causing paint to the learner.
L- brings psychology into disrepute.
social factor of obedience: outline Milgram’s agency theory.
Agency:
act as an agent (for someone else) because they assume that the person giving orders is taking responsibility.
Agentic State:
act on behalf of someone else and would follow their orders blindly (person feels no responsibility for their actions.
Autonomous State (free):
where they behave according to their own principles and feel responsible for their own actions.
Agentic Shift:
moving from making own free choices to following orders (occurs when someone is in authority).
Culture (social hierarchy):
-some people have more authority than others because of their position in the social hierarchy.
-depends on society and socialisation.
Proximity:
-proximity increases the “moral strain” that a person feels which leads to an increased sense of personal responsibility.
-Milgram: less obedient if the learner was in the same room as them
weakness of the social factor of obedience: Milgram’s agency theory:
*doesn’t explain all findings
P- doesn’t explain why there isn’t 100% obedience.
E- 35% of participants didn’t obey fully.
L- social factors can’t fully explain obedience.
what is a weakness of the social factor of obedience: Milgram’s agency theory:
*obedience alibi
P- it “excuses” people who blindly follow destructive orders.
E- offensive to the holocaust survivors as it suggests that the Nazis just obeyed orders and ignores roles that racism and prejudice played.
L- dangerous, as it allows people to think they aren’t always personally responsible.
dispositional factors affecting obedience:
authoritarian personality.
dispositional factor of obedience: Adorno’s theory of the authoritarian personality (9t)
The Authoritarian Personality:
-exaggerated respect for authority.
-more likely to obey orders.
-very aware of their own and other’s social status.
-look down on people of inferior social status.
-very respectful to people of higher status.
Cognitive Style:
-“black and white”
-belief in rigid stereotypes.
Originates in Childhood:
-develops when a child experiences strict parenting/discipline.
-child only receives love when they behave correctly.
-the child internalises these values and expects all people to behave the same.
-child also feels hostility towards parents but can’t express these feelings directly as they fear reprisals.
Scapegoating:
-hostility felt towards parents for being critical is put onto people who are socially inferior
weakness of the dispositional factor of obedience: Adorno’s theory of the authoritarian personality:
*lack of support
P- lack of support due to the flawed questionnaire.
E- the F scale used has a response bias.
L- challenges validity as it’s based on poor evidence.
