social influence

Question 1

what is conformity?

Answer 1

a change in a persons behaviour or opinions as a result of real or imagined pressure from a person / group of people (elliot aronson 2011)

Question 2

what are the reasons for conformity and what are they? (NSI, ISI)

Answer 2

normative social influence: wanting to fit in
informational social influence: wanting to be right

Question 3

what are the 3 types of social influence?

Answer 3

compliance
internalisation
identification

Question 4

what is compliance?

Answer 4

shallowest level: person changes their public behaviour but not their private beliefs

Question 5

what is internalisation?

Answer 5

deepest + most permanent level of conformity
person changes public behaviour and their believes, change occurs publicly and privately whether the group is present or not

Question 6

what is identification?

Answer 6

moderate level;
conforms to behaviours and opinions of a group because there is something that they value, identify with the group and what to be part of it, beliefs are internalised in order to gain approval

Question 7

what is NSI? and why do they conform?

Answer 7

normative social influence: when a person conforms to be accepted to feel that they belong to a group
it is socially rewarding and avoids social rejection
occurs w strangers and close friends

Question 8

what is ISI? and why do they conform?

Answer 8

informational social influence: person conforms to gain knowledge or they believe someone is right
associated with internalisation
change in behaviour and belief (genuinely believes their beliefs are right)

Question 9

how did asch’s study (1951) investigate conformity?

Answer 9

assessed what extent people will conform to the opinion of others, even when the answer is certain

123 american men were tested in a group with a line X on a card, where they would have to identify out loud which line out of ABC were the same length as X

Question 10

what were the baseline findings for asch’s study (1951)?

Answer 10

the genuine participants agreed w the confederates, conforming 36.8% of the time
there were individual differences, 25% never conformed or gave a wrong answer

Question 11

what were the variables investigated by Asch?

Answer 11

group size
unanimity
task difficulty

Question 12

how was group size investigated in asch’s study (1951)

Answer 12

Asch increased the size of the group by adding more confederates finding that conformity increased with group size, but levelled off after 3 confederates (conformity rose to 31.8%)

Question 13

how was unanimity investigated in asch’s study (1951)

Answer 13

when the majority was unanimous when all confederates selected the same line, producing the greatest degree of conformity
but the genuine participant confirmed less often in the presence of a dissenter who disagreed with other confederates

Question 14

how was task difficulty investigated in asch’s study (1951)

Answer 14

when the task becomes more difficult, conformity increases as naive participants assume that the majority are more likely to be correct

Question 15

what are some limitations of ache’s study (1951)
(also ethical issues)

Answer 15

1. the task and situation were artificial: participants knew they were in a research study and may have gone alone w what was expected
2. all participants were american men, lacks population validity, his research show little about conformity in woman and people from other cultures
3. ethical: deception
   participants were deceived as they believed everyone were genuine participants

Question 16

what is one strength of asch’s research? (1951)

Answer 16

he was correct in claiming that task difficulty is one variable that affects conformity
lucas et al. asked participants to solve ‘easy’ and ‘hard’ math problems where the participants conformed with the wrong answers when the task was harder

Question 17

what is research support for NSI?

Answer 17

asch’s study (1951) showed that some conformity subdue to a desire not to be rejected by the group for disagreeing with them (when participants were interviewed, they were self conscious of giving the correct answer and afraid of disapproval [when answers were written, conformity dropped to 12.5%])

Question 18

what is research support for ISI?

Answer 18

Lucas et al. showed ISI shows conformity as the results were what ISI predicts: participants conformed more when the math problems were more difficult as the situation became more ambiguous and they did not want to be wrong

Question 19

what is the definition of social roles?

Answer 19

the ‘parts’ people play as members of various social groups, these are accompanied by the expectations we and others have of nest is appropriate behaviour in each role

Question 20

describe zimbardo’s research (1973) on how he assessed conformity to social roles

Answer 20

• set up a mock prison in the basement of Stanford university: 21 men were randomly given the role of prison guard/prisoner and encouraged to conform to social roles through uniform and behaviour
• uniforms: prisoners were given a smock and cap and were only referred to as numbers (created a loss of identity therefore they would conform more)
• behaviour: guards were encouraged to okay their role by being reminded that they had.
  power over the prisoners

Question 21

what were the findings to social roles in zimbardos prison study (1973)

Answer 21

guards took up roles w enthusiasm, tearing prisoners harshly causing the prisoners to rebel 2 days in.
G’s harassed P’s by doing headcount’s and ate late hours of the night, they would stand in line and call out numbers. guards highlighted differences in social roles by creating opportunities to establish punishments
P’s became depressed and anxious, 2 were released on day 4. G’s identified more w role becoming more aggressive, Z ended the study after 6 days instead of. 14

Question 22

what was one strength of Zimbardos prison study (1973)

Answer 22

Z had control over key variables:
E.g selection of emotionally stable participants
this increased the internal validity of study so we can be much more confident in drawing conclusions aft influence of roles on conformity

Question 23

what is one limitation of SPE (1973)

Answer 23

lack of realism: participants were “play acting” than actually conforming to roles (one participant said he based his role off a brutal character from a film)
showing the findings say little about conformity to social roles in prisons
Z may have exaggerated the power of social roles: only 1/3 of the ally behaved in a brutal manner, most sympathised and offered cigs
showing Z had overstated his view

Question 24

what was the baseline procedure for Milgram’s research (1963)

Answer 24

40 American men volunteered in a study supposedly on memory as a role of the teacher (ballots were rigged) the experimenter (confederate) instructed the teacher to give strong electric shocks (fake) to the learner (confederate) from 15-450 V. after 325 the learner gave no response The experimenter used prods such as “the experiment requires you to continue” “you have no other choice, you must go on”

Question 25

what were the baseline findings for milgrams experiment (1963)

Answer 25

every participant delivered up to 300 volts, 65% continued to the highest voltage 450V and 12.5% stopped at 300V (they fully obeyed)
collected qualitative data: made observations of the participants e.g showed extreme tension, sweating trembling stutter or even seizures

Question 26

what was the conclusion for milgrams study (1963)

Answer 26

German people are not different, Americans were willing to obey orders even if they were “harming another person”

Question 27

what is a strength of milgrams study 1963?

Answer 27

his findings were replicated in a french documentary
80% p’s delivered maximum shock of 460 v to an “unconscious” man
supports milgrams original findings as they were almost identical

Question 28

what is one limitation of milgrams study 1963?

Answer 28

LOW INTERNAL VALIDITY
it may have been testing what it intended to test and the p’s we’re trying to fill demand characteristics

Holland (1968) argues the p’s were play acting and didn’t believe in the set up
Perry (2013) confirmed that 1/2 believed the shocks were real and 2/3 were disobedient

Question 29

what is a counterpoint to that limitation of milgrams study 1963?

Answer 29

Sheridan and King (1972) did a study with the same procedure with p’s giving real shocks to a live puppy

54% men and 100% gave fatal shock

suggests the effects in Milgrams study were genuine

Question 30

what was the ethical issue in Milgrams study 1963?

Answer 30

deception: p’s thought the allocation of roles were random but it was fixed
and believed that the shocks were real

Baumrind (1964) said deception in psychological studies can have serious consequences for p’s

Question 31

what are situational variables?

Answer 31

features of the physical and social environment which may influence an individual’s behaviour

Question 32

what were the situational variables investigated in milgrams study 1963?

Answer 32

proximity
location
uniform

Question 33

how was proximity investigated in the Milgram variation?
what is the explanation for this?

Answer 33

instead of just hearing the learner, the teacher and learner were in the same room
obedience rate dropped from og. 65% to 40%
in the remote instruction variation: experimenter left room and gave instructions to teacher by telephone and obedience dropped to 20.5%

ex: decreased proximity allows people to psychologically distance themselves from the consequences of their actions (when teacher n learner were separate, the teacher was less aware of the harm they caused and were obedient)

Question 34

how was location investigated in the milgram variation?
what is the explanation for this?

Answer 34

conducted in a rundown office block rather than prestigious Yale uni setting
obedience fell to 47.5%

ex: Yale uni environment gave the study legitimacy and authority and p’s were more obedient as they believed the experimenter shared the same legitimacy and authority

Question 35

how was uniform investigated in milgrams variation?
what is the explanation for this?

Answer 35

the role of experimenter was taken over by an ‘ordinary member of the public’ (confederate) in everyday clothes and the obedience rate dropped to 20%

ex: uniforms encourage obedience as they are widely recognised symbols of authority (accept someone in a uniform is entitled to expect obedience because their authority is legitimate

Question 36

what is one strength of the situational variables investigated in milgrams variation? (3 outfits)

Answer 36

situational variables have a powerful effect on obedience
bickman (1974) had 3 confederate dress in 3 outfits ( jacket n tie, milkmans outfit and a security guards uniform) and stand in the street asking passer bys to perform tasks e.g picking up litter
people were twice as likely to obey the security guard

Question 37

what is another strength of the situational variables investigated in milgrams variation? (cross cultural replication)

Answer 37

experiment replicated in other cultures
meeus and raajimakers (1986): p’s were ordered to say stressful things to a person (confederate) desperate for a job
90% p’s obeyed
shows milgrams findings are not only limited to American men but also women and people of other cultures

Question 38

what is one limitation of the situational variables investigated in milgram’s variation?

Answer 38

low internal validity
p’s may have been aware that the procedure was faked
more likely in variations as there were extra manipulation of variables
responded to demand characteristics

Question 39

what are the explanations for obedience?

Answer 39

Agentic state
Legitimacy of authority

Question 40

what is ‘agentic state’?

Answer 40

a mental state where we feel no personal responsibility for our behaviour because we believe ourselves to be acting for an authority figure as their ‘agent’ (someone that acts for or in place of another)

frees us from the demands of our consciences and allows us to obey even a destructive authority figure
(feel moral strain but feel powerless to disobey)

Question 41

what is an autonomous state?

Answer 41

a mental state where you believe you are free to behave according i your own principles and feel a sense of responsibility for your own actions

Question 42

what is the Agentic shift?
milgram suggested this occurs when…?

Answer 42

Agentic shift: The shift from autonomy to agency

milgram suggested this occurs when a person perceives someone else as an authority figure, who has greater power because they have a higher position in a social hierarchy

in most social groups when one person is in charge, others defer to the legitimate authority of this person and sift from autonomy to agency

Question 43

why did milgram’s p’s remained in an Agentic state even if they wanted to stop?

Answer 43

binding factors

Question 44

what are binding factors?

Answer 44

aspects of the situation that allow the person to ignore or minimise the damaging effect of their behaviour and thus reduce the moral strain they are feeling

Question 45

what is legitimacy of authority?

Answer 45

an explanation for obedience which suggests that we are more likely to obey people who we perceive to have authority over us
this authority is justified by the individuals position of power within a social hierarchy

Question 46

what is a consequence of legitimacy of authority?

Answer 46

some people are granted the power to punish others
we generally agree police and courts have the power to punish wrongdoers, we are willing to give up independence and to hand control of our behaviour over to people we trust to exercise their authority appropriately
learn the acceptance of legitimate authority from childhood, from parents and then teachers and adults generally

Question 47

what is destructive authority and when is it demonstrated in milgrams study?

Answer 47

when people use their legitimate powers for destructive uprises he order people to behave in ways that are cruel and dangerous

when the experimenter used prods to order p’s to behave in ways that went against their consciences

Question 48

what is research support for the role of Agentic state?

Answer 48

Milgrams own study support this:
when it was questioned who was responsible for the harm caused to the learner and the experimenter said himself, the p’s went through the procedure quickly
showing once p’s perceived they were no longer responsible for their own behaviour acting as the experiments agent they acted easily

Question 49

what is one limitation for Agentic state?

Answer 49

Agentic shift can only account for some situation of obedience
doesn’t explain many research findings about obedience
in rank and jacobson’s study (1977) 16/18 hospital nurses disobeyed orders from a doctor (authority figure) but almost all the nurses remained autonomous

Question 50

what is one strength of the legitimacy of authority explanation?

Answer 50

explains cultural differences
Kilham and Mann(1974) found only 16% of women went up to 450V in a milgram style study
but Mantell (1971) found 85% p’s delivered to 450V

reflects. Ways that different societies are structured and how children are raised to perceive authority figures

Question 51

What is one limitation of legitimacy of agency theory?

Answer 51

cannot explain all disobedience
suggests some people may just be more or less obedient than others and it is possible that innate tendencies to obey or disobey have a greater influence on behaviour than the legitimacy of an authority figure
in the rank and Jacobson study the nurses were mostly disobedient despite working in a rigidly hierarchical authority structure

Question 52

what is resistance to social influence?
what are the 2 explanations?

Answer 52

refers to the ability of people to withstand the social pressure to conform to the majority or to obey authority

social support
locus of control

Question 53

what is locus of control?
internal loc?
external loc?

Answer 53

refers to the sense we each have about what directs events in our lives

internal: they believe the things that the things that happen are largely happen to them are controlled by themselves
e.g doing well in an exam bc they worked hard

external: believe that the things that happen are outside of their control
e.g doing well in an exam bc they used a good textbook

Question 54

why do people with a high internal LOC more resistant to social influence?

Answer 54

they take responsibility for their actions and experiences and bc of this they tend to base their decisions on their own beliefs rather than depending on the opinion of others
more self confident more achieve,ent oriented and have higher intelligence and these traits lead to greater resistance if

Question 55

What is one strength of loc?

Answer 55

There is research evidence to support the link between LOC and resistance to obedience
Holland (1967) repeated milgram’s baseline study and measured whether ppts were internal or external
found that 37% of internals showed some resistance and did not continue to the highest level shock, whereas only 23% of externals did not continue meaning the intervals showed greater resistance to authority
shows resistance is at least partly related to LOC, increasing the validity of LOC as an explanation of disobedience

Question 56

what is one limitation of LOC?

Answer 56

there is evidence that challenges the link between LOC and disobedience
twenge et al. analysed data from American LOC studies over a 40yr period
found people became more resistant to obedience but more external

if resistance was linked to an internal loc then it would be expected for people to become more internal
therefore loc may not be a valid explanation of how people resist social influence

Question 57

What is social support?

Answer 57

the presence of people who resist pressures to conform or obey can help others to do the same
these people act as models to show others that resistance to social influence is possible

Question 58

what is an example of social support when resisting conformity in experiments?

Answer 58

Asch:

placed a confederate second-to-last just before the real participant gave their answer was instructed to give the correct answer
enables the naive ppt to be free to follow their own conscience as the confederate acts as a model of independent behaviour
their dissent gives rise to more dissent as it shows that the majority is no longer unanimous

Question 59

what is an example of resisting obedience in an experiment?

Answer 59

milgram’s variation: rate of obedience dropped from 65% to 10% when the genuine ppt was joined by a disobedient confederate
confederates disobedience acts a model of dissent for the ppt to copy and this frees him to act from his own conscience
disobedient model challenges legitimacy of the authority figure, making it easier for others to obey

Question 60

what is one strength of social support

Answer 60

there is research evidence for the positive effect of SS
Albrecht et al. evaluated Teen Fresh Start USA, programme to help pregnant teens to resist peer pressure to smoke
at end of the programme, adolescents with a buddy were less likely to smoke than ppts who did not

SS can help young people resists SS in the real world
(real world research support)

Question 61

what is another strength of social support (dissenting peers)

Answer 61

there is research evidence to support the role of dissenting peers
Gamson et al. ppts told to produce evidence that would be used to help an oil company run a smear campaign
higher levels of resistance in their study than milgram bc ppts were in groups so they could discuss what they were told to do
88% rebelled against their orders showing that peer support can lead to disobedience by 7ndermining the legitimacy of an authority figure

Question 62

what is minority influence?

Answer 62

a form of social influence in which a minority persuades others to adopt their belief, attitudes or behaviours
leads to internalisation, in which private attitudes are changed as well as public behaviours

Question 63

what are the 3 factors involved in minority influence?

Answer 63

consistency
commitment
flexibility

Question 64

how does consistency affect minority influence?
synchronic c?
diachronic c?

Answer 64

minority influence is more effective
keeping the same beliefs and being consistent increases the amount of interest of other people, drawing attention to their view and makes other people start to rethink their own views

synchronic: all individuals saying the same thing
diachronic: all individuals saying the same thing over a period of time

Question 65

how does commitment affect minority influence?

Answer 65

minority influence is more powerful if they demonstrate dedication to their position
e.g by making personal sacrifices -> draws attention to theirs views and shows greater commitment
majority group members then pay even more attention as it demonstrates how much the minority believes in their cause (augmentation principle)

Question 66

how does flexibility affect minority influence?

Answer 66

minority influence is seen as more effective if the minority show they are able to adapt their point of view and accept reasonable and valid counter arguments
someone who is extremely consistent, repeating the same old arguments and behaviours is seen as rigid unbending and dogmatic