social influence

Question 1

what is normative social influence

Answer 1

normative social influence is the desire to bbe liked .when we conform to fit in a group because we dont want to appear as foolish and left out . a condition for ni is that an indiviual must believe that they are under survailance by the other group.people tend to conform in public but not in private

Question 2

what is informational social influence

Answer 2

informational social influence is when we conform because we are unaware of the situation so we look to others who we believe may have more information than us this is likely to occur when when there are experts present .as a result an indvidual dosent just comply they also change their behaviour and views to be in line with group this involves both public and private changes of attitudes . the behaviour will be present even if the group isnt

Question 3

what is compliance

Answer 3

compliance involves simply going along with others to gain their approval. this results in a public change but not a change of views. and the behaviour stops as soon as the group pressure stops

Question 4

what is internalisation

Answer 4

internalisatiom refers to instances where a person behaves or agrees with a group of people because they have actually accepted the groups pov . this results in the change of a persons public and private beliefs. they are no longer dependent on the presence of the group

Question 5

what is identification

Answer 5

identification is when we conform to the opinions and behaviours of others as there is something about the group we value . we identify with the group as we want to be part of it .this means we publicly change our views even if we dont privately agree with it an exmaple of this could be starting to smoke because we want to be part of the cool kids

Question 6

what are the three types of conformity

Answer 6

internalisation
compliance
identification

Question 7

outlines sherifs(1935) study on confomity

Answer 7

sheriff used autokinetic effects (this is where a small spot of ligt will appear to move in a dark room .the participants were falselytold that the experimentor will move the light.participants then had to estimate how far the dot has moved .in the first phase individuals partcipants made repeated estimates .they were then put in groups of three where they had to make their estimates with the others present finally they were retested individually

Question 8

what were the results of sherrifs study

Answer 8

when alone participants developed their own stable estimates which varied widely between participants .when the participants were in a group the estimates tended to become more a like . when the participants were then retested on their own the estimates were more like the group estimates than their original guesses

Question 9

what did sherrifs study also show according to sherrif

Answer 9

people always tend to conform rather than make individual judgements they tend to come to a group agreement

Question 10

whats explanation or conformity does this study refer to

Answer 10

inormational social influence-as the results showed that in ambigious situatios a person will look to others for guidance .they want to do the right thing but may lack appropriate inormation. observing other can rovide thisinormation

Question 11

ouline asch study 1956

Answer 11

asch asked student volunteers to take part in a visual discrimination task.unknown to the volunteers all but one of the participants were confederates(fake) the real purpose was to investigate how the lone real participant would react to the behaviour of the confederates

Question 12

what was the aim of aschs research

Answer 12

solomon asch conducted an experiment to investigate the extent to which social pressure from a majority group could effect a person to conform

Question 13

what procedures too place in aschs study

Answer 13

123 male us undergarduates were tested. the participants were seated around a table and asked to look at three lines of differnt lengths . they took turns to call out which of the three lines they thought were the same length as the standard line with the real participants always answeing second to last although the answer was very obvious . on 12 of the 18 trials the confederates were asked to give the same incorrect answers . asch wanted to see whether the real participants would stick to what they believed was right or go along with the answers of the majority

Question 14

what was the outcome of aschs study

Answer 14

on the 12 cricical trails , the average conformity rate was 33%. ie the participants agreed with the incorrect answers given by the other group members,on average on one third of the trials asch also discovred individual differences in conformity rates . one quarter of the participants never conformed on any of the critical trials ,half conformed on six or more trials and one in 20 conformed on all 12 trials

Question 15

what did asch do to confirm that the stimulus lines were unambigious

Answer 15

ash conducted a control condition without the distarction of confederates giving wrong answers . in this condition he found that participants made mistakes 1% of the time , although this could not explain the relatively high levels of conformity in the main study

Question 16

what was a conclusion made from the experiment

Answer 16

when the participants were interviewed after the experiment most of them said that they did not really believe their conforming answers but had gone along with the group for fear of being rediculed. a few of them said they really did believe that the groups answer was correct

Question 17

outline zombardos prison experiment

Answer 17

a mock prison was set up. 75 participants responded to an advert in the paper they were psychologically screened and the 24 most stable of those were randomly asigned to either play the role of a prisoner or a guard

the prisoners were uexpectedly arrested at their homes and on entry to the prison they were put through a delousing proceedure , given a prison uniform and assigned an id number. the guards referred to the prisoners only by these numbers throughout the study. prisoners were only allowed certain priviledges including three meals a day , three supervised toilet trips and two visits per week

participants allocated the role of the guard were given uniforms ,clubs ,whistles and wore reflective sunglases (to prevent eye contact)

Question 18

what did zimbardo find

Answer 18

over a few days the guards grew increasingly agressive and sadistic towards the prisoners .they woke prisoners in the night and forced them to clean toilets with their bare hands and carry out other degrading activities .some gurds were so enthusiastuc in their role they volunteered to do extra hours without pay . some prisoners had to be released early because of their extreme rage crying and anxiety . the stud was termiated after only 6 days due to the abuse suffered by the participants

Question 19

what factors influnce conformity

what were the three variables asch investigated

Answer 19

unanimity
group size
task difficulty

Question 20

how did asch investigate the imapct of group size on conformity

Answer 20

asch wanted to know whether the group size would be more important than the agreement of the group. the test varied the number of confederates from 1 to 15. asch found that a curvilinear relationship between group size and confortmity

Question 21

what did asch find when he investigated the effect of group size on conformity

Answer 21

conformity increased with the group size but only up to a point . with three confederates, the conformity rate increased by 31.8 % but the presence of the confederates made little difference . this suggests that people are very sensitive to the view of others. because just one or two confederates were enough to sway the opinions of the others

Question 22

research support

what is a strength of aschs baseline study

Answer 22

research support from other studies for effects of task dificulty
lucas et all (2006)- easy and hard questions
participants given answers by 3 confederates- particpants confomed more often when the problem was hard
asch correct in concluding that tast difficulty is a variable which afffects conformity

Question 24

limitation of aschs study(artificial )

Answer 24

—» task and situation artificial
—»participants knew the were in a research study (demand characteristics )
_» the task of identifying lines was trivial - ( no reason not to conform)
-»according to fiske 2014) said that aschs group wasn’t very groupy
» the groups don’t resemble groups taht we experience in everyday life
»> findhjnsb cannot be generalised to real world situations
»> especially those were the consequences of conformity is important

Question 25

limitation of aschs study(artificial )

Answer 25

—>> task and situation artificial —>>participants knew the were in a research study (demand characteristics ) _>> the task of identifying lines was trivial - ( no reason not to conform) ->>according to fiske 2014) said that aschs group wasn’t very groupy >> the groups don’t resemble groups taht we experience in everyday life >>> findhjnsb cannot be generalised to real world situations >>> especially those were the consequences of conformity is important

Question 26

limitation of aschs study 2(white american men)

Answer 26

participants were american men -research suggest that women maybe more conformist because they are more concerned about social relationships being accepted - the usa is an invidualist culture ( ppl are more concerned about themselves ) rather than a social group >>> similar conformity studies conducted in collectivist culture sucha s china have found that conformity rate is higher ( bonds and smith 1996) >>> this means that findings tell us little about conformity in women and ppl from other countries.

Question 27

evaluation of NSI

Answer 27

research support it as an explanation for conformity - when asch interviewed his ptp some said they conformed because they were afraid of disapproval . >>> when ptp wrote their answers down conformity fell to 12.5% because giving masses privately meant no normative group pressure

Question 28

evaluation of isi

Answer 28

research support - study by todd lucas et al (2006) _>>> lucas found that ptp conformed to incorrect answer when the maths problem was difficult >> when the problems were easy the ptp knew their own minds but when it wa shard the situation became ambiguous the ptp didn’t want to be wrong

Question 29

evaluation of isi and nsi ( counterpoint)

Answer 29

it is unclear to whether nsi and isi work in research studies . ie asch 1955 found that conformity is reduced when there is one other dissenting participant . the dissenter may reduce power of nsi ( cus they provide social support ) or isi ( provide alternative source of information ) . >>> the fore it is hard to seperate isi and nsi and both processes probably operate in most real world conformity situations

Question 30

evaluation of zimbardos study strength ( control )

Answer 30

zimbardo and his colleagues had control over key variables >>>selected emotionally stable individuals , were randomly assigned to the roles of guard and prisoner >>> this was one way in which the researchers ruled out individual personality differences as an explanation for findings >>> if the guards and prisoners behaved differently but where in those roles only by chance then their behaviour must have been due to the roles itself >> this degree of control over variables increase internal validity of the study

Question 31

limitation of zimbardos study 1( lack or realism )

Answer 31

it didn’t have the realism of a real prison . ali banuazizi and movahedi argued that the ptp were merely play acting rather than conforming to a role . ptp performance was based on stereotypes of how prisoners and guards are supposed to behave for example one of the guards claimed that he has based his role on a brutal character from a film. this would explain why the prisoner rioted as they thought it was what real prisoners did . this suggest that the findings of standford prison experiment tells us little about conformity to social roles in actual prisoners

Question 32

counter point for lack of realism ( zimbardos spe evaluation)

Answer 32

mark mcdermott argues that the ptp did behave as if the prison was real for example 90% of the prisoners conversations were about prison life . amongst themrdlrvr they discussed how it was impossible to leave spr before their “sentences “ were over . prisoner 416 later explained how how he believed the prison was a real one but run by psychologist rather than the government . this suggests that the spe did replicate the social roles of prisoner and guards in a real prison giving the study high internal validity

Question 33

what is obedience

Answer 33

obdience is a form of social influence in which an individual follows a direct order . the perosn issuing the order is usually of a figure of authority . who has power to punish when obedient behaviour isn’t fourth coming

Question 34

outline milgrams base line study

Answer 34

40 american men volunteered to take part in a study at yale university in the usa . they drew lots to see who would be the teacher who would be the learner . the draw wa a fixed so that the participant was always the teacher and an experimenter was also involved ( he was a confederate dressed in a lab coat ) the teacher couldn’t see the learner but could hear him . the teacher has to give the learner an electric shock everytime the learner made a mistake on a memory task. the shocks increased with each mistake in 15 volts step up to 450v . the shocks were fake but labelled to suggest that they were dangerous

Question 35

what did milgram find in his baseline study

Answer 35

every participants delivered shocks up to 300 volts 12.5% stopped at 300 volts and 65% continued to the highest level of 450volts ir they were fully obedient the participants showed signs of extreme tension many of them were seen to sweat tremble stutter bite their lips groan etc.

Question 36

what is a strength of milgrams baseline study

Answer 36

his findings were replicated in a french documentary that was made about reality tv this documentary focused on a fake show made especially for the programme. the ptp in the game believed they were contestants in a pilot episode for a new show . they were paid to give fake electric shoved in front of the studio audience .80% of the ptp delivered 460 volts to an apparently unconscious man . their behaviour was almost identical to that of milgrams ptp . this supports milgrams original findings about obedience or authority

Question 37

what is a weakness of milgrams baseline study ( ethical issues)

Answer 37

the participants in this study were deceived for example the ptp though that the allocation of the roles was random but infact it was fixed . they also thought the shocks were real . milgram dealt with this by debriefing the ptp

Question 38

what are situational variables

Answer 38

feautures of the immediate physical and social environment that can influence a persons behaviour

Question 39

what are the three situational variables

Answer 39

proximity location uniform

Question 40

what is proximity

Answer 40

proximity is the physical closeness of an authority figure to the person they are giving orders to

Question 41

what is location in term of situational variables

Answer 41

the place where the order is issued

Question 42

what is uniform in term of situational variables

Answer 42

specific outfit people in position of authority wear

Question 43

how did milgram investigate proximity

Answer 43

obedience was high in milgrams study when the experimenter was in the same room as the ptp(65%) but it reduced to 20.5% when milgram asked the experimenter to give instructions via phone in a different room . this shows taht decreased proximity allows people to psychologically distance themselves from the consequences of their actions.

Question 44

explain the location variable

Answer 44

location can enhance the legitimacy of the authority figure and thus increase the level of obedience such as prestigious setting - location could also be appropriate and inappropriate for the authority figure to give orders in - the more appropriate ghe location the more likely you are to obey

Question 45

how did milgram investigate the location. variable

Answer 45

milgrams conducted a varaitaion is a run down office block rather than prestigious yale university setting of the baseline study hence in this location the obedience levels fell to 48% in comparison to 65% in the initial experiment at yale university’s the legitimacy of the university increased the legitimacy of the authority of the experimenter as well as the amount of trust the ptp felt in them leading to higher obedience rates

Question 46

explain the uniform variable

Answer 46

this refers to the clothing the authority figure wears and how it affects the perception of them which would influence the level of obedience ie official looking uniform like police enhances a person legitimacy of authority leading to more obediene also if uniform is appropriate for the setting it leads to more obedience as you are more likely to obey some one dressed in a lab coat in a science lab

Question 47

what is a strength of the situational variables

Answer 47

there is research support which have demonstrated the influence of situational variables in obedience . . in a field experiment in new your city . bickman 1974 has three confederate dress in different outfits - jacket and a tire , a milk man’s and a security guard uniform . the confederates .individually stood on the street and asked passers - by to perform tasks such as picking up litter or handing over a coins for the parking meter , people were twic as likely to obey the assistant dressed as a security guard than the one dressed in a jacket and tie . this supports the view that a situational variable such a s uniform does have a powerful eve h on obedience

Question 48

what is a weakness of situational variables

Answer 48

ptp may have been aware that the procedure is fake . martin orne r and charles holland (1968) made this criticism of milgrams baseline study . they point out that it is even more likely in his variations because of the extra manipulation of variables . a good example is the variation where the experimenter is replaced by a member of the public . even milgram recognised that this situation was so contrieved that some participant may well have worked out the truth . therefore in all milgrams study it is unclear whether the findings are genuinely due to the operation of obedience or because the ptp saw through the deception and just play acted ( responded to demand characteristics)

Question 49

what are the two situational explanations for obedience

Answer 49

agency authority legitimacy of authority

Question 50

what is the agentic state

Answer 50

- mental state where we feel no persons responsibility for our actions because we believe ourselves to be acting for an authority figure -person acts as an “agent” of an authority figure putting putting the person in an agentic state

Question 51

what state a people usually in

Answer 51

autonomous state

Question 52

what is legitimacy of authority

Answer 52

more likely to obey ppl we believe have authority over us - this is justified by the individuals position of power withn the social heircahy - agreed upon society increase by visual symbol or authority - ie uniform

Question 53

how do people feel in the agen tic state

Answer 53

people feel high moral strain when they realise that what they are doing is wrong but feel powerless to disobey

Question 54

what is the autonomous state

Answer 54

the autonomous state is the opposite if the agentuv state . it means to be independent or free . a perosn ina the autonomous state behave according to their own principles and feel a sense of responsibility for their actions

Question 55

what are binding factors - situational explanation

Answer 55

binding factors are aspects of the situation tahg allows a person to ignore or minimise the damaging effect of their behaviour thus reduce the moral strain they are feeling

Question 56

what is a strength of the agentic state as an explanation for obedience

Answer 56

research support -in milgrams base like study most ppt hesitated before giving a shock at some point asking what would happen if the learner was harmed after the ptp were assured that the ptp would be responsible they continued with little complaint . this showed that when ptp no longer felt responsible for their actions they obeyed orders more readily

Question 57

what is a limitation of the agentic state for explanation for obedience

Answer 57

it offers a limited explanation most research findings about obedience rank and jacobson (1977) conducted an obedience study in a hospital in which nurses would get a phone call from a ‘doctor” telling them to administer a lethal dosage of medicine . 16 out of 18 nurses disobeyed despite the doctor being a clear authority figure this suggests that the agentic state my only account for some situations of obedience

Question 58

what is one strength of legitimacy of authority as an explanation for obedience

Answer 58

useful account of gender and cultural differences in obedience rates lil ham and mann found that only 16% of the female australian pps went all the way up to 450volts in a milgram style study . however david man fell foujd very different figure for german ptp -85% this shows that in some cultures authority so more likely to be accepted as legitimate and entitled to demand obedience from individuals . this reflect the ways tah differ societies are structured and how child’ren are raised to perceive authority figure

Question 60

what is a dispositional explanation for obedience

Answer 60

A dispoitional explanation for obedience highlights an individuals personality as the main cause of their obedient behaviour rather than the situation that they are in

Question 61

what is an authoritarian personality

Answer 61

The Authoritarian Personality relates to somebody who is highly obedient and thus more likely to follow orders to do evil acts.They are hostile towards those who they view as inferior and have an inflexible outlook on the world

Question 62

who developed the concept of the authoritarian personality

Answer 62

Adorno et al

Question 63

what is the origins of the authoritarian personality

Answer 63

the people who develop authoritarian personality have experienced harsh parenting in childhood that involves strict discipline, high standards, high loyalty, severe criticism of failings and conditional love. This causes resentment towards the parent that is displaced onto other people below them.

Question 64

How did adorno et al investigate the authoritarian personality

Answer 64

they studied over 2000 middle class white americans and their unconsious attitudes towards other racial groups using the F scale questionnaire to measure authoritarian traits

Question 65

what did adorno et al find in their research

Answer 65

people who scored higher on the f scale identified with string people and were generally contemptous of the weak . they showed higher respect for authority figures and were more likely to be prejudice towards other minorities

Question 66

what is the f scale

Answer 66

the f scale is a questionnaire developed by Adorno et al to measure the authoritarian personality

Question 67

give one strength of the authoritarian personality as an explanation for obedience

Answer 67

Research support- Milgram and elms interviewed a small sample of people who have taken part in the previous obedience studies and been fully obedirent they completed the f scake and . they found that the highly obedient in milgrams previoud study scored higher on the f scale compared to 20 disobedient participants . This showed that obedient people show similar characteristics to those who have an authoritarian personality

Question 68

what is a limitation of the authoritarian personality

Answer 68

it is a limited explanation and cannot explain obedience in the majority of a countrys population -for example pre war germany millions of people were obedient , racist and antisemitic.despte having different personalities. it is unlikely that they all had authoritarian personalities .

Question 69

what is a limitation of the authoritation personlity- political ideologies

Answer 69

The F scale measures only right wing authoritarianismn, ignoring the fact that left wing ideologies such as communism can also have authoritarian traits . this makes the explanation politically biased

Question 70

Evaluation of the Authoritarian Personality: This research is correlational

Answer 70

which means that just because there is a link between authoritarianism and prejudice, this does not mean that the reason why people are prejudiced is because they have an authoritarian personality as there may be other factors that link these variables together.

Question 71

What are the two explanations of resistance to social influence?

Answer 71

Locus of control and social support

Question 72

How does social support help individuals resist social influence?

Answer 72

Seeing others resist social influence reduces pressure to obey or conform, increasing the individuals confidence. Either providing a disobedient role model or creating a small alternate group to belong to. Breaks the unanimity of the groups and challenges the legitimate authority of the authority figure.

Question 73

How does locus of control help individuals resist social influence?

Answer 73

Rotter (1966). Someone with a high internal LOC feels that their own actions control their lives, have responsibility for their own actions. Someone with a high external LOC feels their lives are controlled by external forces such as others, fate or the government. Most people are near the middle of the scale.

Question 74

what is Loc continium

Answer 74

Loc is a scale and individuals vary in their positions on it so high internal Loc is at one end of the scale and high external LOC is on the other.low internal and external lie inbetween

Question 76

What is social support

Answer 76

Social support is when the presence of others who resist social pressures to conform or obey can help others to do the same .

Question 78

I