social influence Flashcards
(109 cards)
1
Q
what is the definition of conformity
A
changing your behaviour and/or beliefs due to what other people are doing
2
Q
what are the three different types of conformity
A
- compliance
- identification
- internalisation
3
Q
what is compliance
A
- a type of conformity
- publicly going along with the majority
belief whilst privately disagreeing - superficial and temporary
4
Q
what is identification
A
- a type of conformity
- adopts behaviour of a group that you are in because you value group membership
- temporary/ lasts as long as you are in the group
5
Q
what is internalisation
A
- a type of conformity
- taking on someone elses view publicly and agreeing privately
- permanent change
6
Q
what are the two studies for conformity
A
- Aschs study on opinion and social pressure
- Zimbardos simulated prison observation study
7
Q
what was the aim of Aschs conformity study
A
- investigate the extent to which social pressure from a majority group could affect a persons conformity level
8
Q
what was the procedure of Aschs conformity study
A
- 123 male american student volunteers
- 1 genuine ppt, rest confederates
- state which line (A,B,C) was the same length as the stimulus line
- confederates gave wrong answer
- ppt gave answer second to last so they heard everyone elses answer first
9
Q
what were the results of Aschs conformity study
A
- 12 critical trials: 32% conformity
- control group: 0.04% of answers were wrong, shows how easy it was
- 75% of ppts conformed at least 1 time
- 5% conformed every time
10
Q
what was the conclusion of Aschs conformity study
A
- majority group does have an effect on a minority group
- normative social influence
11
Q
what type of conformity did the participants in Aschs conformity study show
A
- compliance
- didnt want to stand out
12
Q
what is a confederate
A
an ‘actor’ who takes part in a study
13
Q
what percentage of participants in Aschs conformity study did not ever conform
A
25%
14
Q
what variables did Asch test to see what was more likely to make people conform
A
- task difficulty
- size of majority
- unanimity
15
Q
how does Aschs study into conformity break ethical guidelines
A
- ppts deceived about true aim of study, told visual perception
- no informed consent
- may not be a credible study
16
Q
what are the two explanations for conformity
A
- informational social influence
- normative social influence
17
Q
explain informational social influence as an explanation for conformity
A
- conform because we dont know right answer
- we want to be right and believe other people are so copy them
- influenced by people we trust and respect
- driven by cognitive factors
18
Q
explain normative social influence as an explanation for conformity
A
- we conform to be accepted
- if we conform we are rewarded with relationships and acceptance
- driven by emotional factors
19
Q
what type of conformity does normative social influence lead to
A
- compliance/identification
- dont truly change opinions
- conform to fit in temporarily
20
Q
what type of conformity does informational social influence lead to
A
- internalisation
- permanent change in beliefs
- believe the other people are right and we are wrong
21
Q
what is some evidence for normative social influence
A
Aschs conformity study ; some pts conformed to fit in
22
Q
what is some evidence for informational social influence
A
Aschs conformity study; some people genuinely believed they were wrong and conformed to have the correct answer
23
Q
what is the research support for the NSI and ISI explanations for conformity
A
- research for ISI
- lucas et al
- ppts gave maths problems to solve
- high % of people conformed to wrong answer when question was hard
- higher conformity from people who rated themselves as weak in maths
24
Q
how does the research for the ISI and NSI explanations for conformity have low generalisability
A
- artificial tasks
- dont normally have to judge the length of lines in everyday settings
- unfamiliar settings could add to rise in
conformity
25
what are the practical applications of the NSI and ISI explanations for conformity
- ISI
- makes us aware that we may conform in this way
- e.g. schultz clean towels everyday?
- lowered towel usage and helps environment
26
what is “conforming to social roles”
when you act in the way you believe society wants you to act
27
what was the aim of zimbardo et al’s simulated prison observation
to investigate the extent to which people would conform to the roles of guard and prisoner in a simulated prison environment
28
what was the procedure of zimbardos simulated prison observation
- 24 male student volunteers
- stanford university
- 12 guards and 12 prisoners
- randomly assigned roles
- 2 weeks long
29
what was the role of a guard like in zimbardos stanford prison experiment
- guards welcomed to prison and helped set up environment
- given uniforms
- told they had complete control over prisoners
- behaviour became a threat to prisoners
- allowed to return home everyday
30
what was the role of a prisoner like in zimbardos stanford prison experiment
- arrested from their houses and taken to the “prison”
- strip searched and blindfolded to dehumanise them
- uniforms and assigned numbers to deindividualise them
- punished when rebelled against harsh treatment
- not allowed to leave prison
31
what were the results of zimbardos stanford prison experiment
- only 10% of prisoners conversations about outside life
- guards rarely talked about outside life when at the prison and talked about “problem prisoners”
- 5 prisoners released early due to mental breakdowns
- prisoners wanted to leave but guards were angry experiment got cut short
32
what was the conclusion of zimbardos stanford prison experiment
- revealed power of situation and social roles as in influence on peoples behaviours
- everyone conformed
33
What is the definition of obedience
- obedience is a form of social influence
- elicited as a response to direct orders from someone we deem to be an authority figure
34
what does obedience involve
complying to an order from an authoritative person
35
is milgrams obedience study an experiment or observational study?
experimental
36
what was the real aim of Milgrams obedience to authority study
to see if people will obey the orders of an authoritative figure even if they believe there is fatal consequences
37
what did participants believe the aim of Milgrams obedience to authority study was
to study the effect of punishments on memory
38
What was the procedure of Milgrams study into obedience to authority
- 40 american male volunteers aged 20-50
- yale university
- mr wallace was a confederate, ppt introduced to him
- confederate and ppt “randomly” assigned role of teacher or student
- mr wallace always student, hooked up to an “electric shock machine”
- teacher starts at 15v shock every time student gets wrong answer
- shock increases by 15v for every wrong answer
39
how did mr wallace react to the high voltage shocks in milgrams obedience to authority study
- 150v: protests and demands to be released
- 300v: refuses to answer any more questions
- 315v: screams loudly
- 330v: no sound or response
40
what happened if the teachers in milgrams obedience study asked to leave
- told no and to continue
- “vital to the study that they stay”
- “must continue”
- if they asked 4 times to stop they were let go
41
what were the qualitative results of milgrams study into obedience
- ppts looked uncomfortable and under strain and sweaty
- some had seizures
- nervous laughter and hesitation
42
what were the quantitative results of milgrams study into obedience
- 26/40 ppts went to 450v
- 100% of ppts gave 300v
- 65% gave maximum amount of volts (450)
43
what was the conclusion of Milgrams study into obedience to authority
participants would obey the orders of an authority figure even if they believed it would cause harm to someone else
44
why does milgrams study into obedience to authority have high reliability
- lab experiment
- easily recreatable
- standardised procedures
- can be tested for consistency
45
what are the practical applications of milgrams study into obedience to authority
- explains why people listen to authority figures
- explains situations like soldiers obeying orders and people obeying laws
- helps understand obedience in a social setting
46
how did milgrams study into obedience to authority break ethical guidelines
- ppts deceived as they believed experiment was about memory
- many ppts suffered from psychological distress
47
what are the situational variables that affect obedience
- uniform
- location
- proximity of authority figure
- proximity of student
48
what are the three explanations for obedience
- agentic state
- legitimacy of authority
- authoritarian personality
49
what is the definition of the agentic state as an explanation for obedience
- people obey an authority figure when they believe the authoritative figure will take responsibility for their actions
- they believe they are acting on behalf of the authoritative figure
50
what is an example of the agentic state explanation for obedience
- when ppts reminded they had responsibility for their actions in milgrams study, they did not obey
51
what is diffused responsibility when talking about the agentic state explanation for obedience
- waiting for others to make a decision before we do so we arent solely responsible
52
what is moral strain in reference to the agentic state definition for obedience
- when an authoritative figure issues an order that goes against our conscience we experience moral strain
- consequence of being in the agentic state
53
how does an individual cope with moral strain
- going into agentic state
- no longer feel responsible
- defence mechanisms
- repression/denial
54
what is socialisation
the process be which individuals acquire social skills
55
what is the social hierarcy
society being ordered in a certain way where some members are above others
56
what factors influence legitimacy of authority
- uniform
- location
57
what are the evaluative points for the explanations for obedience
(+) research to support agentic state
(-) theoretical issues with both agentic state and LOA
(+) research support for legitimacy of authority
(-) alternate theory
58
what is the research support for the agentic state explanation for obedience
- milgram said pots wanted to stop but felt bound
- ppts used multiple strategies to shift responsibility
- blamed victims and more likely to reach 450v
59
what is the research support fir the legitimacy of authority explanation for obedience
- bickman
- passerbys asked to pick up litter
- more obeyed when uniformed person asked them to
- 92% obeyed with uniform
- 49% obeyed without uniform
- situational variables affect the legitimacy of someones authority
60
why is the legitimacy of authority explanation for obedience limited
- better/alternate theories
- authoritarian personalities
- takes into account personality and f scale
- accurately measurable
- scientific
61
what are the theoretical issues with the agentic state and legitimacy of authority explanations for obedience
- leads to obedience alibi
- explaining nazi behaviours could be excusing their actions
- stops war criminals facing up to what they did
- diffuses responsibility
62
what are the 4 parts that contribute to the authoritarian personality explanation for obedience
- might is right
- upbringing
- personality traits
- F scale
63
what is authoritarian personality
- a personality disorder where people have rigid old fashioned beliefs
- causes very obedient/submissive people to
64
what is the “might is right” part of the authoritarian personality
- different ideologies can harm society
- perception of threat leads to aggression
- hostile to non-conventional people
- believe in power
65
how does the upbringing of someone influence an authoritarian personality
- being punished constantly for minor reasons
- gives them rigid ideologies
- learn to obey people with power over them
66
what personality traits does someone with an authoritarian personality have
- rigid beliefs in conventional values
- hostility towards different people
- intolerance of ambiguity
- respect towards authority figures
67
what is the f scale and what does it measure
- a scale that measures fascism
- 30qs that measure authoritarian personality
68
what are the evaluative points for the authoritarian personality explanation for obedience
(+) research support
(-) alternative explanations
(+) practical applications
(-) theoretical issues
69
what is the research support for the authoritarian personality as an explanation for obedience
- elms and milgram
- people who obeyed 100% of time in milgrams original study scored higher on f scale than disobedient ppts
- similarities between obedient people and authoritarian people
70
why is the authoritarian personality a limited explanation for obedience
- alternative explanations
- agentic state takes into account situational variables
- in milgrams study situational variables played an important role in obedience
71
what are the theoretical issues with the authoritarian personality as an explanation for obedience
- middendrop and meloen
- less educated people are often more authoritarian and obedient
- not levels of authoritarian personality that lead to obedience, but education level
- lack of education could cause both obedience and authoritarian personality
72
what are the practical applications of authoritarian personality as an explanation for obedience
- used to explain why certain personality types are more prone to obeying
- explains why people revert back to their upbringing to explain why they obey
- helps to explain nazi behaviour
73
what is resisting social influence
- a term used to describe people who defy and resist social influence
- any action you take to go against something you disagree with
74
give an example of resistance to social influence
- participants who resisted in aschs study (26%)
- participants who resisted in milgrams study (35%)
75
what are the two areas that explain why people resist to social influence?
- situational factors
- dispositional factors
76
what is an example of a situational factor when talking about resistance to social influence?
social support
77
what is an example of a dispositional factor when talking about resistance to social influence?
internal locus of control
78
what are the two types of social support?
- social support from other non-conformists
- social support from other disobedient people
79
explain why having social support from another non conformists can promote resistance to social influence
- gives the minority an ally
- makes the minority more confident in expressing their opinion
80
what is an example where having social support from other non conformists promoted resistance to social influence?
- one of aschs variations where he changed the unanimity of the confederates
- this made the obedience of the participants drop all the way to 5% compared to the 35% of participants who conformed before
81
explain how having social support from disobedient people can increase resistance to social influence
- individuals are more comfortable disobeying when they are not the only ones
- they experience less moral strain
82
what are the evaluation points for social support?
(+) research support
(-) alternative explanations
(+) practical applications
(-) theoretical issues
83
what is the research support for social support?
- rees & wallace
- found that SS from friends and family helped teens to resist pressure from the majority
- shows that if the majority is not unanimous the minority is less likely to be pressured
84
why might social support not be the best explanation for social resistance?
- ILOC might be more comprehensive as it suggests that different situations influence different people in different ways
- limits social support
85
why does social support have theoretical issues as an explanation for social resistance?
- some people still conform when they have social support
- eg 15% of participants still conformed in milgrams study when the other 2 participants refused to conform
86
what is a locus of control?
the extent to which we believe we have control over our behaviour
87
what is an internal locus of control?
where the person believes they have control and responsibility for their actions
88
how does having an internal locus of control affect social influence?
- helps the person to resist social influence as they have a belief that they are in control of their actions
- rely less on other people so are not as easily pressured
89
what are the evaluation points for internal locus of control as an explanation for social influence?
(+) research support
(-) may be exaggerated
(+) practical applications
(-) opposing research
90
what is the research support for ILOC as an explanation for resisting social influence?
spector investigated LOC and found that participants who scored as having a higher external LOC were more susceptible to social influence
91
how may ILOC have been exaggerated?
- rutter says it is only relevant in novel situations
- if you have obeyed someone before you will do it again
92
what is the opposing research against ILOC as an explanation for social influence?
- twenge found that people over 40 have a more external LOC but are more resistant to social influence
93
what is meant by minority influence?
when a minority gradually persuades a majority to change their beliefs
94
what are the 3 factors involved in minority influence?
- consistency
- commitment
- flexibility
95
what is consistency?
where the minority agrees on the same beliefs and back eachother up, and do not change their beliefs
96
what is commitment?
where the minority is true to their message, and sacrifice things for their cause
97
what is flexibility?
where the minority may agree to compromise at first or agree to start with something that helps their cause, that way people can gradually become accustomed
98
what is the support for consistency?
moscovocis study:
- investigated the role of a constant minority on a majority
- gynocentric study
- participants shown 36 different slides with different shades of blue
- each participant had to say the colour out loud
- when the minority consistently said the wrong answer, the majority began to conform
99
what is the support for flexibility?
Nemeths study:
- ppts in groups of four, 1 is a confederate
- each group had to agree on a compensation for ski accidents
- C1 = confederate argued low rate and didnt compromise
- C2 = confederate argued low rate and compromised
- flexible condition managed to influence people
100
what is the support for commitment?
suffragettes committed illegal acts, got arrested and even sacrificed their lives for their cause
101
what are the evaluation points for minority influence?
(+) research support
(-) alternative research
(+) practical applications
(-) theoretical issues
102
what is the supporting research for minority influence?
moscovocis study that supports consistency
103
what is the alternative research for minority influence?
Maas found that gay minority groups fighting for gay rights was less effective than straight minority groups
this shows that the minority influence can be affected by situation and isnt always true
104
what is the theoretical issue with the minority influence theory?
minorities in real life face different difficulties than participants in studies
105
what is social change?
it is the way in which a society develops over time to replace its beliefs with new norms and expectations
106
what are the processes that cause social change to happen?
1. consistency of the minority
2. commitment
3. flexibility
4. snowball effect
5. social crypto-amnesia
107
what are the evaluation points for social change?
(+) research support
(-) methodological issues
(+) holistic
(+) practical applications
108
what is the research support for social change?
moscovicis study shows how minorities can use consistency to persuade majority groups
109
what are the methodological issues with social change?
research such as moscovicis is not reflective of what real life minorities have to face, so this theory lacks ecological validity
