Social Influence

Question 1

What are the three types of conformity?

Answer 1

• Compliance
• Identification
• Internalisation

Question 2

Define conformity.

Answer 2

Giving in to social or group pressure

Question 3

What is the main idea of social psychology?

Answer 3

Behaviour, thoughts, and feelings are influenced by social context

Question 4

What is compliance in terms of conformity?

Answer 4

Publicly going along with the majority view while privately disagreeing

Question 5

What is identification in terms of conformity?

Answer 5

Adopting the behaviour of the group due to valuing group membership

Question 6

What is internalisation in terms of conformity?

Answer 6

Taking on the expressed view publicly and privately, accepting it as correct

Question 7

What are the two key reasons why people conform according to Deutsch and Gerard?

Answer 7

• Informational influence
• Normative influence

Question 8

What is informational social influence (ISI)?

Answer 8

Changing behaviour to be correct in uncertain situations

Question 9

What is normative social influence (NSI)?

Answer 9

Changing behaviour to avoid punishments and gain rewards

Question 10

True or False: Normative social influence is often linked to compliance.

Answer 10

True

Question 11

What did Asch’s study aim to examine?

Answer 11

The extent to which social pressure from a majority affects individual conformity

Question 12

What was the overall conformity rate found in Asch’s study?

Answer 12

32%

Question 13

What did Jenness (1932) find in his study related to ISI?

Answer 13

Participants changed their estimates to match others’ when unsure

Question 14

What is a methodological issue with Asch’s study?

Answer 14

Lacks validity as it involved strangers in a controlled setting

Question 15

What were the historical issues with Asch’s study?

Answer 15

Conducted in 1950s America, may not apply to modern society

Question 16

Fill in the blank: Informational social influence is done for ______ reasons.

Answer 16

[cognitive]

Question 17

Fill in the blank: Normative social influence is conducted for ______ reasons.

Answer 17

[emotional]

Question 18

What is the Authoritarian Personality?

Answer 18

A dispositional explanation for obedience

Question 19

What variables affect conformity according to Asch’s investigations?

Answer 19

• Group size
• Unanimity
• Task difficulty

Question 20

What is the role of social influence processes in social change?

Answer 20

Influencing individuals to adopt new norms and behaviors

Question 21

What is a practical application of understanding conformity?

Answer 21

Helping society by understanding group dynamics and social influence

Question 22

What does an external locus of control imply in terms of conformity?

Answer 22

Individuals feel things are out of their control and conform to the crowd

Question 23

What percentage of participants in Asch’s study remained completely independent?

Answer 23

26%

Question 24

What effect does making the line task more difficult have on conformity?

Answer 24

Increases conformity

Asch found that making the line task more difficult led to increases in conformity but did not provide supporting statistics.

Question 25

What was the percentage of conformity with two confederates according to Asch's findings?

Answer 25

12.8% ## Footnote Asch found that when there were just two confederates, conformity was 12.8%.

Question 26

What was the percentage of conformity with three confederates?

Answer 26

32% ## Footnote This percentage rose to 32% when the number of confederates increased to three.

Question 27

True or False: Normative influence is stronger when responses are public and face-to-face.

Answer 27

True ## Footnote Bond (2005) argued that normative influence is likely to be stronger under these conditions.

Question 28

What happens to conformity when a dissenting confederate is present?

Answer 28

Reduced conformity ## Footnote Asch found that the presence of a dissenting confederate led to a significant reduction in conformity.

Question 29

What was the reduction in conformity when a confederate provided the correct answer?

Answer 29

From 32% to 5% ## Footnote Conformity fell dramatically when a confederate gave the correct answer.

Question 30

According to Lucas (2006), how does task difficulty affect conformity?

Answer 30

Participants conformed more to incorrect answers when tasks were difficult ## Footnote Participants were more assured of their answers when problems were easy.

Question 31

What is normative influence?

Answer 31

Influence that leads to conformity in response to social pressure ## Footnote It is stronger when participants make public responses.

Question 32

What is informational social influence?

Answer 32

Influence that leads to conformity based on the desire to be correct ## Footnote This is likely to occur when participants answer privately.

Question 33

What is a critique of Asch's study regarding the sample used?

Answer 33

Lack of representativeness ## Footnote Asch's study relied on a sample of 123 male participants, which could be considered androcentric.

Question 34

What demographic did Asch's sample consist of?

Answer 34

123 white male American students ## Footnote This sample is considered ethnocentric and limits the generalizability of the study's results.

Question 35

What does the term 'androcentric' refer to in the context of Asch's study?

Answer 35

A bias towards male participants ## Footnote This implies that the results may not represent the entire population.

Question 36

Fill in the blank: The flawed sample in Asch's study limits the study's results to a remarkably ______ subset of the population.

Answer 36

narrow ## Footnote This narrow focus limits the applicability of the findings.

Question 37

What was the aim of Zimbardo's research?

Answer 37

To investigate whether students would conform to assigned roles as prison guards or prisoners and explore the causes of prison brutality. ## Footnote Zimbardo sought to determine if such behavior was due to dispositional factors or situational factors.

Question 38

What were the ethical guidelines in psychological research?

Answer 38

* Informed consent * Deception * Debriefing * Protection from harm ## Footnote These guidelines help ensure the safety and rights of participants in research studies.

Question 39

How were participants selected for Zimbardo's study?

Answer 39

75 applicants were screened through diagnostic interviews and personality tests to eliminate those with psychological issues or a history of crime. ## Footnote 24 men were chosen based on their stability, maturity, and lack of antisocial behavior.

Question 40

What method was used to assign roles in Zimbardo's experiment?

Answer 40

Participants were randomly assigned to the roles of prisoner or guard. ## Footnote This random assignment was crucial for the study's design.

Question 41

What treatment did prisoners receive upon arrival at the mock prison?

Answer 41

* Stripped naked * Deloused * Personal possessions removed * Given uniforms and referred to by numbers only ## Footnote This dehumanizing treatment was intended to simulate real prison conditions.

Question 42

What was a common form of punishment used by guards in Zimbardo's study?

Answer 42

Push-ups were commonly used as punishment. ## Footnote Guards sometimes physically enforced this punishment by stepping on prisoners' backs.

Question 43

How did the behavior of guards change over time during the study?

Answer 43

Guards became increasingly aggressive and contemptuous towards the prisoners. ## Footnote Their behavior escalated as they gained more power over the prisoners.

Question 44

What psychological phenomenon was observed in prisoners, exemplified by prisoner #819?

Answer 44

Learned helplessness was observed. ## Footnote Prisoner #819 felt unable to escape the situation and feared being seen as a bad prisoner despite mental distress.

Question 45

What was a major conclusion drawn by Zimbardo from his experiment?

Answer 45

The prison environment was the main factor influencing participants' conformity to their roles. ## Footnote Zimbardo emphasized the situational over the dispositional factors in determining behavior.

Question 46

What was a criticism regarding the ecological validity of Zimbardo's study?

Answer 46

The study was not conducted in a real prison, which limits its generalizability to real-life situations. ## Footnote Critics argue that the artificial setting affected participants' behavior.

Question 47

What role did Zimbardo play in the experiment, and why is it a point of criticism?

Answer 47

Zimbardo acted as the prison superintendent, which may have biased the results. ## Footnote His involvement could have compromised the objectivity of the study.

Question 48

What was the outcome of the BBC study conducted by Reicher and Haslam?

Answer 48

The guards failed to unite and identify with their roles, leading to a collapse of the system created in the study. ## Footnote This study suggested that social roles are more flexible than previously indicated by Zimbardo's findings.

Question 49

Fill in the blank: Zimbardo's study was terminated on the _______ day due to emotional breakdowns and aggression.

Answer 49

sixth

Question 50

True or False: The guards in Zimbardo's study were allowed to use physical violence against the prisoners.

Answer 50

False ## Footnote Guards were instructed that no physical violence was permitted during the experiment.

Question 51

What is deindividuation, as it relates to Zimbardo's experiment?

Answer 51

Deindividuation explains guards' behavior, as uniforms and group dynamics led to a loss of personal agency and responsibility. ## Footnote This psychological state can contribute to more aggressive behaviors in group settings.