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Social Influence Flashcards

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1
Q

What was Adorno et al’s. (1950) study?

A

They studied over 2000 white middle class Americans, measuring them with many scales, including the potential for fascism (F) scale, used to measure authoritarianism.
They found that people who scored highly often had fixed stereotypes with other groups and a feeling of contempt for those deemed to be “weaker”.

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2
Q

What did Adorno et al. believe caused authoritarian personality?

A

They believed it was caused by harsh parenting: characterised by extreme discipline, expectation of loyalty, conditional love, which causes hostility in the child that can only be expressed to those they believe to be “below” them in adulthood.

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3
Q

What is the research support from Milgram for Authoritarian personality?
But what is the counterpoint?

A

20 people from Milgram’s OG study that were fully obedient were interviewed. They completed the F scale, finding that they scored much higher on it than a CTRL group of 20 disobedient PPTS.
Counter: researchers reviewed the F scale answers, finding that many PPTS’ answers did not align with signs of AP, such as not feeling hostility towards their mothers etc.

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4
Q

Why is the F scale EXTREMELY FLAWED?

A

Because it uses a LIKERT scale, and if the participant answers “agree” for all answers, they are said to have an authoritarian personality.

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5
Q

What are binding factors in relation to agentic state?

A

Aspects of a situation that allow someone to minimise the damage of their behaviour, such as shifting blame to the victim or denying the damage done.

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6
Q

How does Milgram’s own study support the agentic state? (Eval)

A

Because when participants asked “who is responsible for any damage?” And the experimenter replied “I am” participants were much likelier to obey fully.

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7
Q

What is some evidence AGAINST the idea of agentic shift? (Nurses study)
What is the counter?

A

Researchers found that when asked by a doctor to administer an excessive drug dose by a doctor in a hospital study, 16/18 nurses REFUSED.
Counter: This may be the case in some hierarchies, such as the US army, where commanding officers have much more power and punishing power.

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8
Q

What is the strength of legitimacy of authority in relation to cultural differences?

A

Countries differ in obedience due to their views on legitimacy of authority.
Replicas of Milgram’s study found 16% full obedience in Australia, but 85% in Germany.

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9
Q

What was the “proximity variation” of Milgram’s baseline study and what was the obedience rate?

A

Milgram placed the T and L in the same room.
Obedience dropped from 65-40%

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10
Q

What was the “touch proximity” variation of Milgram’s baseline study and what happened to the rate of obedience?

A

T had to FORCE L’s hand into an electroshock plate if L refused to do so themselves. Obedience dropped to 30%.

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11
Q

What was the “remote instruction” proximity variation of Milgram’s baseline study and what was the obedience rate?

A

E leaves the room and gives instructions to T over the phone. Obedience dropped to 20.5% - PPTS also gave “fake shocks”.

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12
Q

What is the research support for Milgram’s research and proximity? (A Dutch study)
What is the counter?

A

PPTS ordered to say stressful things to a CONFED in a job interview mock-up. 90% obeyed, but when the researcher wasn’t present, it DRASTICALLY decreased.
Counter: Many replications done in individualist cultures similar to US, only 2 from India and Jordan from 1968-1985. Not good enough.

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13
Q

How did Milgram play with uniform in his variations?
What happened to the rate of obedience?

A

E had to leave at the beginning of the study due to an inconvenient phone call, was replaced by a member of the public (CONFED) wearing mufti.
Obedience DROPPED to 20% (LOWEST).

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14
Q

What is the research support for the effect of uniform on obedience? (NYC study)

A

Field exp in NYC, 3 CONFEDS dressed in outfits: a milkman, security guard and a jacket/tie. They each asked people passing to perform tasks such as picking up litter etc.
People were likelier to obey the security guard than anyone else.

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15
Q

How did Milgram investigate location’s effect on obedience?
What happened to the rate of obedience?

A

Baseline study conducted at Yale, he ran an alternate study in a run-down office block, causing obedience to drop to 47.5%.

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16
Q

When did Milgram complete his baseline study?

A

1963.

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17
Q

Who was Milgram’s sample for his baseline study?

A

40 male volunteers from Connecticut.

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18
Q

Briefly outline Milgram’s baseline study? (Procedure not findings)

A

Each participant was paired with another “participant” (confederate of Milgram’s) and were assigned as either T or L. Draw was fixed so that real participant was always T. T was ordered to shock L every time they gave a wrong answer to word memorisation questions, shocks going up to 450v in 15v intervals.

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19
Q

Why do critics argue that participants did not believe Milgram’s study and why is this an issue? (Eval)
What is the counter/research to dispute this? (Puppy study)

A

Researchers analysed AUDIO from the study, finding that only about half believed that the shocks were genuine, this is bad because we can not tell if they were simply responding to demand characteristics.
Counter: participants were ordered to give fatal shocks to a puppy, 100% of women went ahead with it, showing that whether they believed it or not doesn’t matter.

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20
Q

What were the KEY FINDINGS from Milgram’s baseline study?

A

ALL PPTS went to 300v (intense shock), 12.5% stopped here and 65% of participants went to the FULL 450v.
Also collected qualitative data: PPTS showed extreme signs of tension eg. Nail biting, seizures.

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21
Q

How were Milgram’s findings replicated? (Game TV show study)

A

Game made for a TV show, PPTS believed they were contestants in a pilot episode for a new show. Paid to give fake electric shocks to CONFEDS in front of a studio audience. 80% delivered the FULL 460v. Both quali/quantitative date matched Milgram’s.

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22
Q

What is the limitation of Milgram’s conclusion of “blind obedience” from his baseline study? (Verbal prods)

A

When the verbal prod “you must go on, you have no choice” was used, all participants disobeyed, people did not want to blindly follow an authority figure.

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23
Q

What year did Zimbardo’s study take place?

A

1973.

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24
Q

Where did Milgram’s baseline study take place?

A

Yale university.

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25
Where was Zimbardo’s study conducted?
In the basement of a psychology department of Stanford university.
26
Who did Zimbardo’s sample consist of?
21 male volunteers deemed as EMOTIONALLY STABLE.
27
What was Zimbardo’s experiment, briefly?
Each participant was given the role of either guard/ prisoner and asked to conform to these in a mock-up prison. Very detailed, guards given uniforms and prisoners given rags and numbers to be assigned by.
28
What is a strength of Zimbardo’s prison study? (Internal validity)
It has a high internal validity as it is highly controlled. For example, the “emotionally stable” sample group leaves no room for individual differences to skew the DV.
29
What occurred during Zimbardo’s prison study? (Bad things)
Guards leaned HEAVILY into their roles, treating prisoners very harshly (divide&rule). Rebellion occurred after 2 days. Guards employed punishment and constantly displayed power. Prisoners became hopeless/depressed. Many opted out. One went on hunger strike and had to be force fed by guards.
30
When did Zimbardo’s study finish and when was it supposed to?
Zimbardo ended it on the sixth day of his proposed 14-day-long study.
31
What is a limitation of Zimbardo’s prison study? What is the counter for this?
Many argue that prisoners AND guards were simply play-acting based on stereotypes, explaining the guard brutality and rioting. Counter: 90% of prisoner conversations were about prison life, allegedly speaking about how SPE was impossible to leave due to their “sentences”.
32
What did Zimbardo conclude about social roles from his findings and why is this criticised? (AO1&3)
He concluded that there’s a strong influence from social roles on behaviour. This is criticised as only 1/3 of the guards ACTUALLY acted brutally, the rest gave support to the prisoners, offering contraband/ privileges. Dispositional factors may have a greater role.
33
What are the three ways that Kelman (1958) proposed that people conform to these opinion of a majority?
Internalisation, identification and compliance.
34
Who came up with the two process model of NSI and ISI to explain conformity?
Deutsch and Gerard (1955).
35
Which social influence is the “need to be right”?
ISI.
36
Which social influence is the “need to be liked”?
NSI.
37
Which way of conforming does ISI lead to?
Internalisation.
38
What is the research support for ISI from Lucas et al? What is the counterpoint?
PPTS given easy and hard maths questions. 3 CONFEDS tried to give them incorrect answers. They were more likely to conform on the hard questions. Counter: in studies like this it is hard to separate NSI and ISI. Social support (NSI) or alternative information? (ISI)
39
What is the research support for NSI? (Asch)
In Asch’s study, when answers were WRITTEN rather than spoken, conformity dropped to 12.5%.
40
What are nAffiliators? (Eval)
People who are SO concerned with others approval, and are therefore likelier to conform (dispositional factor).
41
When did Asch’s study take place?
1951.
42
What was Asch’s sample?
123 American men.
43
What was Asch’s procedure?
Participants were asked to do a simple task of judging distances of a line. PPTS were given three lines and then a separate one, to match with one of the three given lines length wise. Participants were in a room of confederates who gave wrong answers to measure conformity.
44
What percentage of times did participants conform to the wrong answer in the baseline study? (Asch)
36%.
45
What three variables did Asch later investigate?
Unanimity, group size and task difficulty.
46
How did Asch investigate group size and what happened to the conformity rate?
He varied it from 1-15, finding a curvilinear RS, meaning it increased up to a certain point. 3 CONFEDS, rate was 31%.
47
How is Asch’s research beta biased and culturally relative? (Eval)
Beta biased: sample was MEN ONLY, women are said to conform more due to the want to maintain social RS. Culturally relative: similar research was done in collectivist cultures, finding conformity to be higher.
48
How did Asch investigate unanimity and what did he find?
Asch introduced a CONFED that disagreed with the others (could also be with PPT) but in all cases this caused less conformity.
49
What is a limitation for Asch’s research in relation to demand characteristics?
Artificial task and does not relate to real life, participants may figure out the aim of the study and “go along” with it. Also, in the case of unanimity, it seems “obvious” that the study is faked when all participants are going for the OBVIOUSLY wrong answer.
50
How did Asch investigate task difficulty and what did he find?
He increased the actual difficulty of the line task, this caused conformity to rise.
51
What was the lowest rate of obedience from Milgram’s variables?
20%, the uniform variation.
52
What is the research evidence for the effect of social support on pressure to conform? (Teen fresh start USA)
Teen fresh start USA is an 8 week programme for 14-19 year olds to resist the pressure to smoke. There were slightly older “mentors” present to provide social support. Those that were paired with one were significantly more likely to resist than a control group of those without.
53
What is research from Allen & Levine that supports the role of social support/dissenters but also the counter for it?
They conducted an Asch-type study where the dissenter had “good eyesight”. This caused 64% to resist conformity compared to 3% with no dissenter. Counter: when the dissenter had poor eyesight (thick lenses), resistance dropped to 36%.
54
What is the research evidence for resisting obedience? (Oil smear)
PPTS were instructed to produce evidence to help an oil company run a smear (damaging/fake news) campaign. 88% rebelled, probably due to them talking amongst themselves and finding dissent.
55
What is internal LOC?
Believing that everything that happens to you is due to internal factors and because of YOU.
56
What is external LOC?
Believing that everything that happens to you is a product of external factors and out of your control.
57
Who is more likely to resist social influence, someone with a high internal or external LOC, and why?
Internal LOC, because they take PERSONAL RESPONSIBILITY for their actions/consequences, are more confident/intelligent and not easily swayed by social approval as they are more autonomous.
58
What is the Holland (1967) study and what did he find about internals/externals?
He replicated Milgram’s study, but found out whether PPTS were internals or externals. He found that MORE internals didn’t go to the highest shock (37%) than externals (23%).
59
What is the evidence challenging the link between LOC and resistance to social influence?
Researchers analysed American LOC data over a 40 year span and found that people have become MORE resistant and MORE external, which is not predicted by LOC theory.
60
When did Moscovici’s study take place?
1969.
61
What was Moscovici’s study? (Procedure)
6 PPTS in a group - 2 CONFEDS 4 NAIVES. Three different conditions. Participants had to state whether 36 coloured slides were blue/green. In the first condition, the confeds said green 100% of the time. In the second, they said green two thirds of the time. In the third, they did not say green. (Control)
62
What were the findings from Moscovici’s study?
In condition 1 - conformity was around 8 percent, in the other two it sat around 1%. From this, Moscovici concluded that minority groups must be CONSISTENT to influence.
63
What is meant by minority influence?
When an individual/small group influences other people’s beliefs and behaviours.
64
What type of social influence is minority influence likely to lead to?
Internalisation.
65
What is a limitation of Moscovici’s research? (And that of a similar nature)
It uses artificial stimuli, which are vastly different to how minorities operate in real life, such as campaigning. Lacks mundane realism.
66
What are the 6 steps involved in minority influence creating a social change?

Psychology (7 decks)

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