Social Influence

Question 1

What is conformity?

Answer 1

A type of social influence involving a change in our behaviour or our attitudes in response to the influence of others or social pressure. This pressure can be real or imagined.

Question 2

What are social norms?

Answer 2

A certain situation that is seen as correct or normal or a behaviour in a social group

Question 3

Give one REASON why we conform

Answer 3

Normative social influence- when we conform to fit in with the group because we wish to gain the approval of others and don’t want to appear foolish.

Question 4

Give another REASON why we conform

Answer 4

Informational social influence- when we conform because we are unsure of the situation and are uncertain about how to behave or think, we look to others with more information for guidance in order to be right.

Question 5

Give one TYPE of conformity

Answer 5

Compliance- when someone conforms publicly but inside doesn’t agree with it. Most superficial type of conformity. e.g bullying

Question 6

Give another TYPE of conformity

Answer 6

Internalisation- when someone conforms publicly and privately because it is consistent with their own values/ deepest type

Question 7

Give the last TYPE of conformity

Answer 7

Identification- an individual conforms inside and out to fit into a group- often temporary e.g to get new friends

Question 8

Which explanation and type of conformity is backed by the research study by Asch?

Answer 8

Normative- compliance/ identification- Asch

Question 9

Which explanation and type of conformity is backed by the research study by Sherif?

Answer 9

Informational- Internalisation- Sherif

Question 10

Discuss Soloman Asch’s(1951) research into conformity

aim

Answer 10

A- To investigate the extent to which social pressure from a majority group could affect a person to conform

Question 11

Discuss Soloman Asch’s(1951) research into conformity

procedure

Answer 11

P- Lab experiment
Used line judgement task
Put one participant with seven confederates who had pre-planned answers
Had to state outloud which line was closest to the target line
Out of 18 trials the confederates gave 12 wrong answers

Question 12

Discuss Soloman Asch’s(1951) research into conformity

Results and conclusion

Answer 12

Results-
Measured the number if times each participant conformed to view
32%- conformed to incorrect majority
75%- conformed on at least one trial
conclusion-
Did not want to be ridiculed- normative
Believed the group’s answer- informational

Question 13

Discuss Sherif’s (1935) research into conformity

aim

Answer 13

To demonstrate that people conform to group norms when they are put in an ambiguous situation

Question 14

Discuss Sherif’s (1935) research into conformity

procedure

Answer 14

P-
Lab experiment
Used auto kinetic effect
Participants were individually tested their estimates on how far the light moved varied considerably (e.g 20cm-80cm)
Groups of 3
Put 2 people who had similar estimates with someone who didn’t/ had to say outloud what they thought it was

Question 15

Discuss Sherif’s (1935) research into conformity

Results and conclusion

Answer 15

F-
Over the trials groups converged to a common estimate
conformed to view of the other two
Conformed to group agreement
C-
Ambiguous sitation- a person will look to others who know more for guidance
Lack appropriate information/ observing others can provide this information

Question 16

EVALUATION

Sherrif and Asch

Answer 16

-Lacked ecological/population validity 
In a lab 
Participants were strangers
results might be different- not valid
\+Reliable- both conformed
- Deception 
Necessary as they would not conform 
Gave debrief 
\+ extraneous variables were controlled to make sure conformity is because of group presence

Question 17

What other factors effect conformity according to Asch?

give explanation

Answer 17

Group size- conformity increases as group increases
with three confederates it increased to 30%
Unamity of the majority- Breaking the unconformity can be major factor in reducing conformity levels / another person who gave same person confromirty dropped to 3.5%
Difficulty of task

Question 18

Discuss Zimbardo’s (1974) research into conforming to social roles
(Aim)

Answer 18

To see whether people will conform to new social roles

Question 19

Discuss Zimbardo’s (1974) research into conforming to social roles
(Procedures )

Answer 19

All male middle class students from Stanford university
Volunteered and randomly allocated into two groups:
the prison guards and the prisoners (were there to be a week)
were arrested unexpectedly and taken to university/ referred to by number not name

Question 20

Discuss Zimbardo’s (1974) research into conforming to social roles
(Results)

Answer 20

Called off after 6 days
Guards had become too brutal
2 prisoners had a nervous breakdown/ one went on hunger strike
Prisoners became apathetic

Question 21

Discuss Zimbardo’s (1974) research into conforming to social roles
(Conclusion
3 points )

Answer 21

Conformed to social roles. Each role requires different behaviours.
If you are given a new role you change your behaviour to suit it
Deindividuation- a state when you become so immersed In the social norms of the group that you lose your sense of identity and personal responsibility- did not feel what happened was down to them personally- it was group norm

Question 22

EVALUATION
Zimabrdo et al
2 strengths

Answer 22

+
managed to maintain some degree of control and validity/ tightly controlled with random roles
Study still had ecological validity- arrested from house
+
The data was qualitative like observation interviews and questionnaires

Question 23

EVALUATION
Zimabrdo et al
2 weaknesses

Answer 23

• unrepresentative- lacks population validity
  cant generalise
  -
  ecological validity
  not totally accurate- wasn’t forced homosexuality/ racism and beatings
  sentence was only to be 2 weeks / not a meaningful comparison

Question 24

Give 4 ethical issues related to Zimbardo’s study

Answer 24

Deception- they were not told they would be arrested/ wanted it to be realistic and a surprise
Informed consent- not told what part they would be until last minute / debrief at the end
Protection from harm- guards could have done anything/ nobody will have been able to stop them/ did not prevent physical/ psychological harm- he did abandon the study
Right to withdraw- they could not have withdrawn be used they were in prison

Question 25

Give a definition of obedience

Answer 25

A type of a social whereby somebody acts in response to a direct order from a figure with perceived authority. The person receiving the order it made to respond in a way that they would not otherwise have done without authority

Question 26

Give 5 differences between conformity and obedience

Answer 26

No one directly tells the other person what to do- C There is a direct request to change our behaviour- O It is usually a group one people- usually one person Could be friends/peers- has authority Usually doing the same thing- does not always act in the same way as us

Question 27

Give 3 real life examples of the dangers of obedience

Answer 27

The mai lai massacre- 1968 Vietnam war Lieutntrnnt Calley- ordered them to shoot innocent civilians Abu Ghraib- Physical, psychological and sexual abuse in the -Abu Ghraib prison by prisoners who were following orders The holocaust

Question 28

Discuss Milgram's study into obedience | Aim

Answer 28

To test out the 'Germans are different' theory- a character defect that made them likely to obey

Question 29

Discuss Milgram's study into obedience | Procedure

Answer 29

P- there were 500 participants split into two Half were teachers/ half were learners Learners were confederates- had electrodes on their arms Of learner got an answer wrong they were electricuted

Question 30

Discuss Milgram's study into obedience (Findings) (Conclusion)

Answer 30

F- All participants shocked up to 300 volts and 65% of them went up to 450- dangerous voltage 315- silence C- majority of people obey even when it hurts another person

Question 31

EVALUATION | Milgram study

Answer 31

- Ethical issues such as deception Not too real implications of the study +deception was necessary in order for it to work - Lacks ecological validity Not in a natural environment 30% of participants knew that sounds were fake

Question 32

Identify and explain three situational factors which canaffect obedience

Answer 32

Proximity- When teacher and leaner were in the same room obedience levels fell to 40%, this is because they could see the 'pain' that the leaner was in Location- in the laboratory it gave them confidence in the integrity of the people/ fell to 48% when the study took part in the random run down office/ uniform- 72% beggR Busniess executive 48%

Question 33

What is the disposition explanation for obedience?

Answer 33

The explanation of behaviour that is influenced by the individual's personality

Question 34

What is the authoritarian personality?

Answer 34

A personality type who is very obedient to those who have power over them E Extreme respect for authority Dismissive to those who are inferior Is measured by the F Sacle

Question 35

Discuss the Adorno research into the authoritarian personality (Aim)

Answer 35

A- to investigate the causes of anti semitism

Question 36

Discuss the Adorno research into the authoritarian personality

Answer 36

P- Participants were 2,000 white American middle classes In a study which looked at their unconscious attitudes towards racial groups F Scale was used, e.g obedience and respect for authority are the most important virtues

Question 37

Discuss the Adorno research into the authoritarian personality Findings

Answer 37

Those who scored high on the F scale were characterised as showing excessive respect and obedient to those of higher stratus. Had distinctive stereotypes about other groups. Positive correlation between authoritarian and prejudice

Question 38

Discuss the Adorno research into the authoritarian personality Conclusion

Answer 38

Adorno concluded that people with an authoritarian person,aptly are more likely to be obedient to authority. Everything is right or wrong. Have conventional attitudes towards sex, race and gender.

Question 39

EVALUATION | Adorno Authortarian

Answer 39

- Link between obedience and personality is merely a correlation not a cause Correlation between predudjufe and authority Does not follow that one causes the other - The sample was in the research study was bias. The F-Scale measures the tendency towards an extreme form of right-wing ideology, politically biased/ cant be used across the political spectrum -Cannot be generalised to whole population lacks population validity- same class - Metholoigcal problems ticking the same line of boxes down one side of the page

Question 40

What is social change?

Answer 40

Social change is when a society adopts a new belief or way of believing that then becomes widely accepted as the norm through the influence of the minority

Question 41

Discuss the research by Moscovici on the role of the minority of social change (Aim)

Answer 41

To investigate the process of innovation by looking at how a consistent minority affect the opinions of a larger group, possibly creating doubt and leading them to question and alter their views

Question 42

Discuss the research by Moscovici on the role of the minority of social change (Procedure)

Answer 42

All female group- given eye test to check they were not colour blind. Grouped into a group of 4 participants and two confederates. 36 slides- different shades of blue, there were two groups: First group- confederatesa

Question 43

Discuss the research by Moscovici on the role of the minority of social change (Findings)

Answer 43

In the consistent group 8.42% of trials resulted in P's answering green (agreeing with the minority) 32% of the P's agreed at once Inconsistent group- 1.25% of trials resulted in P's answering green C- minorities can change the opinion of the majority, particularly if they are consistent

Question 44

Give 3 behavioural characteristics that the minority have to influence the majority

Answer 44

Consistency- being resiliant, a clear view, not contradicting themselves Commitment- taking risks, never giving up, putting time in Flexibility- being more understandable, more considerate and taking other views into account

Question 45

What is the snowball effect? (Van Avermaet 1996)

Answer 45

When a minority view gains some support the view becomes more and more popular until the minority becomes the majority

Question 46

What is social cryptoamnesia? (Perez 1995)

Answer 46

Ideas are taken in by the minority until it is the norm

Question 47

How did the suffragette movement use the behavioural characteristics?

Answer 47

``` Consistency- went on for half a century Flexibility- agreed to postpone their campaigning to help with the war effort Commitment- committed for 60 years Went to prison Snowball effect- spread across countries ```

Question 48

How did the black American civil rights movement use the behavioural characteristics?

Answer 48

Consistency- did not stop the boycott until it was changed after 381 days Flexibility- taxi drivers lowered their pay,went so it was the same as the bus Commitment- R.P was arrested for the cause Snowball effect- leaflets

Question 49

Learning theory | What is operant conditioning?

Answer 49

Learning by reinforcement

Question 50

What are the two types of reinforcement?

Answer 50

Positive- when a behaviour results in the addition of something pleasant/ Negative reinforcement- when behaviour results in the subtraction of something unpleasant/ doing homework to avoid detention

Question 51

Describe classical conditioning (using the three stages)

Answer 51

Before conditioning: Unconditioned stimulus (Food) ->unconditioned response (happy baby) During conditioning: Mother (neutral stimulus)-> Food (unconditioned stimulus) -> unconditioned response (happy baby) After conditioning: Conditioned stimulus (Mother)-> conditioned response (Happy baby)