Social Influence Flashcards

Question

What may be found if Asch's study was done in another culture

Answer 1

Smith et al found an average conformity rate in collectivist cultures (Africa) was 37% compared to 25% in individualist cultures (Europe )

Answer 2

In a campaign aimed at 12-17 years olds in Seven states in the USA, only 10% of non smokers took up smoking after receiving a message that most children in their age group did not smoke compared to 17% of non smokers In Countries that did not the campaign-- this supports the idea that people make particular decisions in order to fit in.

Answer 3

They found that participants exposed to negative views on African Americans later reported more negative beliefs about a black target individual due to a desire to be right.

Answer 4

- hard to distinguish between normative and informational- people may conform for both reasons. - people may give socially desirable answers and won't admit that they've conformed.

Answer 5

The part individual play as a member of a social group which meet the expectation of that situation. They are different across different social situations. Each role has its social norms. Individuals look the the social roles played by others and conform to these expectations.

Answer 6

Compliance- adapting to fit into a situation. | Normative social influence- order and sensibility.

Answer 7

To investigate the extent to which people would conform to social roles of guards and prisoners In a role playing situation of a prison life. It was also to test the dispositional versus situational hypothesis that saw prison violence as either due to the sadistic personalities of guards and prisoners or to the brutal conditions of the prison environment.

Answer 8

75 university students Volunteers Payed 15 dollars a day Underwent a series of assessments from which 21 students rated as the most physically and mentally stable where selected to take part. The participants where the most mature and free from anti social and Criminal behaviour. Those selected where then randomly allocated to 10 guards and 11 prisoners. Zimbardo played the role of a prison superintendent . Basement of a psychological department at Stanford uni -- mock prison Arrested by local police and finger printed Wore smocks and a chain around one ankle. Guards wore khaki uniforms reflective sunglasses and given handcuffs keys and truncheons. Told to maintain order but physical punishment was not permitted. Prisons where placed in cells and routines of meal times shifts and visiting times. The study planned to run for 2 weeks.

Answer 9

Guards and prisons settled quickly into there roles. One rebel prisoner was beating and out in isolation where he did boring tasks. After 36 hours one prisoner was released because of fits and crying. 3 more developed similar symptoms and were realised days after. A 5th prisoner developed a rash and was denied. The study was cut short after 6 days when zimbardo's realised the extent of the harm that was occurring and increasingly aggressive nature of the guards.

Answer 10

Dispositional- the study has a weak dispositional position as the prisoners and guards were both easily swayed and changed their attitudes however guards and prisoners didn't conform and actively went against norms. Situational- dictated the behaviour

Answer 11

Guards physically beat prisoners causing physical harm to prisoners. 5 had to leave because of fitting and illness again causing psychological and physical harm to the participants

Answer 12

Volunteer sample Male participants (gender bias) All similar ages ( can't generalise) Small sample Deception- said they wouldn't be beaten-Lack of informational content Lacks external validity - can't be repeated

Answer 13

As some guards best the prisoners and some were good guards and did not degrade of harass the prisoners in anyway. Showing that dispositional factors are more influential and individual differences apply.

Answer 14

A type of social influence whereby someone acts in response to a direct order from a figure with perceived authority. There is also the implication that the person Receiving the order is made to respond in a way that they would not otherwise have done without order.

Answer 15

1. Obedience- occurs with a hierarchy. Actor feels like the person above has the right to prescribe behaviour. Emphasis is on power Conformity- regulates the behaviour among those of equal status. Emphasis is on acceptance. 2. Obedience- behaviour adopted differs from behaviour of authority figure. Conformity- behaviour adopted is similar to peers 3. Obedience- prescription for action is explicit Conformity- requirement of going along with the group is often implicit

Answer 16

40 Males 20-50 Volunteers All paid 4.50 Range of social backgrounds Yale university Participant assigned the role of the teacher. Confederate as learner Task was to remember a list of word pairs each time the learner gave an incorrect answer the teacher was to issue an electric shock. The levels of shock increased each time Began at 15 v increased by 15 every time The level of shock was labelled. Highest was labelled xxx Learner was strapped into chair and gave an anxious enquiry about the danger of the e pediment where the experimenter replied " the shocks may be painful but not harmful " The teacher was taking to a different room where they could only hear the learner. At 150v the learner began to demand to be released and screams became more dramatic. At 315v he screamed loudly and from 330 he ceased respond. When the teacher began to object the experimenter used a number of prods such as please continue

Answer 17

65% of people went to 450v (enough to kill) 100% went to 300v Participants showed stress and three had a seizure

Answer 18

That ordinary people are capable of inflicting harm on fellow humans beings in the name of obedience. This suggests that crimes against humanity may be explained by situational factors rather than dispositional.

Answer 19

Situational - the environment and how it effects are behaviour Dispositional - personality and the way of thinking

Answer 20

1. The learner was in the same room as the teacher so they could see as well as hear everything and the pain they were inflicting 40%- aware of what's going on 2. The teacher and learner where in the same room and the teacher had to place the learners hand onto the shock plate 30% -more responsibility 3. The experimenter gave orders over the phone rather than being in the same room 20% - authority figure is away. Showing more pressure when authority figure is shadowing over your shoulder

Answer 21

He aimed to see whether nursed would obey orders from an unknown doctor to such an extent that there would be a risk of harm. Confederate phoned 22 nursed and asked to give his patient 20 mg of an unfamiliar drug. The label on the box said their maximum daily dose was 10mg and hospital rules required a doctors sign before medication was given. 21/22 obeyed with hesitation A control group of 22 nurses then where asked what they would do in this situation and they all said they would not obey. From this we can conclude that people like to think they wouldn't when they would if a figure of authority asked. This is better than Milgrams study as it is a real life situation and does not lack mundane realism The study could be said to lack ecological validity as they pointed out that the drug was unfamiliar to the nurses and they hadn't had the opportunity to consult with other nurses before administering it. When they changed these aspects of the study only 2/18 nurses obeyed.

Answer 22

In a questionnaire 84% of participants said they were glad they'd taken part and it had been an enriching experience. The APA investigated Milgrams study and said the work was ethically acceptable and was awarded a prize for his outstanding contribution to social psychological research

Answer 23

Milgrams argues that an experiment is a social situation just like any other and therefore the findings can be generalised beyond the research setting.

Answer 24

Orne and Holland suggest that Milgrams study is specific to the experimenter- participant relationship rather than any authority figure- subject relationship and therefore the findings can't be generalised to other situations of obedience.

Answer 25

Legitimate state, agentic state, authoritarian personality

Answer 26

An explanation for obedience. This refers to the amount of social power held by the person who gives the instructions. Most society's are organised in a hierarchical way. The legitimate state says we obey because our experience have taught us that those who possess their power are trustworthy and it's at our best interest to behave as instructed. It may also be that we follow orders because we recognise that those with legitimate authority have power to punish us. Eg- parent child relationship Milgrams study

Answer 27

Explanation for obedience. Individuals are aware of their behaviour and the consequences of it and choose to act in certain ways and to take responsibility for doing so. Milgrams suggests that when people obey a figure of authority they surrender some of there free will and enter an agentic state. They begin to see themselves and act agent of others carrying out orders on behalf of someone in authority and do not feel responsible for their behaviour. They change from an autonomous to an agentic state --- agentic shift.

Answer 28

Both suggest people surrender their free will to a person in authority

Answer 29

Milgrams | Hofling

Answer 30

A dispositional explanation of obedience as it suggests that the reason for obeying lies within the individual. Have extreme respect for authority and believe in absolute obedience. Believe in domination of minorities. Adorno et al suggest that it is s personality as a result of strict parenting where harsh physically punishment was used. It creates conflict and anxiety .

Answer 31

Created by Adorno. | A questionnaire which had 30 questions assessing 9 personality dimensions.

Answer 32

Altemeyer 1988 found that participants with an authoritarian personality type who were order to give themselves shocks, gave higher shocks than those without the personality type

Answer 33

Disobedience and non conformity

Answer 34

The perception of assistance and solidarity available from others

Answer 35

1. When the majority consist of two peop,e conforming decreased by 12.8% 2. When gaining a partner party way through conformity decreased by 8.7%

Answer 36

Two conditions 1. The confederate providing support wore glasses with thick lenses 2. Confederate had normal vision. Both conditions reduced the amount of conformity it the valid social supporter had much more impact.

Answer 37

One condition- a confederate responded first and gave the correct answer followed by the other confederates providing the same wrong answer with the genuine participant responding last. Second condition- 3 co federated providing the wrong answer with the confederate providing the right answer being the fourth to respond followed by the genuine participant. Support was more effective when they were position one compared to position 4. This suggests that a correct answer first confirms the participants own judgement which produces an initial commitment to the correct response.

Answer 38

When disobedient models broke the law by jay walking participants were more likely to jay walk themselves than when disobedient models weren't present. Disobedient models have a greater affect than obedient models however a disobedient model is less likely to produce an increase in jaywalking when the obedient model is of a high status. Pedestrians jay walking under control conditions- 24.5% Obedient model- 16.5% Disobedient model- 44.1%

Answer 39

The rosenstrasse protest was in Berlin in 1943, non Jewish wife's who were relatives of Jewish men who had been arrested for deportation protested. Showing how social support helps to resist obeying

Answer 40

Refers to a persons perception of personal control over their own behaviour 1. Internal - they tend to see themselves as in control of events in their lives 2. External- tend to see themselves as at the mercy of external events. Rotter proposed that people with an internal locks of control are better at resisting social pressures and says that if we feel in control of a situation we are likely to believe we have choice over whether to obey or conform

Answer 41

1. High internals are active seekers of information that is useful to them and so are less likely to rely on the opinion of others 2. High internals tend to be more achievement oriented and consequently are more likely to become leaders and entrepreneurs 3. High internals are better able to resist coercion from others

Answer 42

Atgris 1998 carried out a meta analysis of studies which considered locos of control and conformity. He found that those who scored higher on external locus of control were more easily persuaded and likely to conform than those with a low score. The average correlation between the the locos of control and conformity was +0.37 which was statistically significant. This suggests that there are genuinely higher rates of conformity in externals than internals.

Answer 43

The minority influence is a type of social influence that motivates individuals to reject the established minority view. Process of conversion which involved new beliefs or behaviours being accepted publicly and privately. Type of internalisation Generally due to informational social influence

Answer 44

People often follow the majority as a type of compliance which is normative social influence ( to fit in) these views are only affected publicly and are temporary. If people change from the majority to the minority view it is more likely to be a type of internalisation because of informative social influence (desire to be right) these views are changed publicly and privately. It is a permanent change.

Answer 45

Consistency and commitment

Answer 46

If there is stability in the argument presented by the minority over time and between members of the minority then they are more likely to be effective in persuading members of the majority to accept their views.

Answer 47

The degree to which members of a minority are dedicated to a particular cause. The more committed the more influence they are likely to have.

Answer 48

Aim: to investigate the role of a consistent minority on the opinion of a majority in an ambiguous situation Procedure: female participants were placed into 32 groups of 6. Each group had four genuine participants and 2 confederates. They were told the study investigated perception. Each group was shown 36 blue slides with filters that varied the intensity of the colour. In one condition the minority consistently said the slides were green. In another condition they said 24 of the slides were green and 12 blue. Findings: in the consistent condition there was an 8.2 agreement with the minority win 32% agreeing at least once. There was a 1.25% agreement in the inconsistent condition.

Answer 49

Laboratory experiment - highly controlled Independent measures- one person to one condition- less time consuming Deception - told they were researching perception- breaking the ethics. The study showed the importance of consistency however the study lacks mundane realism

Answer 50

Participants were individual asked to arrange 16 slides into blue or green. 3 slides were obviously blue and 3 were obviously green. The other 10 could of been considered blue or green. Participants had to set a threshold point where everything one side was green and at the other side everything was blue. They found that those who had been in the consistent condition considered more of the cards to be green, this was even greater in those who hadn't gone along with the minority view. Showing that the minority do have an influence as this shows a carry over affect - internalisation

Answer 51

Suggest that flexibility is more effective at changing majority opinion then rigidity of arguments. If minorities are flexible then they will be more likely to be perceived as moderate, cooperative and reasonable. In contrast is a minority is rigid then they may be perceived as dogmatic

Answer 52

Nemeth Participants were in a group of 4: one confederate in a judiciary situation. The group had to decide how much compensation to pay the victim of a ski lift accident. In condition one the confederate consistently argued for a lower amount and refused to change his position. In the other condition the confederate compromised a little and moved to offering a slightly higher amount. In the first condition where the confederate was inflexible they had no effect on the majority but when the minority was flexible the majority changed their opinion to a lower amount. This is a useful study as it is realistic, as it is possible to be called in to do this. It shows that flexibility is important.

Answer 53

1. Some may argue that there are many other factors than consistency commitment and flexibility that influence the minority. Research shows that if the majority can identify with the minority then they are more likely to take the views seriously and change there own views. For instance one study shows that a gay minority arguing for gay rights had less influence on a straight majority than a straight minority arguing for gay rights. 2. Edward Sampson would argue that a lot of the research on the minority influence is a laboratory experiment consisting of students who have never met and never will again taking part in an artificial task. Sampson argues that this is much different to the minority in wider society arguing for something they believe in. For example members of women's and men's rights operate in different settings with different. Constraints.They face much more determined opposition. They are committed to a cause, they often know each other and sometimes devote their lives to changing the view of the majority. Lab experiments are largely unable to represent and simulate the wide difference in power and status that often separates minorities and majorities in the real world.

Answer 54

The process in which society changes the dominant beliefs attitudes and behaviours to create new social norms.

Answer 55

Social change is a result of internalisation. This involves the process of conversion where attention is drawn to the content of the minority's message as a result of cognitive dissonance caused by being exposed to beliefs that are contradictory to our own. Eg- Clark found that a minority juror was more effective in persuading others if they had a high quality argument to support there beliefs. This supports that the content of the minority's message is an important factor in causing social change .

Answer 56

- act out of principe rather than self interest - have made sacrifices themselves ( demonstrating consistency ) - be similar to the majority - advocate views that are consistent with current trends

Answer 57

May be increased if we are exposed to a non conformist or disobedient models. These individuals show us that it is possible to disobey the power of authority. Eg- when rosa parks refuse to give up her seat for a white man. This sparked the civil rights movement

Answer 58

When the source of the message is forgotten so the majority are able to accept the message without having to identify with the minority group that first proposed it

Answer 59

It takes time for the majority to examine the views of the minority. It is also easy for the. Majority to dismiss the minority's argument because it is often perceived as deviant and members of an out group with whom the majority do not identify with. The slow and gradual process allows for social cryptoamnesia

Answer 60

It was once socially acceptable to smoke in public however since the law has changed due to the minority objectifying the ideas of public smoking it is frowned upon.

Answer 61

As the majority influence also cause social change. Social norms intervention aim to change people negative behaviours by addressing a misperception about the frequency of that behaviour among their peers

Social Influence Flashcards

(85 cards)