social influence ao3 Flashcards
(33 cards)
1
Q
normative social influence (research support)
A
- in asch study many participants went along with wrong answers cause others did
- further supported by them saying afraid of social disapproval
- conformity fell from 36.8 to 12.5 if answer was written down
- no need to conform = no need for social approval = NSI no longer relevant
2
Q
normative social influence (individual differences)
A
- doesnt predict conformity for everyone the same way
- some people more likley to conform then others like naffiliators = feel need to have more relationships
- not as straight forward as thought
- NSI may explain some people but not everyone = individual differences make NSI not a general theory
3
Q
informational social influence (research support)
A
- students answered difficult or easy maths questions
- more conformity to incorrect answers when questions were difficult
- when easy = ppts knew their mind when hard = becomes ambiguous
- supports ISI people more likley to conform if questions hard but not when its easy as no need
4
Q
informational social influence (difficult to separate ISI and NSI)
A
- in research studies not sure which conformity is being shown
- in asch study with dissenter conformity reduced but it could be both
- NSI reduced as dissenter gives social support
- ISI reduced as dissenter is source of information
- in real world ISI and NSI work together rather individually
5
Q
asch research into conformity (artificial tasks)
A
- used artificial tasks and artificial situtations which lacked mundane realism
- may conform in these artificial situations but may not in real life
- knew in research study = demand characteristics = cant control = low internal validity
6
Q
asch research into conformity (androcentric study)
A
- study may not be applicable to women even the variables studies
- if apply to women misrepresenting could lead to beta bias
- based of indiviudalistic culture as well if apply to other countries will be imposed etic
- not everyone will conform the same again leading to beta bias
7
Q
asch research into conformity (lacks temporal validity)
A
- study done in 1950s where it was normal for people to conform
- the findings may only relate to conformity in 1950s america and not now in modern times
- may not be the same
8
Q
zimbardo conformity to social roles (highly controlled)
A
- checked if participants were mentally and emotionally stable before randomly allocating them their roles in study
- this rules out individual differences
- if guards and prisoners acted differently due to chance of their roles so conforming to it
- extraneous variables unlikely to affect outcome so high internal validity = so study shows support
9
Q
zimbardo conformity to social roles (over exggaerated findings)
A
- researchers criticise findings
- only 1/3 guards acted brutally 1/3 acted fairly and 1/3 helped prisoners etc
- differences in guards behaviour show they were not all affected the same way
- able to differentiate right and wrong despite situational pressures
- shows zimbardos results maybe overstated
10
Q
zimbardo conformity to social roles (contradictory validity)
A
- researchers suggest ppts were acting rather than conforming
- potentially showing demand characteristics
- ppts acted how they think prisoners/guards act based off movies etc
- cant control so low internal validity may not be measuring what supposed to
- cant be sure study acc supports conforming to social roles
11
Q
situational variables affecting obedience (low internal validity)
A
- experiementor changed to a normal person = ppts may guess aim of study = please you screw you affect
- cant control acts as extraneous variable lowers internal validity
- questions study support may not be showing affects of SV on obedience but demand characteristics
12
Q
situational variables affecting obedience (controlled)
A
- controlled all variables and altered one variable at a time
- replicated many times to find same findings
- control means we can be sure of cause and effect so SV affecting obedience
- replicated many times so findings are consistent therefore shows
- findings into link between SV and obedience have scientific credibility
13
Q
situational variables affecting obedience (evidence for uniform - research support)
A
- field experiment confederates wore jacket tie, milkman uniform or security guard
- would ask passers by to pick up litter or give a coin for parking
- twice as likley to obey security guard then guy in jacket and tie
- shows uniform does increase obedience to authority supporting milligram
14
Q
milgrams research into obedience (research support)
A
- milgrams study was replicated in a french documentary
- 80% of ppts gave max 460 volts to man
- behaviours similar to milgrams ppt
- behaviour in milgrams study was replicated
- replicability shows consistency therefore shows reliable as milgrams findings not one chance
15
Q
milgrams research into obedience (low internal validity)
A
- milgram said ppts believed shocks were genuine but other researchers think they were playacting
- researchers watched tapes of the study and only half believed shocks were genuine
- ppts = demand characteristics = not measuring what supposed to
16
Q
milgrams research into obedience (study may have high internal validity)
A
- researchers did study where ppts gave real shocks to puppies after listening to experimentor
- 54% and 100% women gave fatal shocks
- milgrams study may be genuine as people still behave obediently even if shocks are real
17
Q
agentic state (research support)
A
- in milgrams research ppts often asked experimentor who would take responsibility if person is harmed etc
- when experimentor would say theyre responsible ppts would carry on
- shows they went through agentic shift from autonomous to agentic
- acted off experimentors words
18
Q
agentic state (limited explanation)
A
- cant find all obedience findings
- study done where doctor told nurses to give excessive amount of drugs to a patient
- 16/18 nurses did not do as theyre told
- did not go through agentic shift which contradicts theory
- shows limited explanations
19
Q
legitimacy of authority (explains cultural differences)
A
- useful in taking account cultural differences in obedience
- replicated research of milgram showed only 16% of female ppts went up to full 450 volts but in germany was 85%
- shows some cultures authority taken more as legitimate than others
- shows how children are bought up to percieve authority and how social hierarchy works
20
Q
legitmacy of authority (cant explain all types of obedience)
A
- cant explain disobedience to authorithy where position is accepted by society
- nurses disobeying doctor or ppts disobeying experimentor in milgrams study
- goes against legitimacy of authority would expect them to obey but didnt
- therefore could be innate tendancy to disobey
- shows that LOA not only explanations to obedience
21
Q
authoritarian personality (reductionist)
A
- takes complex idea of why we obey to just personality types
- doesnt take into other factors that may cause obedience uniform LOC proximity etc
- therefore better to take interactionist approach when explaining why we obey so dont miss any factors and get holistic view on obedience
22
Q
authoritarian personality (research support)
A
- found link between authoritarin personality and obedience
- got sample of ppts from milgrams obedience study those who were most obedient had highest f scales compared to those who were disobedient
- however obedient ppts did not have characteristics of authoritarian personality = didnt glorify fathers etc
- link between obedience and authority more complex = AP not useful to show obedience
23
Q
authoritarian personality (limited explanation)
A
- cant explain obedience in a large scale
- eg during pre WW2 everyone in germany showed anti semitic behaviour etc but all had different personalities
- cant say everyone has authoritarian personality more likley everyone has different personalities/characteristics
- people probably identified with anti semitic state and scapegoated jews
- so social identity approach better at explaining than authoritarian personality as more realistic
24
Q
social support in resisting social influence (research support for conformity)
A
- researchers did asch type study with dissenter
- 64% ppts didnt conformed when dissenter had good eyesight
- only 3% didnt conform when no dissenter
- shows if someone else isnt following majority it is easier to resist
- however when dissenter had bad eyesight only 36% didnt conform
- still provided social support for many to not conform as model = but not as much if dissenter incorrect
25
social support in resisting social influence (research support for obedience)
- ppts asked to provide evidence to help oil company do smear campaign
- found more resistance than milgrams study 29/33 didnt obey (88%)
- likley because they were in groups so could discuss what to do
- supports social support as manjority were in groups = everyone acts model
- undermines authority figure
26
locus of control in resisting social influence (research support)
- research link between LOC and resisting obedience
- researchers replicated milgrams study and tested whether ppts were internals or externals
- found 37% internals didnt continue to full volts and only 23% didnt continue
- thsoe with more internal LOC resisted more than externals
- however not all internals resisted so shows internal LOC doesnt gurantee resistance
27
locus of control in resisting social influence (findings against)
- researcher analysed studies into obedience over 40 yrs and found people have become more external but more likley to resist obedience
- contradicts role of internal LOC as would expect ppl to become more internal as they resist more but opposite occurs
- contradicts link between LOC and resisting obedience
28
minority influence (artificial tasks)
- uses artificial tasks problem as lacks mundane realism
- dont reflect real life tasks
- so lacks external validity
- this research suggests that consistent minorites only effect artifical tasks and not real life ones
29
minority influence (gynocentric study)
- only used female ppts
- findings cant be applied to everyone because what if they dont have the same effect
- can lead to beta bias if apply to men and low population validity
30
minority influence (research support for consistency)
- asks confederates to wrongly say green to blue coloured slides consistently and inconsistently
- 8.4% of ppts said green in consistent group 1.25% of ppts said green in inconsistent group
- shows consistency does affect majority as in control group it was 0.25% showing that no ppts wouldve said green without influence
- however minorites dont have large influence as very small amount of ppts said green shows small influence
31
social influence processes in social change (research support for NSI)
- researchers conducted study on californian community and hung messages outside houses every week for a month stating everyone is trying to reduce energy usage
- control only asked people to reduce energy use
- significant decrease in 1st than 2nd group
- shows support for social influence process of NSI in changing behaviours
- signs accepted by majority leading to social change
32
social influence processes in social change (processes dont always lead to social change)
- researchers reviewed 70 studies where social norms approach to try reduce student alcohol usage
- found small reduction in quantity of alcohol not frequency
- questions effectiveness of social influence process of NSI in leading to social change
33
social influence processes in social change (shows how minority influence brings about social change)
- social change is due to the type of thinking minorities inspire
- when people look at minority arguements engage in wider thinking than narrow
- leads people to actively think and look for more info + weigh up options
- researchers say this leads to better thinking and social change
- shows dissenting minorities more valuable as leads to open minds/thinking which majority cant do = leads to change
