Social Influence Key Terms

Question 1

Agentic state (Milgram)

Answer 1

Where an individual carries out orders of an authority figure, acting as their agent.

Question 2

Agentic shift (Milgram)

Answer 2

The shift from an autonomy to ‘agency’.

Question 3

Augmentation principle

Answer 3

Demonstrating a commitment to the message by putting yourself at risk in some way, e.g. Emily Davison jumping in front of King George V’s horse.

Question 4

Authoritarian personality (Adorno et al)

Answer 4

A person who has extreme respect for authority and is thus more likely to obey those who hold power over them.

Question 5

Commitment

Answer 5

When minorities show dedication to their cause, then minority influence is more likely to occur, e.g. showing some form of sacrifice to show the majority that they aren’t acting out of self-interest.

Question 6

Compliance

Answer 6

The lowest level of conformity as the individual goes through a superficial/temporary change in their public behaviour but not their private beliefs, often a result of NSI.

Question 7

Conformity

Answer 7

When someone changes their behaviour or beliefs due to real or imagined pressure from others.

Question 8

Consistency

Answer 8

When a minority members share the same belief and retain this belief over time, making minority influence more likely to occur by drawing attention of the majority.

Question 9

Conversion theory (Moscovici)

Answer 9

By encouraging deeper processing of the issue ( via commitment and consistency) minorities show willingness to sacrifice for their cause, increasing the likelihood that others will believe that the minority is correct. Over time the minority increases in numbers as people will switch from majority to the minority (snowball effect). The minority view then becomes a majority view and others conform due to normative social influence, creating a state of social crypto-amnesia.

Question 10

Diachronic consistency

Answer 10

People in the minority have been saying the same thing for some time.

Question 11

Flexibility

Answer 11

When a minority is willing to compromise then minority influence in more likely to occur, because the minority is not seen as unreasonable and dogmatic.

Question 12

Group size (Asch)

Answer 12

Asch increased the size of the majority in his line judgement task, finding that, with two confederates, conformity levels rose to 12.8%

Question 13

Identification

Answer 13

The middle level of conformity as a person temporarily changes their public behaviour and private beliefs, but only while they’re in the presence of the group they’re identifying with.

Question 14

Informational social influence

Answer 14

We conform to other’s behaviour because we don’t know the correct answers ourselves and we want to be right, thus we follow those who we perceive to be right.

Question 15

Internalisation

Answer 15

This is the deepest level of conformity as a person experiences a long-term change in both their public behaviour and private beliefs, often the result of ISI.

Question 16

Legitimacy of authority (Milgram)

Answer 16

The notion that we are more likely to obey a person with a higher position or status in a social hierarchy.

Question 17

Location (Milgram)

Answer 17

Milgram conducted his shock experiment in a run-down office block and found that the percentage of participants who administered the full voltage fell to 47.5%

Question 18

Locus of control (Rotter)

Answer 18

The extent to which people feel that they have control over their lives. People with an internal locus of control believe that what happens in their life is largely the result of their own behaviour, thus they’re more likely to resist pressure to conform or obey.

Question 19

Minority influence

Answer 19

When an individual or small group influences attitudes and behaviours of a larger group.

Question 20

Normative social influence

Answer 20

We conform to other’s behaviour because of strong social pressures to conform as people feel uncomfortable about deviating and instead want to avoid social rejection.

Question 21

Proximity (Milgram)

Answer 21

Milgram found that, when the experimenter gave the instructions over the phone, obedience levels fell to 20.5%

Question 22

Situational explanations of obedience (Milgram)

Answer 22

Focuses on external factors that affect the likelihood that someone will obey, e.g. proximity, location and uniform.

Question 23

Snowball effect

Answer 23

Minority influence starts small and gains momentum, growing in significance or intensity over time.

Question 24

Social Cryptoamnesia

Answer 24

People have a memory that social change has occurred but don’t remember how it happened.

Question 25

Social support

Answer 25

People resist the pressure to conform or obey if they have an ally/someone supporting their view, because having an ally can build confidence levels and allow individuals to act independently.

Question 26

Synchronic consistency

Answer 26

People in the minority are all saying the same thing.

Question 27

Task difficulty (Asch)

Answer 27

Asch increased the difficulty of his task and found conformity levels increased as participants were more likely to believe that the confederates were right.

Question 28

Unanimity (Asch)

Answer 28

Upon adding a dissenter, Asch found conformity levels dropped from 32% to 5% if the dissenter was giving the correct answer.

Question 29

Uniform (Milgram)

Answer 29

Milgram found that, when experimenters wore their own clothes, obedience levels fell form 60% to 20%.