Social Influence

• Social Influence


  Human behaviour as influenced by other people and the social context in which this occurs
• Conformity 


  A change in belief or behaviour in order to be in line with a group
• What does ISI stand for?


  Informational Social Influence
• ISI 


  "Conforming to be right"
• When is ISI most likely? 


  Unfamiliar situations which may change private beliefs
• What does NSI stand for?


  Normative Social Influence
• NSI


  "Conforming to be liked"
• When is NSI most likely?


  In groups and temporarily changes public beliefs
• Compliance


  Go along with the group to gain approval and does not change any underlying attitudes
• Identification


  Components of both compliance and internalisation

  Accepts attitudes and adopts them as true - is only to be accepted
• Internalisation


  Accepting of a groups point of view both publicly and privately
• Conformity AO3

  • Research supports the concept of NSI - Asch
  • Research supports the concept of ISI - Asch
  • Nomothetic
• Asch Procedure 


  123 male graduates

  Which of 3 comparison lines are the same length and the target line

  Confederates

  Tested in groups of 5-9, average of 7

  Real participant was always last to second last
• Asch trial types


  Neutral:

  Answer correctly

  Critical trial:

  Answer incorrectly
• Total number of trials


  18 - 12 critical and 6 neutral
• Asch Findings

  Conformity rate 33%

  25% didn't conform on any of the critical trials

  50% conformed on 6 or more trials

  5% conformed on all 12 critical trials

  Participants made mistakes on about 1%
• Asch A03

  • Artificial experiments
  • Gender bias
  • Cultural bias
  • Ethical issues
• Variables affecting conformity

  1. Task difficulty
  2. Group Size
  3. Unanimity
• Factors which influence conformity AO3

  • Gender/Culture bias
  • Controlled laboratory setting
  • Nomothetic
• Identification


  Change in behaviour to be associated with a group/role
• Zimbardo Procedure


  21 (24) male university students randomly assigned to the role of prisoner or guard

  Basement of Stanford university
• Zimbardo Findings


  Study stopped after 6 days due to welfare concerns

  Both prisoners and guards conformed to roles
• Pathology of power


  Do something just because you can
• Pathological prisoner syndrome


  Lost identity and control
• AO3 Zimbardo

  • Unethical
  • Culture/Gender bias
  • Nomothetic
• Milgram Sample

  40 males between 20 and 50 from New Haven

  $4.50 for participation

  Yale university
• Milgram Procedure

  Experimenter, Teacher, Student

  Choose piece of paper - rigged

  Students shocked with 45 volt - create authenticity

  4 Verbal prompts
• Milgram Findings


  No participants stopped below 300 volts

  4 people stopped at 315 volts - student stopped answering

  26 continued to 450 volts - 65%
• Obedience


  An action in response to a direct order
• Milgram AO3

  • Research support Hofling
  • Ethical objections
  • Internal validity
• Variation - proximity


  40% - more responsibility for the teacher
• Variation - touch proximity

  30% - increased teacher responibilty
• Variation - Remote authority

  20.5% - experimenter cannot directly check on the teacher
• Variation - Venue

  47.5% - Lacked legitimacy
• Variation - legitimacy of the experimenter

  20% - legitimate unform is more believable
• Situational Variables

  1. Uniform
  2. Location
  3. Proximity
• AO3 Situational Factors

  • Lacks ecological validity
  • Ethical problems
  • Nurture
• Legitimacy of authority

  Socially accepted authority figure exists within a hierarchy
• Autonomous state

  Direct own behaviour and take responsibility of consequences
• Agentic state


  Someone else directs behaviour and passes responsibility to them