social influence

• What is the definition of social influence?


  The process by which individuals and groups change each other’s attitudes and behaviours.
• What does legitimacy of authority refer to?


  An explanation for obedience suggesting we obey those we perceive to have authority due to their power in the social hierarchy.
• What are three features of an authoritarian personality?


  • Submissive to superiors
  • Dismissive of inferiors
  • Highly prejudiced
• How does an authoritarian personality develop?


  It develops from a harsh parenting style characterized by strict discipline, criticism, and impossibly high standards.
• Which scale measures the authoritarian personality?


  The F-scale.
• What are some limitations of the F-scale?


  • Has acquiescence bias (all questions worded in the same direction).
  • Is politically biased (very right-wing, does not account for left-wing authoritarianism).
• What does Milgram’s original study tell us about obedience?


  It shows that people obey authority figures, even when it conflicts with their moral code.
• What are two situational variables that impact obedience?


  1. Proximity - physical closeness decreases obedience rates.
  2. Uniform - the attire of the authority figure affects obedience levels.
• What is the agentic state?


  It is when individuals obey orders even if they know they are wrong, feeling no responsibility as they act for an authority figure.
• What keeps a person in the agentic state?


  • Binding factors that minimize moral strain.
  • Examples include guilt, not wanting to appear rude, and shifting responsibility.
• What are two explanations for why people can resist social influence?

  • Social support: presence of others helps resist conformity or obedience.
  • Locus of control: internal locus leads to greater resistance.
• What is the difference between internals and externals?


  Internals believe they control their lives, while externals believe outside forces dictate their lives.
• What are the two theories proposed by Deutsch & Gerard to explain conformity?

  • Normative social influence: conforming to fit in and be liked.
  • Informative social influence: conforming due to the need to be correct.
• What is the definition of identification in social influence?


  Going along with others because you accept their point of view and identify with them.
• What is a limitation of Asch’s (1951) conformity study?


  • Criticized for being 'a child of its time' due to the conformist nature of 1950s America.
  • Replications showed inconsistent results over time.
• What is the difference between compliance and internalisation?


  • Compliance: temporary conformity in public, disagreement in private.
  • Internalisation: permanent acceptance of majority view in both public and private.
• What are the stages of minority influence?


  1. Draw attention to beliefs.
  2. Show consistency, commitment, and flexibility.
  3. Deeper processing by the majority.
  4. Augmentation principle.
  5. Snowball effect.
  6. Social cryptomnesia.
• What are three characteristics of minorities that make them influential?


  • Consistency
  • Commitment
  • Flexibility
• What is the definition of social cryptomnesia?


  It describes how people remember that social change has occurred but forget how it happened.
• What is the definition of the agentic state?


  The agentic state is when individuals obey an order even if they know it is wrong, feeling no responsibility for their actions.
• What keeps a person in the agentic state?


  Binding factors that minimize the damaging aspects of their actions and reduce moral strain.
• What are some binding factors that keep a person in the agentic state?


  • Guilt or anxiety about leaving
  • Not wanting to appear rude or arrogant
  • Unwillingness to break commitment to the experimenter
  • Shifting responsibility to the victim
  • Denying the impact of their actions
• What are two explanations for why people can resist social influence?

  Social support and locus of control.
• How does social support help individuals resist social influence?


  It provides the presence of others that helps resist pressures to conform or obey.
• What is locus of control?


  Locus of control describes a person’s perception of their control over behaviors, successes, failures, and events.
• What is the difference between internals and externals in terms of locus of control?


  Internals believe they are responsible for their lives, while externals believe outside forces direct their lives.
• What are the two theories proposed by Deutsch & Gerard to explain conformity?


  Normative social influence and informative social influence.
• What is normative social influence?


  Normative social influence is when you conform to fit in and be liked.
• What is informative social influence?


  Informative social influence is when you conform due to the need to be right or correct.
• What is the definition of identification?


  Identification is when you go along with others because you have accepted their point of view and identify with them.
• What is the difference between compliance and internalisation?


  • Compliance: Temporary conformity; agrees publicly but not privately.
  • Internalisation: Permanent conformity; accepts majority view publicly and privately.
• What is a limitation of Asch’s (1951) conformity study?


  Asch’s study has been criticized for being ‘a child of its time’ due to the conformist nature of the 1950s in America.
• What evidence challenges the consistency of Asch’s results over time?


  Perrin & Spencer (1980) found only one conformity response out of 396 trials in a replication of Asch’s study.
• What are three elements of minorities that make them influential?

  Consistency, commitment, and flexibility.
• What is social cryptomnesia?

  Social cryptomnesia describes how people remember that social change has occurred but do not remember how it happened.
• What are the stages of minority influence?


  1. Draw attention to their beliefs.
  2. Show consistency, commitment, and flexibility.
  3. Deeper processing of the issue in the majority group.
  4. Augmentation principle.
  5. The snowball effect.
  6. Social cryptomnesia.
• What is the augmentation principle in minority influence?


  The augmentation principle refers to the idea that if a minority demonstrates strong commitment, it enhances their influence on the majority.
• How does the snowball effect relate to minority influence?


  The snowball effect describes how minority influence grows as more people begin to adopt the minority viewpoint.
• What are three characteristics of minorities that make them influential?


  Consistency, commitment, and flexibility.