Social influence- psychology a-level

• What are the three types of conformity?

  • Internalization: Changing beliefs or behaviors to fit a group genuinely.
  • Compliance: Aligning behavior to fit a group despite private doubts.
  • Identification: Changing behavior to fit social norms associated with a specific role.
• What are the two main explanations for conformity?

  • Informational Social Influence (ISI): Conforming based on information from the group.
  • Normative Social Influence (NSI): Conforming based on social norms and expected behavior.
• What year did Sherif conduct his research on conformity?

  1935
• What was the design of Sherif's experiment?

  A repeated measures design
• What optical illusion was used in Sherif's experiment?

  The autokinetic effect
• How did participants respond when tested individually in Sherif's experiment?

  They arrived at their own answers called personal norms
• What happened to participants' answers when they were tested in groups in Sherif's experiment?

  They converged towards a mean and conformed
• What ethical issue was present in Sherif's experiment?

  Participants were deceived about the nature of the experiment
• What year did Asch conduct his research on normative social influence?

  1951
• What was the task participants had to perform in Asch's experiment?

  State which of three lines matched a standard line
• What was the control group's error rate in Asch's experiment?

  About one percent
• What percentage of the time did participants conform to the wrong answers given by confederates in Asch's experiment?

  32 percent
• What are the situational factors that influence conformity?

  • Group size: Larger groups increase conformity up to a point.
  • Social support: Presence of dissenters reduces conformity.
  • Task difficulty: Harder tasks decrease dissent and increase conformity.
• What are the dispositional factors that influence conformity?

  • Gender: Research is inconclusive on gender's effect on conformity.
  • Experience and expertise: More knowledgeable individuals are less likely to conform.
• What is a social role?

  • A position within society with expected behaviors.
  • Can be voluntary (e.g., teacher) or involuntary (e.g., son).
  • Norms vary across cultures and time periods.
• What was the Stanford Prison Experiment (SPE) designed to investigate?

  Conformity to social roles
• Who led the Stanford Prison Experiment?

  Philip Zimbardo
• What roles were participants assigned in the SPE?

  Guards or prisoners
• What extreme behaviors did participants exhibit in the SPE?

  Rioting, violence, and aggression
• What ethical issues were present in the SPE?

  Participants suffered severe mental and physical health problems
• What year was the SPE conducted?

  1970s
• What was the conclusion drawn from the SPE?

  Participants conformed to their expected social roles
• What did Orlando's study in 1973 investigate?

  • Mock psychiatric ward set up in a real hospital.
  • Staff acted as patients and began to conform to expected behaviors.
  • Helped explain real patient behavior and improve treatment.
• What historical event prompted psychologists to investigate obedience and conformity?

  The Holocaust
• What was the design of the experiment filmed in 2006 regarding social roles?

  Volunteers were randomly assigned as prisoners or guards
• What was a key difference between the 2006 experiment and the SPE?

  Neither prisoners nor guards conformed to expected behaviors
• What was the conclusion about social roles from the 2006 experiment?

  Social roles are flexible and not everyone conforms
• What year did Milgram conduct his landmark series of experiments on obedience?

  1963
• What was the main task participants had to perform in Milgram's experiment?

  Deliver electric shocks to a learner for wrong answers
• What was the maximum voltage participants believed they were delivering in Milgram's experiment?

  450 volts
• What role did the confederate play in Milgram's experiment?

  The confederate acted as the learner receiving shocks
• What was the participants' response when instructed to continue delivering shocks?

  Most participants continued to deliver shocks up to 450 volts
• What was the point at which the fake learner would bang on the wall in Milgram's experiment?

  At 300 volts
• What were participants instructed to do in Milgram's experiment?

  Deliver an electric shock to the learner for each wrong answer
• Who was the learner in Milgram's experiment?

  A confederate working with the researcher
• What was the range of electric shocks in Milgram's experiment?

  From 15 volts to 450 volts
• What did the labeled buttons on the shock machine indicate?

  The severity of the shocks, with 450 volts marked as danger severe shock
• What was the participants' belief regarding the shocks they delivered?

  They believed they were delivering real and harmful electric shocks
• At what voltage did the fake learner bang on the wall?

  300 volts
• What conclusion did Milgram draw from his experiment?

  People will obey orders that seem legitimate, even against their conscience