Social influence

• Internalisation


  Genuinely accept group norms. Private and public change of behaviour. Permanent
• Identification


  Value with the group we want to be apart of. Publicly change behaviour even if privately disagree.
• Compliance


  Go along with others in public. Privately disagree. Temporary
• Normative social influence


  We want to be liked and want to fit in with the group. We want to seem more popular
• Informational social influence


  A need to be right. See what other people are doing and assume its correct if we are unsure.
• Research that supports informational social influence


  Lucas et al (2006) asked students to give answers to maths problems that were easy or difficult. There was a greater conformity to incorrect answers that were more difficult then easier ones. The study shows that people conform in situations where they feel they don't know the answer. The outcome predicted by the ISI prediction.
• Who conducted the Asch conformity experiment?

  Solomon Asch (1951)
• What was the main task participants had to perform in the Asch conformity experiment?

  Participants had to judge which line matched up with a reference line.
• How many confederates and naïve participants were involved in the Asch conformity experiment?

  There were 6 confederates and 1 naïve participant
• What percentage of participants conformed at least once in the Asch conformity experiment?

  75%
• Why did participants say they conformed in the Asch conformity experiment?

  They conformed to avoid rejection.
• What does the outcome of the Asch conformity experiment predict about normative social influence (NSI)?

  The outcome supports the idea that people conform to avoid rejection, which is predicted by NSI.
• Who were the participants in Asch's study (1951)

  123 American male undergraduates
• Variables affecting conformity

  Group size

  Difficulty of task

  Unanimity of the majority
• What did asch find out when he adjusted the variables

  • Conformity increased with 3 more confederates added. After that conformity remained the same
  • Conformity reduced when there was a non-conforming confederate as there was social support. Conformity dropped to 5% when a confederate gave a right answer
  • Conformity increased when the difficulty was increased as the lines were more similar
• Problems with Aschs study


  • Lacks temporal validity (How well a study remains true over time)
  • Lacks ecological validity because it was a artificial situation (Lab experiment)
  • Not representative. Only sampled males, only sampled Americans and only sampled undergraduates. Very individualistic culture and not a collectivist culture.
• Results of the stanford prison experiment


  • Guards conformed to the roles - behaviour became a threat to the prisoners;
  • headcounts in the middle of the night, harassed them
  • Study was stopped after 6 days instead of 14
  • Within two days the prisoners rebelled
  • Prisoners became distressed
  • 1 prisoner on the first day and 2 on the fourth day were released due to psychological disturbance, one prisoner went on a hunger strike
  • The hole’ a place of punishment
  • Social roles have a huge influence on people’s behaviour. Social roles are easily adopted.
• What does Zimbardo's Stanford prison experiment illustrate about individuals?

  It illustrates how individuals conform to the social roles allocated to them
• Where was the mock prison for the Stanford prison experiment located?

  Stanford University
• How many American students participated in the Stanford prison experiment?

  24
• What criteria were used to select students for the Stanford prison experiment?

  Students deemed 'emotionally stable' were selected
• How were students assigned roles in the Stanford prison experiment?

  Students were randomly assigned to roles of guards or prisoners
• What measures were taken to heighten realism in the Stanford prison experiment?

  Prisoners were arrested in their homes, strip searched, and given a uniform and number
• How were social roles divided in the Stanford prison experiment?

  The social roles were strictly divided, with rules enforced only by guards
• What identifiers were used for prisoners in the Stanford prison experiment?

  Only prisoners' numbers were used, not their names
• What is deindividuation in the context of the Stanford prison experiment?

  Deindividuation refers to a lack of identity
• What did the guards wear during the Stanford prison experiment?

  Guards wore mirrored sunglasses
• Evaluation of stanford prison experiment


  + High control of variables - emotionally stable,

  randomly allocated

  -Lack of realism - stereotypes

  -Over exaggerated power of roles - only ⅓ were brutal

  (did not take into account their personalities

  -only US male students

  -Lack of external validity
• Obedience


  A form of social influence in which an individual follows a direct order. The person issuing the the order is usually a figure of authority who has power to punish.
• What did the experimenter wear in Milgram's study?

  A grey lab coat
• How many American volunteer males participated in Milgram's study?

  40
• What was the method used to assign roles in Milgram's study?

  Roles were pulled out of a hat but rigged so the participant was always the teacher
• What was the condition of the learner in Milgram's study?

  The learner was strapped to a chair and wired up with electrodes
• What task did the learner have to perform in Milgram's study?

  The learner had to remember pairs of words
• What happened each time the learner made an error in Milgram's study?

  The teacher had to switch a flick that gave the learner a fake electric shock increasing in volts
• What was the purpose of giving the teacher a small shock in Milgram's study?

  To allow the teacher to experience the pain
• How did the learner simulate pain during the experiment?

  The learner gave fake screams of pain and banged on the walls
• What did the learner do at higher voltages in Milgram's study?


  The learner gave no response to act unconscious
• What were the four standard prods used when participants tried to stop the experiment?

  1. "Please continue"
  2. "The experiment requires you to continue"
  3. "It is absolutely essential you continue"
  4. "You have no other option, you must continue"
• Results of the Milgram experiment 


  • All participants got to 300v
  • 35% stopped early (14/40)
  • 65% went all the way to 450v
  • People seem to be more obedient to authority figures even to the extent of causing harm