Social Influence

• What is the definition of conformity?

  Tendency to adopt others' behaviors and values
• What is obedience?

  Following orders from an authority figure
• What is compliance in terms of conformity?

  Superficial agreement with the majority view
• What is internalization in conformity?

  Acceptance of majority view as correct
• What is identification in conformity?

  Acting like the group to fit in
• What are the two types of social influence explained in the study material?

  • Normative social influence: Conforming to be accepted and liked.
  • Informational social influence: Conforming because we believe the majority is correct.
• What is the aim of a pilot study?

  Identify areas needing improvement before research
• What does a pilot study involve?

  A practice run to assess study design
• When does a pilot study take place?

  Before the formal research begins
• What happens with pilot study data?

  Used in design or discussion, not analysis
• Give an example of a pilot study.

  Finding 30 seconds is insufficient for a memory test
• What can be improved with a pilot study?

  Internal validity of the research
• What does reliability in research refer to?

  Consistency of results across studies
• What does validity in research refer to?

  Accuracy of what is being measured
• How do pilot studies improve validity?

  By identifying errors in research design
• What is the floor effect?

  Participants struggle and score poorly
• What is the ceiling effect?

  Participants score too high on a test
• What was the aim of Asch's experiment?

  Investigate conformity effects in unambiguous tasks
• What method did Asch use in his experiment?

  Lab experiment with independent groups design
• What did participants do in Asch's experiment?

  Judged line lengths aloud in groups
• How many critical trials were there in Asch's experiment?

  12 critical trials
• What was the control group's performance in Asch's experiment?

  Gave wrong answers 0-1% of the time
• What did 75% of participants do in Asch's experiment?

  Conformed at least once
• What percentage of participants conformed in critical trials?

  37% conformed to the majority
• What did some participants express after Asch's experiment?

  They doubted their own answers
• What was concluded from Asch's experiment?

  Conformity occurred due to normative social influence
• What are the strengths of Asch's experiment?

  • Good control of variables
  • Can be easily replicated
  • High internal validity
• What are the weaknesses of Asch's experiment?

  • Lacks ecological validity
  • Gender bias in sample
  • Ethical issues with deception
• What was the aim of Zimbardo's Stanford prison experiment?

  Investigate conformity to social roles in a simulated environment
• What method was used in Zimbardo's experiment?

  Mock prison with randomly assigned roles
• What did the guards do in Zimbardo's experiment?

  Tormented prisoners and enjoyed their power
• What did prisoners focus on during Zimbardo's experiment?

  Only discussed prison issues
• What are the strengths of Zimbardo's experiment?

  • Full debriefing of participants
  • Real-life applications to prison systems
• What are the weaknesses of Zimbardo's experiment?

  • Lacks ecological validity
  • Demand characteristics affected behavior
  • Ethical concerns regarding psychological harm
• What was Milgram's aim in his 1963 study?

  Investigate obedience to authority figures
• What method did Milgram use in his study?

  Lab experiment with male participants
• How were participants assigned roles in Milgram's study?

  Fixed draw made them always the teacher
• What did participants believe they were doing in Milgram's study?

  Giving electric shocks to a learner
• What was Milgram's prediction about participant behavior?

  Only 2% would shock to the highest level
• What percentage of participants shocked to 450 volts?

  65% shocked to the maximum level