social influence

• What is conformity?


  The tendency to adjust one's thoughts, beliefs, and behaviors as a result of real or imagined group pressure or norms
• What is compliance?


  Publically agreeing with the majority but privately disagreeing
• What is identification?


  We act in the same way as a group because we value it and want to be part of it. This type of conformity is generally temporary
• What is internalisation?


  Both publically and privately agreeing with the majority
• What is normative social influence?

  The tendency to conform to the group's norms in order to fit in and gain social approval
• What is informational social influence?


  Individuals conform to the opinions or behaviors of others because they believe that those others have more accurate knowledge or information
• What is Lucas et al's evaluation of conformity?


  ISI is seen when maths students conformed to the answers of difficult questions more than easy questions
• What is a limitation of the dual process model of conformity?

  It does not explain why people do not conform, for example 25% Asch's pps. Other factors like personality and self-esteem may be more important than situational variables
• What is the separation limitation of the dual process model of conformity?

  NSI and ISI are difficult to separate, so we cannot be sure which is involved in determining people's behaviours
• What was Asch's aim?

  To investigate the effect that a majority would have if a test was obvious and unambiguous
• What was Asch's sample?

  123 American male undergraduates who volunteered to participate in a visual acuity test
• What was Asch's method?

  6-8 confederates gave correct answers on 6 neutral trials, but on 12 critical trials gave same incorrect answers
• What were Asch's results?

  • Pps conformed to incorrect answers for 37% trials
  • 25% pps never conformed - 75% conformed at least once
  • Compared with control group who gave 1% incorrect answers
• Why did Asch's pps conform?

  • Distortion of perception
  • Distortion of judgement (ISI)
  • Distortion of action (compliance / NSI)
• How much did Asch's pps conform with an ally?

  5% trials
• What is a limitation of Asch's sample?

  American male undergraduate volunteers, difficult to generalise
• What is Eagly and Carli's limitation of Asch?

  Meta-analysis of 145 studies found that women are more conformist, so Asch's study had a beta bias by only studying men
• What is Perrin and Spencer's limitation of Asch?

  Study took place in 1950s America when conformity was high, so lacks temporal validity. Repeated Asch's study with engineering undergraduates, 1/396 conformed
• What is an ethical limitation of Asch?

  Asch deceived pps, possibly making them stressed as they could think there was something wrong with their vision (protection from harm). This decreases the reputation of psychology
• What was Zimbardo's aim?

  To investigate whether prison guards behave brutally because of situational or dispositional factors
• What was Zimbardo's sample?

  24 volunteers deemed to be emotionally stable after psychological testing
• What was Zimbardo's method?

  • Pps randomly assigned prisoner or guard role
  • Prisoners arrested at home and taken to a prison in Stanford University's basement
  • Guards given uniform, wooden club, handcuffs, keys, sunglasses
  • Guards had complete power over prisoners but could not use physical violence
• What were Zimbardo's results?

  • Guards created frequent opportunities to enforce rules to punish small offenses
  • After 2 days, prisoners rebelled against harsh treatment
  • Prisoners became subdued, anxious, and depressed after rebellion was put down
  • One pp released on first day due to psychological disturbance
  • Study was concluded after 6 days instead of intended 14
• What did Zimbardo conclude?

  The power of the situation can influence individuals to engage in harmful behavior
• What is the control evaluation of Zimbardo?

  High control

  • Standardised arrest procedure
  • Specific rules
  • Psychological testing
  • Uniforms

  High internal validity, establishes cause and effect

  Easy to replicate, high in reliability
• What is an ethical limitation of Zimbardo?

  • Pps were not given right to withdraw
  • Pps were not protected from harm (psychological impacts of study on both roles)
  • Zimbardo's dual role as prison superintendent limited his responsibilities towards pps
  • Damages reputation of psychology
• What is are the ethical counter-arguments of Zimbardo?

  • The study was approved by the Stanford University ethics committee
  • Pps were told in advance that their usual rights would be suspended - no deception, credible, not intended to inflict harm
  • Debriefs were conducted over several years and it was concluded that there were no lasting negative effects
• What was Milgram's aim?

  To investigate whether ordinary people would follow orders of an unjust authority figure, challenging the idea that the Germans who followed Nazi orders were different
• What was Milgram's sample?

  40 males who volunteered to participate in a study on punishment and learning at Yale University
• What was Milgram's method?

  • Pps acted as teachers who administered shocks to confederate acting as learner when they answered a word pair incorrectly
  • Learner remained silent until 300V where they pounded on the wall and stopped responding
  • Experimenter used verbal prods to teacher to continue shocks
• What were Milgram's findings?

  • 65% pps administered maximum 450V shock
  • All pps administered 300V shock
  • All pps showed shaking, sweating, and stuttering
• What was Milgram's conclusion?

  Obeying those in authority is a normal behaviour in a hierarchically organised society, even if the orders go against our moral code