social influence

• what is conformity?

  Conformity is the tendency to adjust one's thoughts, beliefs, and behaviors to match those of a larger group or societal norms.
• what are the 3 types of conformity?

  Compliance, identification, and internalization.
• what is compliance?

  publicly changing views to go along with the majority but not privately
• what is identification?

  private and public change of views to gain group acceptance
• what is internalisation?

  adoption of groups belief system both private and public
• what is informative social influence?


  Conforming to others' behavior or opinions because we believe they have accurate information.
• what is normative social influence?


  changing behaviour because people want to be liked
• what are confederates?


  people who pretend to be participants in studies
• what did asch study?

  conformity using a unambiguous line test
• what are asch's findings?

  75% conformed to at least one wrong answer

  normative social influence
• evaluation of asch?

  unethical = involves deception

  lacks mundane realism

  time-consuming
• what were asch's situational variables?

  group size, unanimity , task difficulty
• who studied conformity to social roles?

  zimbardo
• aim of zimbardo's study ?

  extent of which people would conform to social roles and test situational and dispositional factors
• zimbardo method?

  10 guards 11 prisoners

  mentally stable

  mock prison at stanford

  uniforms e.g mirriored glasses and bats
• zimbardo findings?

  de-individuation shown by prisoners using numbers instead of their names

  prisoners had break downs

  stopped 6 days in too traumatic
• zimbardo conclusions?

  situational variables favoured

  individuals quickly conform to social roles
• what is obedience?


  complying to the demands of an authority figure
• what did milgram study?

  obedience to authority figures
• milgram findings and conclusion?

  65% of people went all the way to 450v

  many people showed signs of distress

  high obedience to authority figures
• ethical concerns with milgram?

  Deception, psychological harm , no right to withdraw , inducement to take part
• milgram methodological criticisms?


  androcentrism (only males) , cultural bias , historical validity , ecological validity
• what is the autonomous state?


  individuals seen as personally responsible for their actions
• what is the agentic state?

  Psychological state where individuals feel a diminished sense of personal responsibility and defer to authority figures.
• what is legitimacy of authority?

  degree to which individuals have power over others
• situational variables effecting obedience?


  location , proximity, uniform,
• what is the authoritarian personality?


  A personality characterized by a strong preference for obedience to authority, conformity to societal norms, and hostility towards those who deviate from them.
• what can lead to resistance to social influence?

  social support , locus of control ,
• what is locus of control?


  Belief about the extent to which individuals have control over their own lives.
• what 3 things are necessary for minority influence?

  Consistency, commitment, flexibility.