Social Influence

• Conformity


  Compliant or shallow identification (temporary change in behaviour), Internalization (permanent change in personal opinions)
• Informational social influence (ISI)


  Correct behaviours are sought from the majority for guidance on how to behave, results in internalization
• Normative social influence (NSI)

  Individuals want to appear normal and be approved by the majority, results in compliance
• Ash (1951) found 32% conformity when participants gave the incorrect response to an ambiguous line task in the presence of confederates
• Variables affecting conformity


  • Group size (more confederates = more conformity), Unanimity (one dissenter reduces conformity), Task difficulty (harder tasks increase conformity)
• Agentic state


  The individual believes they don't have responsibility for their behaviour as they are just following orders from an authority figure
• Legitimacy of authority


  Individuals accept that those higher in the social hierarchy should be obeyed, learned through socialization
• Milgram (1963) found 65% of participants were willing to deliver the maximum 450V shock when instructed by an authority figure
• Situational variables affecting obedience


  • Proximity to victim, Location, Uniform of authority figure
• Adorno argued those with high levels of authoritarianism were more likely to obey in Milgram's study
• Locus of control


  Individuals with an internal locus of control feel their own actions control their lives and are less concerned with social approval, making them better able to resist social influence
• Minority influence requires consistency, flexibility, and commitment from the minority group to slowly convert the majority
• Social change often occurs through a 'snowball effect' as the minority group grows and more of the majority convert to their view
• Group membership affects susceptibility to social influence, with individuals more likely to be influenced by in-group members
• Governments can quickly drive social change by changing and enforcing laws, using their legitimacy of authority
• Internalisation is when a person accepts the group norms, resulting in permanent public and private change of opinions and behaviour.
• Identification is when we publicly change our opinions/behaviour to be accepted by the group, even if we don't privately agree.
• compliance involves going along with others in public but no change in opinions as it is only a superficial change
• zimbado investigated conformity to social roles in the basement of Stanford University, randomly assigned prisoner or guard
• Prisoners and guards both had uniform creating a loss of personal identity and helping connect to their new social role
• Zimbado found social roles had a strong influence on behaviour, guards became brutal and prisoners submissive.
• Zimbado ended the study after just 6 days rather than planned 14 due to ethical concerns
• Authoritarian Personality

  a type of personality Adorno argued was especially susceptible to obeying people in authority, often submissive to those of higher status and dismissive to those lower