Social influence

• Obedience


  Complying with orders from authorities
• Authority figure


  Someone with more power
• Conformity


  Matching behaviours to fix in with a group
• Compliance


  Going with the majority even if we do not agree
• Normative social influence


  Compliance because of a need to fit in
• Internalisation


  Going along with the majority because we believe it is the right way to behave
• Informational social influence


  When we do not know how to behave and we adopt the behaviours and beliefs of others
• Identification


  Temporarily adopting the behaviours of a role model or group
• Deindividuation


  Loss of personal self-awareness and responsibility as a result of being in a group
• Bystander effect


  When we fail to help others in need
• Situational factors


  Features of a situation that influence whether or not we intervene in an emergency
• Diffusion of responsibility


  When we believe others will help so we don't need to
• Pluralistic ignorance


  When we interpret the situation according to others' actions
• Confederate


  A researcher or someone else who is acting in a study but does not know what the study is about
• Locus of control


  The extent to which we believe we have control over our behaviour
• Momentum of compliance


  When we start something and feel compelled to finish it
• Anti-semitic discrimination


  Discrimination against Jews
• Authoritarian personality


  A rigid and respectful type of personality towards authority
• Authoritarian personality scale


  A questionnaire designed to measure authoritarian personalities and traits
• Pro-social behaviour


  Behaviour that is seen as kind, helpful, cooperative, and positive
• Anti-social behaviour


  Behaviour that is seen as unhelpful, aggressive, and destructive in a community
• Social issue


  A problem that affects a community or society
• Culture


  A set of traditions, beliefs and values shared by a group of people
• Individualistic cultures


  Cultures that emphasise independence
• Collectivist cultures


  Cultures that emphasise group membership
• The bystander effect (or bystander apathy) is when we fail to help others in need
• Factors affecting whether or not we help


  • Situational factors
  • Personal factors
• Situational factors


  1. Diffusion of responsibility

  2. Noticing the event

  3. Interpreting the situation

  4. Assuming others will help
• The larger the crowd, the less likely we are to notice and react to an emergency
• We are slower to react and more likely to look to others for cues on how to respond when in a group compared to when alone
• The higher the cost of helping (time, effort, danger), the less likely we are to help
• We are more likely to help if the cost to the victim is higher than the cost to ourselves
• Good Samaritanism


  Helping behaviour in an emergency environment
• Piliavin et al (1969) study procedure


  1. New York Subway (field experiment)

  2. Approx 4500 passengers

  3. 4 groups of students used

  4. Covert observation

  5. Victim fell over/appeared drunk/had a cane
• Victim conditions


  • Fell over after stop
  • Appeared drunk with a bottle
  • Had a cane or was black
• Model conditions


  • Helped after 70 seconds
  • Helped after 150 seconds
• 94 observers took notes on number of people, race, sex, and time taken to help
• In 60% of trials, more than 1 person helped the victim
• 90% of first helpers were male, 64% were white, and 68% of helpers who aided the white victim were also white
• 50% of white passengers aided the black victim