Social Influence
- Created by: jessfield28_
- Created on: 03-04-18 09:25
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- Conformity- Social Influence
- Identification
- Conforming to opinions / behaviors of a group as there's something about the group we value
- We identify with the group
- Conforming to opinions / behaviors of a group as there's something about the group we value
- Compliance
- Person genuinely accepts the group norms
- Private/ public change of opinions and behaviors
- Permanent change
- Attitudes have been internalized
- Change in attitudes/ behaviour persists even in absence of other group members
- We want to be part of the group
- Public change even if we don't agree privately with everything the group stands for
- 'Going along with others' in public
- No private change in opinions/ behaviour
- Results in a superficial change
- Particular behavior stops as soon as group pressure does
- Types
- Explanations
- Deutsch and Gerald developed a two process theory
- Arguing that there are 2 main reasons people conform
- Based on 2 central needs: need to be right (ISI) and need to be liked (NSI)
- Informational Social Influence
- Based on 2 central needs: need to be right (ISI) and need to be liked (NSI)
- About who has the better information
- Often we are uncertain about what beliefs and behaviours are right and wrong
- For example, not knowing the right answer in class
- If most of the class agrees on an answer you accept that answer as you feel they're most likely to be right
- ISI is a cognitive process
- Most likely to occur in new situations or crisis situations (experts)
- ISI is a cognitive process
- If most of the class agrees on an answer you accept that answer as you feel they're most likely to be right
- For example, not knowing the right answer in class
- Normative Social Influence
- About norms
- What is 'normal' or 'typical' behaviour for a social group
- About norms
- Norms regulate the behavior of groups and individuals
- People do not like to appear foolish
- We pay attention to the norms
- People prefer social approval than rejection
- NSI is an emotional process
- Most likely to occur in situations with strangers where you feel concerned about rejection
- Situations with our friends- most concerned about social apporval from our friends
- More pronounced in stressful situations where people have a greater need for social support
- Asch's research
- Tested conformity by showing ppts 2 large white cards at a time
- One card was a standard line
- The other were 3 comparison lines
- One of the 3 lines was the same length as the standard line
- The other were 3 comparison lines
- One card was a standard line
- Tested conformity by showing ppts 2 large white cards at a time
- The other 2 were substantially different
- Ppt was asked which of the 3 lines matched the standard line
- Ppts= 123 male undergraduate
- First few trials= All confederates gave the right answers but then started making errors
- All confederates instrcuted to give same wrong answer
- Each ppt took part in 18 trials and on 12 critical trials the confederates gave the wrong answer
- All confederates instrcuted to give same wrong answer
- Ppt was asked which of the 3 lines matched the standard line
- Eaxh naive ppt was tested indivdually with a group of 6-8 confederates
- Naive ppt was not aware that the others were confederates
- Findings
- Naive ppt gave wrong answer 36.8% of the time
- 25% of ppts did not conform on any trials
- 75% conformed at least once
- The term 'Asch effect' has been used to describe this result
- When ppt interviewed after most said they conformed to avoid rejection (NSi)
- The term 'Asch effect' has been used to describe this result
- 75% conformed at least once
- 25% of ppts did not conform on any trials
- Asch's variations
- Asch was further interested in the conditions that might lead to an increase or decrease in conformity
- Carried out some variations in his original procedure
- Unanimity
- Task difficulty
- Made stimulus line and comparison line more similar in length
- Conformity increased
- Suggests that ISI plays a greater role when the task gets harder
- This is due to the situation being more ambigious
- More likely to look to others for guidance and assume they are right and we are wrong
- Wanted to know if the presence of another, non- conforming people would affect the ppts conforming
- He introduced a confederate who disagreed with the others
- Sometimes the confederate gave the right answer and sometimes they gave the wrong answer
- He introduced a confederate who disagreed with the others
- The presence of a dissenting confederate reduced conformity by a quarter from the level when the majority was unanimous
- The presence of a dissenter enabled naive ppt to behave more independently
- Suggests that the influence of the majority depends to some extent on the group being unanimous
- The presence of a dissenter enabled naive ppt to behave more independently
- Group size
- Wanted to know whether the size of the group would be more important than the agreement of the group
- Found that 3 confederates conformity to the wrong answer rose to 31.8%
- The addition of further confderates made little differecne
- Suggests that a small majoirty is not suffient for influence to be exerted
- No need for the majoiryy of more than three
- Suggests that a small majoirty is not suffient for influence to be exerted
- The addition of further confderates made little differecne
- Confromity to social roles: Zimbardo's research
- Following reports of brutality by guards in prsions across America in the late 1960s, Zimabrdo wanted to answer the question
- 'Do prison guards behave because they have sadistic persoanlities or is it the situation that creates such behaviour?
- Following reports of brutality by guards in prsions across America in the late 1960s, Zimabrdo wanted to answer the question
- Standord Prison Experiment
- Procedure
- Set up a mock prison in the basement of a psychology department at Stanford University
- Advertised for students willing to volunteer
- Selected those who were deemed 'emotionally stable' after extesnive psychology testing
- Students were randomly assigned the roles of guards or prisoners
- Selected those who were deemed 'emotionally stable' after extesnive psychology testing
- To heighten the realism of the study, ppts were arrested in their homes by the local police and then delviered to the prison
- They were *****- searched, blind folded and issued a unifrom and number
- The social roles of the prisoners and guards were strictly divided
- They were *****- searched, blind folded and issued a unifrom and number
- Even deciding when they could go to the toilet
- Findings
- After a slow start to the stimulation, the guards took their roles up with enthusiasm
- Guards behaviour became a threat to the prisoners ppsychological and phsycial health
- After a slow start to the stimulation, the guards took their roles up with enthusiasm
- The study was stopped after 6 days instead of the intended 14 days
- Within 2 days the prisoners rebelled against their harsh treatment by the guards
- The ripped their uniforms, shouted and swore at the guards who retaliated with fire extinguishers
- Guards emloyed 'divide and rule' tactics
- Playing the prisoners off one another
- The guards harrassed the prsioners constantly to remind them they were being monitored all the time eg. headcounts at night
- Playing the prisoners off one another
- Guards emloyed 'divide and rule' tactics
- The ripped their uniforms, shouted and swore at the guards who retaliated with fire extinguishers
- Within 2 days the prisoners rebelled against their harsh treatment by the guards
- The guards highlighted the differences in social roles by creating plenty of opportunities where they could punish even the smallest misendeavour and enforce the rules
- After the rebellion was put down, the prisoners became subdued, depressed and anxious
- One prisoner was released on the first day because he showed symptoms of psychological disturbance
- Two more were released on the foruth day
- One prisoner was released on the first day because he showed symptoms of psychological disturbance
- After the rebellion was put down, the prisoners became subdued, depressed and anxious
- One prisoner went on hunger strike. The prisoners attempted to force feed him
- Then punished him by putting him in a hole in a tiny dark closet
- The guards identified more and more closely with their role
- Guards behaviour became more and more aggressive, some of them enjoyed the power they had over prisoners
- The guards identified more and more closely with their role
- Then punished him by putting him in a hole in a tiny dark closet
- Conclusions
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