Social influence
- Created by: rchapman99
- Created on: 26-06-17 20:24
View mindmap
- Social influence
- Type of conformity & explanations
- Conformity - when the behaviour of an individual or small group is influenced by a larger, dominant group.
- Internalisation - going along with the majority and believing in their views.
- Compliance - going along with the majority even if you disagree with them.
- Identification - conforming to what's expected of you to fulfil a social role.
- Explanations
- Informational social influence - the result of a desire to e right; looking to others as a way of gaining evidence about reality.
- Normative social influence - an individual conforms with the expectations of the majority in order to gain approval or to avoid social disapproval.
- Conformity - when the behaviour of an individual or small group is influenced by a larger, dominant group.
- Variables affecting conformity
- Task difficulty
- More difficult = conformity levels increased. Less confident.
- Unanimity
- Asch: confederates forming a majority, one of the confederates agreed with the participant. Having a fellow dissenter, broke the unanimity of the group.
- Group size
- The bigger the majority is, the more influential it will be.
- Task difficulty
- Situational variables affecting obedience
- Location
- Location/environment can give participants confidence.
- Uniform
- Recognisable, convey power & authority.
- Location
- Agentic state & legitimacy of authority
- Legitimacy of authority
- A person who is perceived to be in a position of social control within a situation.
- Agentic state
- A person sees themselves as an agent for carrying out another person's wishes.
- Legitimacy of authority
- The authoritarian personality
- Authoritarian personality - a distinct personality pattern characterised by strict adherence to conventional values and a belief in absolute obedience or submission to authority.
- Dispositional - explanations of behaviours down to personality traits.
- F scale - measure of authoritarian traits.
- Right-wing authoritarianism - a cluster of personality variables that are associated with a 'right-wing' attitude to life.
- Adorno (1950)
- Proposed that over-strict parenting results in a child being socialised to obey authority unquestioningly, as they learn strict obedience to their parents.
- Leads to aggression.
- Evaluation
- Doesn't explain whole societies.
- Milgram found situational factors affect obedience.
- Proposed that over-strict parenting results in a child being socialised to obey authority unquestioningly, as they learn strict obedience to their parents.
- Resistance to social influence
- Externality - individuals who tend to believe their behaviour and experience is caused by events outside their control.
- People are more external.
- Internality - individuals who tend to believe that they are responsible for their behaviour and experience rather than external forces.
- Locus of control - people differ in their beliefs about whether the outcomes of their actions are dependent on what they do (internal) or on events outside their personal control (external).
- Locus of control is related to normative but not informational influence.
- Social support - the perception that an individual has assistance available from other people; support network.
- Externality - individuals who tend to believe their behaviour and experience is caused by events outside their control.
- Minority influence
- Members of the majority group change their beliefs or behaviours as a result of their exposure to a persuasive minority.
- Consistency - minority influence is effective provided there is stability in the expressed position over time and agreement among different members of the minority.
- Commitment - degree to which members of a minority are dedicated.
- Flexibility - willingness to be flexible and to compromise when expressing a position.
- Social influence processes in social change
- Social change - society adopts a new belief; sit as the norm.
- Social norms interventions - attempt to correct misperceptions of the normative behaviour of peers in an attempt to change risky behaviour.
- Drawing attention to an issue; cognitive conflict; consistency of position; the augmentation principle; snowball effect.
- Evaluation
- Social change through minority influence may be very gradual.
- Being perceived as 'deviant' limits the influence of minorities.
- Type of conformity & explanations
- Explanations
- Informational social influence - the result of a desire to e right; looking to others as a way of gaining evidence about reality.
- Normative social influence - an individual conforms with the expectations of the majority in order to gain approval or to avoid social disapproval.
- Proximity
- Obedience levels fall when the teacher/assessor get closer to experience their anguish.
- Situational variables affecting obedience
- Location
- Location/environment can give participants confidence.
- Uniform
- Recognisable, convey power & authority.
- Location
Comments
No comments have yet been made