Social Influence and Conformity

These flashcards cover key concepts related to social influence, conformity, obedience, and their associated theories and studies.

Social Influence

The way individuals change their thoughts, feelings, or behaviors in response to the presence or actions of others.

Conformity

Changing behavior or opinion to match those of others, often to fit in.

Obedience

Following the orders or commands of an authority figure.

Bystander Effect

The phenomenon where individuals are less likely to help a victim when other people are present.

Informational Social Influence

Conformity that occurs when one turns to others for accurate information.

Normative Social Influence

Conformity based on a person’s desire to fulfill others' expectations and gain acceptance.

Group Size (Conformity)

The influence of group size on conformity, often increasing with larger groups up to a point.

Task Difficulty

The complexity of the task influencing conformity rates; harder tasks often increase conformity.

Dispositional Factors

Personal characteristics that affect conformity, such as personality and self-esteem.

Asch's Conformity Study

A 1956 study investigating how individuals conform to group opinion even against clear evidence.

Confederate

An individual who is part of the experimental setup, pretending to be a participant.

Ecological Validity

The extent to which the findings of a study can be generalized to real-world settings.

Unanimity (in Groups)

The degree to which all group members are in agreement, impacting conformity levels.

Milgram's Obedience Study

A study that examined how far individuals would go in obeying an authority figure, even to causing harm to others.

Agency Theory

A psychological explanation of obedience, where individuals see themselves as agents executing an authority's commands.

Agentic State

A mental state where an individual feels no personal responsibility for their actions, attributing it to authority.

Autonomous State

A state of being where an individual acts according to their own principles and feels responsible for their actions.

Bystander Apathy

A phenomenon where people fail to act in an emergency due to the presence of others.

Diffusion of Responsibility

A social phenomenon where individuals in a group feel less responsibility to take action.

Latane and Darley's Smoke Study

A 1968 experiment that demonstrated the bystander effect in a situation of perceived emergency.

Conformity Rate (Asch)

In Asch's study, 33% of participants conformed to the incorrect answer given by a group.

Self-Esteem

An individual's overall subjective emotional evaluation of their own worth.

Cultural Differences in Conformity

Variations in conformity rates based on cultural backgrounds; collectivist cultures often show higher conformity.

Authority Figure

An individual who has perceived power or control that influences the actions of others.

Bystander Intervention

The act of helping someone in distress, often hindered by the presence of others.

Social Factors

Elements of social psychology that influence behavior, such as group size and dynamics.

Personality Characteristics

Traits that can influence an individual's likelihood to conform or obey.

Asch's Central Finding

People are likely to conform even when they know the group's answer is wrong.

Milgram's Central Finding

A significant percentage of participants were willing to administer what they believed were harmful shocks.

Social Roles

Expected behaviors associated with particular positions in a social context.

Collectivistic Cultures

Cultures that prioritize group goals over individual goals, often showing higher conformity.

Individualistic Cultures

Cultures that emphasize individual achievement and autonomy, often showing lower conformity.

Confirmation Bias

The tendency to search for, interpret, and remember information in a way that confirms one’s beliefs.

Conformity in Group Dynamics

How group interactions can lead to changes in an individual's opinions or behaviors.

Submission to Authority

The tendency to comply with orders or directives from perceived authority figures.

Cognitive Dissonance

The mental discomfort experienced when holding two or more conflicting beliefs or values.

Social Norms

Unwritten rules about how to behave in social contexts; they influence conformity.

Compliance

The act of conforming to a request or demand, often while differing from internal beliefs.

Peer Pressure

The influence from members of one's peer group to conform.

Social Identity Theory

A theory that asserts a person's identity is shaped by their social group memberships.

Group Polarization

The tendency for groups to make decisions that are more extreme than the initial inclinations of their members.

Motivation to Conform

Factors that drive individuals to change their opinions or behaviors to align with a group.

Social Influence Strategies

Various methods employed by individuals to influence or change the behavior of others.

Misinformation Effect

When a person's recall of memory becomes less accurate due to the suggestion of misleading information.

Conformity and Social Change

How patterns of conformity can lead to broader changes in societal norms.