Semester 2 Psych

What is anti-social behaviour?

Anti-social behaviours are voluntary, intentional behaviour designed to hurt or cause distress to another person either physically or psychologically. These behaviours typically involve actions that break the laws, rules or social norms (shared rules or expectations or a group about how to behave) concerning personal and property rights of others.

Examples of anti-social behaviours?

Bullying, vandalism, aggression, assault.

What is a bystander?

A person present at an event but not taking part.

What is the bystander effect?

When bystanders failed to help someone in need when in the presence of others.

What is diffusion of responsibility?

A reduction in personal responsibility when in a group, resulting in the individual being less likely to act.

What is the Cost-benefit analyis?

Is the psychological process of weighing up the benefit of performing a behaviour, with potential cost of performing a behavior.

What is audience inhibition?

failure to intervene in an emergency in the presence of others due to fear of being negatively judged (the fear of appearing foolish).

What is social influence?

a process of when a bystander is unsure of how to behave in an emergency, they will look to fellow bystanders for cues on how to act.

What is groupthink?

Group members conform to make unanimous decisions without using critical reasoning. Groups that experience groupthink may develop harmful stereotypes by considering their beliefs to be correct, that they are the ingroup and everyone else is part of the outgroup. Can cause antisocial behaviour when group members unquestioningly follow orders from a leader that involve physically and/or psychologically harming others.

What is the aim of ‘Smoke Filled Room’ by Latane and Darley (1968)?

To observe the behaviour of bystanders in an emergency.

What is conformity?

Changing behaviour in response to real or implied group pressure

What is normative social influence?

The pressure on an individual to change their behaviour to conform to group standards in order to be accepted by the group.

What is informational social influence?

The pressure on individuals when in strange situations to behave in the manner of those around them.

What is group size?

The bigger the group, the more people conformed, up to a certain point. This is limited to five people.

What is group unanimity?

When others in the group are unanimous, it is difficult to stand out.

Characteristics of an individualistic culture?

Value people standing out as an individual, puts individuals needs over the group, believes in independence and self-reliance is important.

Characteristics of a collectivist culture?

Values the needs of the group over individual interests and views individuals putting themselves first as selfish behaviour.

Aim of Solomon Asch, 1955

To determine if individuals would conform to group pressure.

Method of Solomon Asch

87 male college students
Materials: series of cards each showing a standard line and 3 comparison lines
Participant was asked to judge the length of lines in a room with several other confederates (actors) who agreed to give incorrect answers. There were 18 trials in total and in 12 critical trials confederates gave wrong answers.

Key findings of Soloman Asch

Over the 12 trials, about 75% of the participants conformed at least once, and 25% of participants never conformed.

What was Solomon Asch’s contributions to psychology?

Provided insight to the conditions in which people conform and the reasons why people conform.

Criticisms and limitations of Asch’s study?

Asch used a biased sample as all participants were male college students in the same age group.

What is obedience?

Changing behaviour in response to instruction or direct request by an authority figure.

Aim of Milgrim (1963)

To determine if individuals would obey an authority figure if it harmed another person.

Conformity vs obedience?

Conformity=indirect request to change behaviour, coming from a group or society.
Obedience=direct request to change behaviour from one person.

What is compliance?