social influence key terminology

what is an independent variable?

variable that is changed by the researcher

What is a dependent variable?

variable that is measured by the research

what is an extraneous variable?

a variable not being tested but has the potential to affect the outcome

what is the experimental group?

the group of people who receive the iv being tested

what is the control group?

The group of people who don’t receive the iv being tested, used to compare

What does validity mean?

the accuracy of results in measuring what it claims to measure

What does external validity mean?

the extent to which an experiment can be generalised beyond the study environment

what does internal validity mean?

the cause you tested is definitely what caused the effect you measured, with no other explanations possible

what does reliability mean?

consistency of a research method

What does replication mean?

the process of repeating a study to try and get the same results

what does generalisable mean?

the degree in which a study related to the wider population

what does demand characteristics mean?

cues within a study which lead participants to guess the aim therefore changing behaviour

What does conformity mean?

a change in a persons behaviour or opinions as a result of real or imagined pressure from a person or group of people

what is compliance?

we go along with the crowd/expectation in our outward behaviour but our inner attitudes don’t change

what is normative social influence (NSI)?

when we conform to have a social approval from others

what is informational social influence (ISI)?

we conform when we believe other people know better so we don’t seem wrong

what does unanimity mean?

the extent to which all members of a group agree

what does obedience mean?

a form of social influence where an individual acts in response to a direct order from a perceived authority figure

what does situational variables mean?

factors that affect obedience, related to external circumstance rather than personalities of the participants (proximity, location and uniform)

what is proximity?

the physical closeness or distance of an authority figure

what is location?

a person perception of a locations legitimacy can affect obedience, places with more perceivers legitimacy causes more people to obey

what is uniform?

people in positions of authority often have a specific outfit, this indicates who is entitled to our obedience

what is legitimacy of authority?

Legitimacy of authority is when we believe a person has the right to tell us what to do, making us more likely to obey.

what is social influence?

the process by which individuals and group change each others attitudes and behaviours includes conformity, obedience and minority influence

what is agentic state?

when a person sees themselves as following orders and not responsible for their actions

what is dispositional explanation?

any explanation of behaviour that highlights the importance of personality

what is autonomous state?

when someone makes their own choices and feels responsible for what they do

what is an authoritarian personality?

A personality type that Adorno argued was more susceptible to obeying people in authority

what does resistance to social influence mean?

refers to the ability of people to withstand social pressure to conform to the majority or to obey authority

what is social support?

the presence of people who resist social pressures to conform or obey can help others to do the same

what is a locus of control?

refers to the sense we have about what directs events in our lives. internals believe they are mostly responsible for what happens to them and externals believe it is a matter of luck and outside forces

what does minority influence mean?

a form of social influence in which a majority view is converted to a minority view by the view becoming internalised in the public

What does consistency mean?

a minority keeps the same message and behaviour over time, which makes others more likely to take them seriously

what does commitment mean?

when the minority shows they are dedicated to their cause (e.g- making sacrifices), which make their message seem stronger and more convincing

what does the minority mean?

the smaller group of people with a different view from the majority

what does the majority mean?

the larger group of people who share the same common view

what does flexibility mean?

the minority is willing to adapt and compromise a little, instead of being stubborn, which makes others more likely to accept their view

what does social change mean?

when society’s attitudes, beliefs or behaviours shift of a large scale, often because a minority view becomes accepted by the majority