Social Influence Psych Paper 1

Compliance

Temporary behavioral change where the individual publicly agrees with the group while privately holding dissenting opinions. Typically driven by Normative Social Influence (NSI).

Identification

Behavior and private values of the individual modify only in the presence of a valued group. This form of conformity is superficial and subject to change when away from the group.

Internalization

A deep, permanent change in personal opinions and beliefs that align with those of the majority group. Driven by Informational Social Influence (ISI).

Normative Social Influence (NSI)

A desire to fit in and avoid rejection, resulting in superficial and transient behavior changes (associated with compliance).

Informational Social Influence (ISI)

Individuals look to the majority in uncertain situations, believing they possess more accurate information (associated with internalization).

Ash's Study (1951)

An experiment by Solomon Ash involving a line judgment task with confederates to study conformity. The overall conformity rate during critical trials was 32\%. 75\% of participants conformed at least once.

Impact of Group Size on Conformity (Ash's study)

Conformity was 3\% with one confederate, 13\% with two, 33\% with three, and showed no significant increase beyond this, suggesting smaller, unanimous groups exert strong social pressure.

Impact of Unanimity on Conformity (Ash's study)

When one confederate provided the correct response, breaking group unanimity, the conformity rate decreased to 5.5\%. Social support significantly influences conformity rates.

Impact of Task Difficulty on Conformity (Ash's study)

Increasing the ambiguity of line lengths led to increased uncertainty and consequently raised conformity rates, supporting the Informational Social Influence (ISI) explanation.

Temporal Validity of Ash's Research

Perrin and Spencer (1981) criticized Ash's findings for lacking temporal validity, suggesting that high conformity rates observed during the Cold War era (1950s) may not be replicated in contemporary contexts (their study found conformity in just one of 396 trials).

Mundane Realism of Ash's Research

The experimental task (matching line lengths) lacked mundane realism, as it is overly simplistic and not reflective of real-life social interactions, which typically occur among acquaintances rather than strangers.

Zimbardo's Stanford Prison Experiment (1971)

An experiment where 24 male students were randomly assigned to roles of guards and prisoners in a simulated prison. It was halted on day six due to ethical concerns, highlighting how situational variables can significantly alter individual behavior and conformity to assigned social roles.

Ethical Concerns of Zimbardo's Study

Participants experienced significant psychological harm, and Zimbardo's dual role (investigator and prison superintendent) raised concerns over experimenter bias.

Milgram's Study

Research exploring the extent of obedience to authority figures using a 'teacher' (participant) and 'learner' (confederate) with electric shocks. 100\% of participants administered shocks to 300 volts, and 65\% proceeded to the maximum level of 450 volts.

Agentic State

A mindset whereby individuals see themselves as agents of authority rather than as wholly responsible for their actions, thereby decontextualizing moral conflicts and positioning authority as primarily accountable.

Agentic Shift

The transition from an autonomous state (personal responsibility) to an agentic state, typically occurring in the presence of authority figures.

Impact of Proximity on Obedience (Milgram's study)

In a variation where instructions were given over the phone, compliance dropped to 21\% because participants felt less directly accountable to the 'learner'.

Impact of Location on Obedience (Milgram's study)

Shifting the experiment to a rundown office block reduced obedience to 47.6\% due to a perceived lack of authority compared to Yale University.

Impact of Uniform on Obedience (Milgram's study)

When the authoritative symbol of the laboratory coat was replaced with casual clothing, obedience nearly halved to 20\%, indicating the influence of symbols of authority.

Supporting Evidence for Milgram's Findings (Hofling, 1966)

Hofling (1966) demonstrated a real-world scenario where nurses exhibited high obedience levels to a physician's dangerous orders, further corroborating Milgram's findings.

Authoritarian Personality (Adorno)

A personality type, posited by Adorno, that correlates with obedience. It develops from early childhood experiences, particularly strict parenting, and is characterized by respect for authority, hostility towards those of lower social status, and rigid stereotypes.

F-Scale (Fascism Scale)

Developed by Adorno to assess authoritarian personality characteristics across nine factors, including authoritarian submission and power/preoccupation fixation.

Criticism of F-Scale (methodological bias)

The F-scale's presentation may lead to bias, as agreement to items may inflate scores artificially without truly reflecting genuine personality characteristics.

Social Support

Exposure to others resisting social influence enhances individual confidence, decreasing the perceived obligation to conform or obey. A disobedient model can diminish perceived legitimacy in authority figures.

Impact of Social Support on Obedience (Milgram's variation)

Introducing two confederates who resisted commands significantly lowered the obedience rate to 10\%. This demonstrates the power of a disobedient model.

Impact of Social Support on Conformity (Ash's variation)

The introduction of a dissenting character in Ash's study drastically decreased conformity from 32\% to 5.5\%, highlighting the importance of breaking unanimity.

Locus of Control

Refers to individuals' perception regarding control over their behavior, existing along a continuum between high internal and high external orientations.

Internal Locus of Control

Individuals perceive personal responsibility for their outcomes. According to Holland (1967), those with an internal locus of control were more likely (37\%) to refuse to administer maximum shocks in Milgram's study compared to 23\% of those with an external locus of control.

External Locus of Control

Individuals attribute outcomes to fate or powerful external agents, leading to perceived helplessness under social pressure.

Consistency (Minority Influence)

Regular reiteration of core messages provides credible support for the minority's position, encompassing diachronic (same message over time) and synchronic (uniform message across the group) consistency.

Commitment (Minority Influence)

A willingness to suffer or demonstrate dedication (augmentation principle) reinforces the minority’s stance, influencing the majority's perception of the minority’s motivations and sincerity of beliefs.

Flexibility (Minority Influence)

If the minority is inflexible or dogmatic, its persuasive potential diminishes. Flexibility aids in portraying a reasonable alternative, balancing with consistency, to move majority opinions towards a minority position.

Snowball Effect (Social Change)

An initially gradual process of influencing opinions that can rapidly accelerate as more of the majority adopts minority views, leading to widespread social change.

Moscovici (1969) study on Minority Influence

Demonstrated that consistent minority calls led to increased acceptance among a majority group, identifying 8\% agreement against mere 1\% for inconsistent minorities.

Compliance

Temporary behavioral change where the individual publicly agrees with the group while privately holding dissenting opinions. Typically driven by Normative Social Influence (NSI).

Identification

Behavior and private values of the individual modify only in the presence of a valued group. This form of conformity is superficial and subject to change when away from the group.

Internalization

A deep, permanent change in personal opinions and beliefs that align with those of the majority group. Driven by Informational Social Influence (ISI).

Normative Social Influence (NSI)

A desire to fit in and avoid rejection, resulting in superficial and transient behavior changes (associated with compliance).

Informational Social Influence (ISI)

Individuals look to the majority in uncertain situations, believing they possess more accurate information (associated with internalization).

Ash's Study (1951)

An experiment by Solomon Ash involving a line judgment task with confederates to study conformity. The overall conformity rate during critical trials was 32\%. 75\% of participants conformed at least once.

Impact of Group Size on Conformity (Ash's study)

Conformity was 3\% with one confederate, 13\% with two, 33\% with three, and showed no significant increase beyond this, suggesting smaller, unanimous groups exert strong social pressure.

Impact of Unanimity on Conformity (Ash's study)

When one confederate provided the correct response, breaking group unanimity, the conformity rate decreased to 5.5\%. Social support significantly influences conformity rates.

Impact of Task Difficulty on Conformity (Ash's study)

Increasing the ambiguity of line lengths led to increased uncertainty and consequently raised conformity rates, supporting the Informational Social Influence (ISI) explanation.

Temporal Validity of Ash's Research

Perrin and Spencer (1981) criticized Ash's findings for lacking temporal validity, suggesting that high conformity rates observed during the Cold War era (1950s) may not be replicated in contemporary contexts (their study found conformity in just one of 396 trials).

Mundane Realism of Ash's Research

The experimental task (matching line lengths) lacked mundane realism, as it is overly simplistic and not reflective of real-life social interactions, which typically occur among acquaintances rather than strangers.

Zimbardo's Stanford Prison Experiment (1971)

An experiment where 24 male students were randomly assigned to roles of guards and prisoners in a simulated prison. It was halted on day six due to ethical concerns, highlighting how situational variables can significantly alter individual behavior and conformity to assigned social roles.

Ethical Concerns of Zimbardo's Study

Participants experienced significant psychological harm, and Zimbardo's dual role (investigator and prison superintendent) raised concerns over experimenter bias.

Milgram's Study

Research exploring the extent of obedience to authority figures using a 'teacher' (participant) and 'learner' (confederate) with electric shocks. 100\% of participants administered shocks to 300 volts, and 65\% proceeded to the maximum level of 450 volts.

Agentic State

A mindset whereby individuals see themselves as agents of authority rather than as wholly responsible for their actions, thereby decontextualizing moral conflicts and positioning authority as primarily accountable.

Agentic Shift

The transition from an autonomous state (personal responsibility) to an agentic state, typically occurring in the presence of authority figures.

Impact of Proximity on Obedience (Milgram's study)

In a variation where instructions were given over the phone, compliance dropped to 21\% because participants felt less directly accountable to the 'learner'.

Impact of Location on Obedience (Milgram's study)

Shifting the experiment to a rundown office block reduced obedience to 47.6\% due to a perceived lack of authority compared to Yale University.

Impact of Uniform on Obedience (Milgram's study)

When the authoritative symbol of the laboratory coat was replaced with casual clothing, obedience nearly halved to 20\%, indicating the influence of symbols of authority.

Supporting Evidence for Milgram's Findings (Hofling, 1966)

Hofling (1966) demonstrated a real-world scenario where nurses exhibited high obedience levels to a physician's dangerous orders, further corroborating Milgram's findings.

Authoritarian Personality (Adorno)

A personality type, posited by Adorno, that correlates with obedience. It develops from early childhood experiences, particularly strict parenting, and is characterized by respect for authority, hostility towards those of lower social status, and rigid stereotypes.

F-Scale (Fascism Scale)

Developed by Adorno to assess authoritarian personality characteristics across nine factors, including authoritarian submission and power/preoccupation fixation.

Criticism of F-Scale (methodological bias)

The F-scale's presentation may lead to bias, as agreement to items may inflate scores artificially without truly reflecting genuine personality characteristics.

Social Support

Exposure to others resisting social influence enhances individual confidence, decreasing the perceived obligation to conform or obey. A disobedient model can diminish perceived legitimacy in authority figures.

Impact of Social Support on Obedience (Milgram's variation)

Introducing two confederates who resisted commands significantly lowered the obedience rate to 10\%. This demonstrates the power of a disobedient model.

Impact of Social Support on Conformity (Ash's variation)

The introduction of a dissenting character in Ash's study drastically decreased conformity from 32\% to 5.5\%, highlighting the importance of breaking unanimity.

Locus of Control

Refers to individuals' perception regarding control over their behavior, existing along a continuum between high internal and high external orientations.

Internal Locus of Control

Individuals perceive personal responsibility for their outcomes. According to Holland (1967), those with an internal locus of control were more likely (37\%) to refuse to administer maximum shocks in Milgram's study compared to 23\% of those with an external locus of control.

External Locus of Control

Individuals attribute outcomes to fate or powerful external agents, leading to perceived helplessness under social pressure.

Consistency (Minority Influence)

Regular reiteration of core messages provides credible support for the minority's position, encompassing diachronic (same message over time) and synchronic (uniform message across the group) consistency.

Commitment (Minority Influence)

A willingness to suffer or demonstrate dedication (augmentation principle) reinforces the minority’s stance, influencing the majority's perception of the minority’s motivations and sincerity of beliefs.

Flexibility (Minority Influence)

If the minority is inflexible or dogmatic, its persuasive potential diminishes. Flexibility aids in portraying a reasonable alternative, balancing with consistency, to move majority opinions towards a minority position.

Snowball Effect (Social Change)

An initially gradual process of influencing opinions that can rapidly accelerate as more of the majority adopts minority views, leading to widespread social change.

Moscovici (1969) study on Minority Influence

Demonstrated that consistent minority calls led to increased acceptance among a majority group, identifying 8\% agreement against mere 1\% for inconsistent minorities.