Social Psychology: Conformity, Obedience, Resistance, and Minority Influence

Comprehensive practice question-and-answer flashcards covering key topics in social psychology including conformity (Asch, Deutsch & Gerard), obedience (Milgram, situational/dispositional factors), resistance mechanisms (Locus of Control, Social Support), and minority influence (Moscovici, Nemeth).

What is conformity?

A form of social influence where people adopt the behaviour, attitudes, and values of other members of a group.

What is internalisation in social influence?

Genuinely accepting the group's beliefs both publicly and privately, resulting in a permanent change in behaviour that persists even in the absence of the group.

According to Deutsch and Gerard (1955), what are the two main reasons why people conform?

Normative Social Influence (NSI) and Informative Social Influence (ISI).

What is Normative Social Influence (NSI)?

Conformity driven by the desire to be liked, gain social approval, or avoid fear of rejection. It is an emotional process that leads to temporary compliance.

What is Informative Social Influence (ISI)?

Conformity driven by the desire to be right, turning to others in uncertain situations because they are perceived as knowledgeable. It is a cognitive process leading to permanent internalisation.

What supporting evidence did Lucas et al (2006) provide for Informative Social Influence (ISI)?

Participants conformed more often to incorrect maths answers when the questions were made more difficult.

What were the basic methodology and findings of Asch's (1951) line experiment?

In a lab experiment with 123 American men, participants conformed to confederates' wrong answers $36.8\%$ of the time; $75\%$ conformed at least once, while $25\%$ never conformed.

How did group size affect conformity in Asch's study variations?

Conformity increased with group size up to 3 confederates, but with 4 or more confederates, the conformity rate leveled off.

How did unanimity impact conformity in Asch's study variations?

Introducing a dissenting confederate who disagreed with the majority reduced conformity, regardless of whether the dissenter gave the correct or incorrect answer.

How did task difficulty affect conformity in Asch's research?

Making the lines more similar in length increased task difficulty and resulted in increased conformity.

What gender and cultural sampling limitations were highlighted regarding Asch's research?

All participants were American men. Neto (1995) suggested women conform more due to concern for social acceptance, and Bond and Smith found higher conformity rates in collectivist cultures.

What is obedience?

A form of social influence in which an individual follows a direct order, usually from an authority figure.

What were the main quantitative findings of Milgram's baseline obedience study?

All 40 American male participants went up to $300\text{V}$, and $65\%$ continued all the way to the maximum voltage of $450\text{V}$.

What were the four standardized prods used by the experimenter in Milgram's study when a participant hesitated?

Prod 1: "Please continue"; Prod 2: "The experiment requires that you continue"; Prod 3: "It is absolutely essential that you continue"; Prod 4: "You have no other choice, you must go on".

What did Sheridan and King (1972) discover when replicating Milgram's setup with real shocks on a puppy?

$54\%$ of men and $100\%$ of women administered what they believed was a fatal shock.

What were the findings of Hofling et al.'s (1966) nurse experiment?

21 out of 22 nurses obeyed orders over the phone from an unknown doctor to administer 20mg of a drug when the clearly labeled maximum dose was 10mg.

How did situational variations in location, proximity, and uniform alter Milgram's obedience rates?

Obedience dropped to $47.5\%$ in a rundown office, $40\%$ in the same room, $30\%$ with touch proximity, $20.5\%$ with phone instructions, and $20\%$ when the experimenter wore ordinary clothes.

What did Bickman (1974) find regarding uniform and legitimacy of authority?

Passers-by in New York were twice as likely to obey a confederate dressed as a guard than one dressed as a civilian when ordered to pick up litter.

What is Mandel's (1998) 'Situational Alibi' argument against Milgram's findings?

It argues that focusing on situational factors offers an excuse for evil actions, removing personal responsibility from perpetrators of atrocities like the Holocaust and trivialising genocide.

How do the Agentic State and Autonomous State differ?

In an agentic state, an individual feels no personal responsibility because they perceive themselves to be acting as an agent for an authority figure; in an autonomous state, an individual acts freely according to personal principles and feels responsible.

What are binding factors in relation to obedience?

Aspects of a situation that allow an individual to minimize or rationalise the damaging effects of their behaviour, reducing moral strain and keeping them in an agentic state.

What cross-cultural differences in obedience rates were documented by Kilham and Mann (1974) and Mantell (1971)?

Kilham and Mann found only $16\%$ obedience to $450\text{V}$ among Australian women, while Mantell found $85\%$ obedience among German participants.

What is the Authoritarian Personality (AP) as proposed by Adorno et al.?

A collection of traits resulting from strict parenting (extreme respect for high status, hostility to inferiors, rigid outlook), measured using the F-scale on 2000 middle-class white Americans.

What evidence did Elms and Milgram (1966) find supporting the Authoritarian Personality?

20 fully obedient participants from Milgram's original study scored significantly higher on the F-scale than a comparison group of 20 disobedient participants.

What methodological limitation did Greenstein (1969) point out regarding the F-scale?

Every item on the F-scale was worded in the same direction, making it vulnerable to response/acquiescence bias.

What is Locus of Control (Rotter, 1966), and how does it influence social resistance?

A personality continuum measuring beliefs about event control; Internals believe outcomes stem from personal actions and resist social influence, while Externals attribute outcomes to luck or fate and conform/obey more easily.

What evidence did Holland (1967) provide regarding Locus of Control and obedience?

$37\%$ of internal locus of control participants did not continue to the highest shock level in Milgram's procedure, compared to $23\%$ of externals.

What did Twenge et al. (2004) find that challenges Rotter's Locus of Control theory?

An analysis over 40 years showed that American populations became more resistant to obedience while simultaneously becoming more external in locus of control.

How does social support assist individuals in resisting conformity and obedience?

An ally breaks majority unanimity to decrease conformity pressure, while a disobedient role model challenges the legitimacy of an authority figure to reduce obedience.

What three factors are required for successful minority influence?

Consistency (diachronic and synchronic), Commitment (augmentation principle), and Flexibility.

What is the Augmentation Principle in minority influence?

When a minority engages in extreme or risky activities and makes personal sacrifices to demonstrate dedication, convincing the majority that they are not acting out of self-interest.

What were the findings of Moscovici's (1969) study on minority consistency?

Participants called blue slides green $8.4\%$ of the time when exposed to a consistent minority (2 confederates always saying green), compared to $1.25\%$ with an inconsistent minority and $0.25\%$ in the control condition.

What did Nemeth (1987) demonstrate regarding flexibility in minority influence?

In a simulated compensation decision, a confederate who rigidly held to a low offer had no influence, whereas a confederate who showed flexibility and compromised to a slightly higher amount successfully influenced the majority to lower their demands.