Social Influence – Conformity & Obedience (Asch, Kelman, Zimbardo, Milgram)

Question-and-answer flashcards covering variables affecting conformity (Asch), types/explanations of conformity (Kelman; ISI & NSI), Zimbardo’s social-role research, Milgram’s obedience baseline, and Milgram’s situational variables, alongside key evaluation points.

What is the psychological definition of conformity?

A change in a person’s behaviour or opinions as a result of real or imagined pressure from a person or group.

According to Asch, how does group size affect conformity up to three confederates?

Conformity rises with group size, reaching about 31.8 % with three confederates before levelling off.

In Asch’s studies, what happens to conformity when unanimity is broken by a dissenter?

Conformity falls to less than one-quarter of the unanimous level, freeing the naïve participant to behave independently.

How does task difficulty influence conformity in Asch’s line-judging task?

Increasing task difficulty makes the correct answer less obvious, raising conformity because participants rely on others for information (ISI).

What percentage of naïve participants conformed to wrong answers in Asch’s baseline study?

On average 36.8 % of the responses were conformist.

Which type of conformity involves a deep, permanent change even when the group is absent?

Internalisation.

Which type of conformity is a superficial, temporary public change without private agreement?

Compliance.

Kelman’s moderate level of conformity, based on valuing group membership, is called what?

Identification.

What does Informational Social Influence (ISI) state about why people conform?

They conform because they believe the majority is correct and they want to be right, leading to internalisation.

What is the main motivation behind Normative Social Influence (NSI)?

The desire for social approval and to avoid rejection, often producing compliance.

Give one research finding that supports NSI from Asch’s work.

When participants wrote answers privately, conformity dropped to 12.5 %, indicating they had conformed previously to gain approval.

Lucas et al. (2006) found what relationship between task difficulty and conformity on maths problems?

Participants conformed more to incorrect answers on harder problems, supporting ISI.

What individual difference moderates NSI, according to McGhee & Teevan’s nAffiliator concept?

People with a high need for affiliation conform more to gain acceptance.

Define a social role.

The set of behaviours expected of someone in a given position within a social group, e.g., guard or prisoner.

In Zimbardo’s Stanford Prison Experiment, why were uniforms important?

They caused de-individuation, making participants more likely to adopt their assigned social roles.

How long did Zimbardo’s study last before termination and why?

It ended after six days (planned 14) because guards became brutal and prisoners showed severe distress.

What key conclusion did Zimbardo draw about social roles?

Social roles exert a powerful influence; individuals readily conform to expected behaviours of those roles.

Name one methodological strength of the Stanford Prison Experiment.

High control of variables—emotionally stable volunteers randomly assigned to roles, boosting internal validity.

What criticism claims SPE participants were merely acting stereotypes?

Banuazizi & Movahedi argued the study lacked realism; participants were play-acting rather than truly conforming.

According to Fromm, what proportion of SPE guards actually behaved brutally and what does this imply?

About one-third; suggests dispositional factors also matter and role power may be overstated.

What was Milgram investigating with his obedience research?

Why ordinary people obey destructive orders, inspired by obedience to Hitler during the Holocaust.

In Milgram’s baseline, what proportion of participants obeyed to the full 450 V?

65 % were fully obedient.

At what voltage did Milgram’s learner first pound on the wall and refuse to answer?

300 V.

List Milgram’s first three verbal prods used to encourage obedience.

1) "Please continue / go on." 2) "The experiment requires that you continue." 3) "It is absolutely essential that you continue."

How did proximity affect obedience when teacher and learner were in the same room?

Obedience dropped from 65 % to 40 %.

What was the obedience rate in Milgram’s touch-proximity condition?

30 % when the teacher had to force the learner’s hand onto the plate.

When Milgram moved the study to a run-down office block, what happened to obedience?

It declined to 47.5 %.

Replacing the lab-coat experimenter with an ordinary person produced what obedience level?

20 %, the lowest in Milgram’s variations.

What field experiment by Bickman supports the effect of uniform on obedience?

Passers-by obeyed instructions twice as often from a confederate dressed as a security guard versus jacket & tie.

What percentage of French TV-show participants delivered a 460 V shock in Beauvois et al. (2012)?

80 %, mirroring Milgram’s findings and supporting their reliability.

What internal validity criticism did Orne & Holland raise about Milgram’s studies?

Participants may have realised the shocks were fake and showed demand characteristics rather than true obedience.

How did Sheridan & King’s puppy experiment challenge the "fake" criticism of Milgram?

Participants obeyed even with real shocks—54 % men, 100 % women—suggesting Milgram’s effects were genuine.

Which theory argues participants obey when they identify with the experiment’s scientific aims, not from blind obedience?

Social Identity Theory (Haslam et al., 2014).

Define a situational variable and give Milgram’s three main examples.

An external factor influencing behaviour; Milgram studied proximity, location and uniform.

Why might situational explanations of atrocities be criticised, according to Mandel?

They risk excusing evil actions by blaming the situation and ignoring personal responsibility and dispositional factors.