Social influence key terms

Agentic state

Where individuals obey because they believe they have handed over the responsibility to the authority figure ie acting as an agent for the authority figure

Augmentation principle

This principle states that if there are risks involved in putting forward a particular point of view (eg abuse or imprisonment) then those who express those views are taken more seriously by others

Authoritarian personality

A type of personality

Autonomous state

Opposite of agentic state

Commitment

Atechnique used in minority influence whereby the minority demonstrate their dedication to the cause by taking part in extreme activities

Compliance

Publicly conforming to the behaviour of the group to avoid the groups disapproval whilst privately maintaining your own view

Confederates

Individuals who pretend to be participants in research studies

Conformity

A tendency for people to accept the behaviour

Ethical issues

The treatment of the participants in an experimental setting

Identification

When individuals temporarily change their behaviour and opinions to those of a group because membership of that group is desirable

Demand Characteristics

Cues in the environment that may cause the participant to change their behaviour

Ecological validity

The extent to

Flexibility

The ability to compromise

Informational social influence

We change our behaviour or ideas because we want to be right. We look to others who we believe to be correct to give us information about how we behave or what the correct answer is. This may lead to internalisation

Internalisation

A true change of private views to match those of the group. The new attitudes and behaviours become part of your value system and are not dependent on the presence of the group

Internal validity

The extent to which a study measures what it claims to measure

Legitimacy of authority

When we obey an authority figure because we think they have power over us. Their authority is justified (legitimate) because of the position of power they have been given

Locus of Control (LOC)

The extent to which individuals believe that they can control events in their lives

Minority influence

Situations where one person or a small group (a minority) influences the beliefs and behaviours of or their people

Mundane realism

The extent to which the materials/task given the participants within the experiment reflect real life

Normative social influence

An explanation of conformity that says we agree with the opinion of the majority because we want to be accepted

Random allocation

A procedure used to ensure participants have an equal chance of being in either condition of the experiment

the researcher is unable to influence the selection of the participants to the conditions of the study

Reliability

The extent to which the study is replicated

Resistance to social influence

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

Social change

When whole societies

Social norms

Expected ways of thinking and behaving in a social group

Social roles

The behaviours expected of an individual who occupies a given social position or status

Synchronic consistency

When members of a minority are all saying the same thing

Unanimity

Agreement by all people involved