social

What is Informational Social Influence (ISI)?

Conformity that occurs because people believe others have accurate information; the motive is to be correct.

Give an example of ISI.

Changing your answer on a test because several classmates chose a different answer.

What is the basic motive behind ISI?

The desire to be correct.

List 3 conditions under which ISI is most likely.

Ambiguous situations, crisis situations, and when others are perceived as experts.

What was Sherif’s autokinetic study about?

Participants estimated movement of a stationary point of light alone and in groups.

What did Sherif find in the autokinetic effect study?

Group estimates converged into a shared norm that persisted even when participants were later alone.

What does Sherif’s study demonstrate about ISI?

ISI leads to private acceptance and the creation of group norms.

How does Dr. Phillips explain copycat suicides using ISI?

Media reports provide information on how and when to commit suicide, influencing vulnerable individuals.

What evidence supports Phillips’ copycat suicide explanation?

Suicide rates increase after media coverage, especially when the suicide is highly publicized or detailed.

Why is copycat suicide considered ISI rather than NSI?

People are influenced by information, not social approval.

What is Normative Social Influence (NSI)?

Conformity due to the desire to be liked, accepted, or avoid rejection.

Give an example of NSI.

Laughing at a joke you don’t find funny so you fit in.

What is the basic motive behind NSI?

The desire for social approval and acceptance.

What was the procedure in Asch’s line estimation study?

Participants judged line lengths while confederates gave incorrect answers aloud.

What were the results of Asch’s study?

About 37% conformity on critical trials; 75% conformed at least once.

What does Asch’s study demonstrate about NSI?

People often conform publicly even when the correct answer is obvious.

Did Asch’s participants experience private acceptance?

No, they showed public compliance.

How does group size affect NSI?

Conformity increases up to about 3–4 people, then levels off.

What two situations drastically reduce NSI?

Having a dissenter present and responding privately.

What is Social Impact Theory?

Conformity depends on strength, immediacy, and number of influencing people.

What does 'strength' mean in Social Impact Theory?

Importance or power of the group.

What does 'immediacy' mean in Social Impact Theory?

Physical or psychological closeness.

What was the basic procedure in Milgram’s obedience study?

Participants administered shocks to a learner for wrong answers under authority orders.

What percentage of participants administered the maximum shock in Milgram’s study?

65%.

How does proximity of the victim affect obedience?

Obedience decreases as the victim gets closer.

How does proximity of the authority figure affect obedience?

Obedience is higher when the authority figure is nearby.

How does the legitimacy of authority affect obedience?

Obedience drops when authority appears illegitimate.

What is the agentic shift?

A psychological shift where people see themselves as agents carrying out orders, not responsible for their actions.

How does agentic shift explain obedience?

Responsibility is transferred from the individual to the authority figure.

How did Triplett define social facilitation?

Improved performance on simple tasks in the presence of others.

How did Zajonc (1965) explain social facilitation?

Presence of others increases arousal, strengthening dominant responses.

According to Zajonc, how does audience presence affect performance?

Simple tasks improve; complex tasks worsen.

What did the cockroach study demonstrate?

Cockroaches performed simple tasks faster with others present but complex tasks slower.

What is evaluation apprehension (Cottrell)?

Performance changes when people believe they are being evaluated.

What is distraction‑conflict theory (Baron)?

Others create attentional conflict, increasing arousal and dominant responses.

What is social loafing?

Reduced individual effort when working in a group.

When is social loafing most likely?

When individual contributions are not identifiable.

How do gender and culture affect social loafing?

Men loaf more than women; collectivist cultures loaf less.

How can social loafing be reduced?

Make individual contributions identifiable, reduce group size, increase task importance.

What is deindividuation?

Loss of self-awareness and restraint in group settings.

Give an example of deindividuation.

Riots or anonymous online behavior.

What is groupthink?

Faulty decision-making that results from strong pressure for group consensus.

What are antecedents of groupthink?

High cohesion, insulation, strong leadership, lack of decision procedures.

What are symptoms of groupthink?

Illusion of unanimity, self-censorship, pressure on dissenters, illusion of invulnerability.