Topic 5: Social Influence – Obedience, Conformity, Attitudes & Persuasion, Prejudice, Self-Presentation, and Data Collection

Vocabulary flashcards covering key terms and definitions related to social influence, obedience, conformity, attitudes, persuasion, prejudice, self-presentation, and data collection from the lecture notes.

Obedience

A form of social influence where a person performs an action because an authority figure ordered them to do so.

Compliance

Publicly changing behavior at another person’s request without necessarily changing personal beliefs.

Conformity

Altering one’s behavior to go along with the rest of the group.

Milgram's Experiment

A 1963 study examining obedience to authority where participants administered what they believed were electric shocks to a learner; 65% reached 450 volts.

Learner vs. Teacher (Milgram’s setup)

Participants were told they were teachers; the learner was a confederate strapped to a chair behind a screen.

Shocks in Milgram’s study

Voltage increased in 15-volt steps up to a maximum of 450 volts; no real shocks were delivered.

Milgram’s Result Significance

Two-thirds of participants obeyed to the highest level, suggesting situational factors strongly influence obedience.

Proximity to Authority

Obedience tends to be higher when the authority figure is physically close or directly present.

Authority Prestige (Uniform/Location)

Wearing a lab coat or being in a prestigious location increases obedience; role of status in obedience.

Agency Theory

People shift between acting as agents under orders and as autonomous individuals; obedience increases when personal responsibility is reduced.

Legitimacy of Authority

People obey more when they perceive the authority as morally or legally justified.

Cultural Differences in Obedience

Obedience levels can vary across cultures, with differences between individualist and collectivist societies.

Milgram – Individual Differences

Across replications, women experienced more stress but obedience rates were similar to men (65%).

Ethical Issues in Milgram

Concerns include psychological harm, deception, lack of true informed consent, and pressure to continue despite unwillingness.

Stanford Prison Experiment

Zimbardo’s 1971 study of guards and prisoners in a mock prison; demonstrated strong situational effects and deindividuation; ended after 6 days.

Procedure (Stanford Prison)

24 male volunteers were randomly assigned to guard or prisoner roles in a simulated prison environment.

Deindividuation (Stanford)

Loss of personal identity and self-awareness within a group, leading to exaggerated conformity and compliance.

End of Stanford Prison

The study ended early due to extreme emotional distress and escalating abuse; ethical concerns raised by Christina Maslach.

Conclusion (Stanford Prison)

Situational factors and assigned roles can powerfully influence behavior, often more than dispositional traits.

Ethical Issues (Stanford Prison)

Harms to participants, lack of fully informed consent, and the powerful influence of the researchers’ own roles.

Asch Conformity Experiment

A classic study showing how individuals conform to group judgments about line lengths, even when the group is wrong.

Conformity Types

Compliance (public change), Identification (public and private alignment with the group), Internalisation (private belief change).

Normative Social Influence (NSI)

Conformity driven by a desire to be accepted and belong to the group.

Informational Social Influence (ISI)

Conformity driven by a belief that the group has more information and is correct.

Social Norms

Unwritten rules about expected behavior within a group or culture; they influence conformity and obedience.

Attitudes

Learned evaluations of people, objects, or issues that influence beliefs and behaviors.

ABC Model of Attitudes

Affective (feelings), Behavioral (actions), Cognitive (beliefs) components.

Attitude Strength

How firmly an attitude is held; stronger attitudes are more predictive of behavior.

Attitude Accessibility

How easily an attitude comes to mind; more accessible attitudes more strongly predict behavior.

Attitude Specificity

More specific attitudes predict corresponding specific behaviors better.

Self-Perception Theory

People infer their own attitudes by observing their own behavior and the context.

Cognitive Dissonance

Psychological discomfort from holding two or more inconsistent attitudes, beliefs, or behaviors; reduced by changing thoughts, beliefs, or actions.

Ways to Reduce Dissonance

Change a thought, change behavior, trivialize the inconsistency, change perception of the behavior, or reduce perceived choice.

Self-Monitoring

The extent to which people regulate their behavior to fit social situations.

High vs Low Self-Monitors

High: adjust behavior to fit others; Low: act closer to inner beliefs and values.

Self-Presentation

Strategies used to control how others perceive us; part of impression management.

Impression Management

Controlling information shared to present a desired image; relevant online and offline.

Self-Concept (Rogers)

Private sense of self comprising ideal self, self-image, and self-worth.

Validation & Social Media

Online feedback (likes, comments) can boost self-esteem but may reduce self-control and increase narcissism or anxiety.

First Impressions

Initial judgments formed quickly; influenced by primacy and recency effects.

Primacy Effect

Info presented first has greater impact on impressions.

Recency Effect

Most recent information tends to be more influential in impression formation.

Schema

Mental templates that help organize knowledge; can lead to stereotypes when applied to groups.

Social Media & Mental Health

Active use links to well-being; passive use correlates with depression; platforms raise ethical concerns.

Impression Management in Online Contexts

Constructing and curating an online persona to influence how others view us.

Persuasion

Process of changing attitudes or behaviors through communication.

Yale Attitude Change Approach

Explores how source, message, and audience affect persuasion.

Elaboration Likelihood Model (ELM)

Persuasion occurs via central (deep processing) or peripheral (superficial cues) routes.

Central Route (ELM)

Persuasion through careful consideration of content and arguments; requires analytical audience.

Peripheral Route (ELM)

Persuasion via cues unrelated to the message content (e.g., attractiveness, celebrity); requires less processing.

Persuasion Strategies

Reciprocity, Foot-in-the-Door, Door-in-the-Face, and Fear appeals as techniques to influence attitudes.

Direct vs Indirect Experience (Attitudes)

Direct experience strengthens attitudes; indirect experience (e.g., media) is more susceptible to change.

Prejudice

Negative attitude toward a group, often based on stereotypes.

Stereotypes

Overgeneralized beliefs about a group.

Discrimination

Unfair or harmful actions toward members of a group.

Unintentional Biases

Automatic, often hidden biases that affect judgment and behavior.

Confirmation Bias

Tendency to seek information that confirms preconceptions while ignoring contrary evidence.

Attribution Bias

Tendency to attribute positive outcomes to internal factors and negative outcomes to external factors.

Gender Bias

Preference or prejudice in favor of one gender over another in judgments and decisions.

Conformity Bias

Tendency to align with the group’s opinions even if you disagree.

Social Stigma

Negative social label that devalues a person or group.

Internalisation of Others’ Evaluations

Adopting others’ opinions about you as part of your self-view.

Stereotype Threat

Anxiety about confirming negative stereotypes that can hinder performance.

Reducing Prejudice

Education, intergroup contact, direct experience, and shared goals to lessen biases.

Laws Against Discrimination (Australia)

Federal acts (Age, Disability, Racial, Sex Discrimination Acts) and SA Equal Opportunity Act 1984 address discrimination.

Cult

A group with extreme devotion to a leader or ideology, often using manipulation and control to maintain allegiance.

Cults – Recognition Factors

Absolute authority, fear, isolation, deception, and dependence on the leader.

Visionary Group Scenario

Contemporary example illustrating how obedience and conformity may operate in a new cult-like movement.

Self-Presentation & Social Media (Key Idea)

People curate online identities to control how others perceive them; linked to self-concept and validation.

First Impressions in Social Interactions

Initial judgments based on appearance and behavior often persist over time.

IAT (Implicit Association Test)

A measure of implicit attitudes that reveals associations people may not consciously report.

Data Collection Ethics

Considerations include psychological harm, privacy, confidentiality, vulnerability, and informed consent.

Experimental vs Observational Designs

Experimental tests cause and control variables; observational studies record behavior without interference.

Quantitative vs Qualitative Data

Quantitative: numerical data; Qualitative: descriptive, non-numerical data.

Obedience

Following the orders or instructions of someone in a position of authority, even if it goes against one’s own beliefs or morals.

Milgram’s experiment

A psychological study that tested how far individuals would go in obeying an authority figure, even when if involved harming another person.

Dispositional factors

Internal, personal characteristics or traits that influence behaviour. These include personality, beliefs, morals, and attitudes.

Situational factors

External elements in the environment or context that influence a person’s behaviour.

Stanford Prison Experiment

A study to investigate how people conform to roles of authority (guards) and submission (prisoners) in a stimulated prison environment.

Conformity

Yielding to group pressure (also known as majority influence).

Compliance

Publicly, but not privately, going along with majority influence in order to gain group acceptance.

Identification

Public and private acceptance of majority influence in order to gain group acceptance.

Internalisation

Public and private acceptance of majority influence, through adoption of the majority groups’s belief system.

Normative Social Influence

A motivational force to be linked and accepted by a group.

Informational Social Influence

A motivational force to look to others for guidance in order to be correct.

Social Norms

Unwritten rules or expectations about how people should behave in a particular social group or culture.

Cult

A cult is typically defined as a group or movement with shared beliefs or practices that are considered outside the mainstream, often involving extreme devotion to a leader, ideology, or set of teachings.