PSYC 201: Final Exam

UIUC PSYC 201 Final Chapters 9-14

social influence is how people

affect one another

how may changes due to social influence be seen?

attitudes, beliefs, feelings, behaviors

social influence is caused by the…

real or imagined presence of others

what are the three types of social influence? write in descending strength

1. obedience

2. compliance

3. conformity

obedience is the changing of behavior due to…

• explicit requests from someone with power

• do as others command

compliance is the changing of behavior due to…

• explicit requests from others

• do as others want

conformity is the changing of behavior due to…

• explicit or implicit pressure

• do as others do

what are the two types of conformity?

• unconscious (automatic)

• conscious (deliberate/intentional)

what is automatic behavioral mimicry?

the unconscious imitation of others behavior

what two things make a person more likely to mimic others?

• high in empathy

• high need to affiliate

mimicry is an example of what type of conformity?

unconscious (automatic)

(based on the Chartrand & Bargh study) If a confederate and a participant were doing a random task and the confederate rubbed their face/shook their foot, what would the participant likely do?

the participant would unconsciously mimic the confederate’s actions

what are the two reasons for mimicry?

• ideomotor action

• prepare for social interaction

what is the ideomotor action concept?

• the concept that thinking about an action will increase the likelihood of doing it

• when we see someone doing an action → that action is brought to mind → more likely to do it
  

how does mimicry prepare one for social interaction?

• fosters social connections

  • builds social rapport and encourages pleasant social interactions

• those mimicked are more prosocial after

• people tend to like those who mimic them more

what are the two types of conscious (deliberate/intentional) conformity?

• informational

• normative

what is informational social influence

the reliance on other people’s behavior as an indication of what is correct, proper, or effective

• treating other’s actions as valid information to guide one’s own thoughts

what was sherif’s autokinetic effect study?

• participants gauge the amount the light moved in autokinetic effect (highly ambiguous situation)

• participants answered alone and then in a group

  • answers converged in the presence of others

• demonstrates the reliance on other’s judgements → make a more correct decision

why does informational social influence occur?

accuracy motive; people desire to be correct

when is the informational social influence likely to occur/when is it most effective?

• ambiguous situation

• a person feels low in knowledge/competence

  • → turns to others who may have more knowledge

what is normative social influence?

conforming to group behavior even if it conflicts with one’s own beliefs

• using other people’s a guide to fit in and avoid disapproval

what was the Asch line study?

• participants asked to judge whether two lines were the same length (obvious answer)

• answered alone + with confederates, confederates would start giving the wrong answer

  • 100% correct when alone

  • conformed on 1/3 of trial with wrong confederates

why does normative social influence occur?

fear of social consequences

• people want to avoid standing out negatively

• avoid being criticized, disapproved of, or shunned

when is normative social influence most likely to occur/when is it most effective?

• strong desire to fit in and conform to social norms

what type of conscious conformity leads to internalization?

informational social influence

what type of conscious conformity leads to temporary public conformity?

normative social influence

what factors influence conformity?

• group size

• unanimity

• anonymity

• expertise/status

• independent/interdependent

• tight and loose cultures

• gender

how does group size impact coformity?

larger groups → greater social influence (levels off at 4 people)

how does unanimity (consensus) impact conformity?

any break in consensus → reduces conformity

how does anonymity impact conformity?

anonymity → removes normative social influence

how does expertise/status impact conformity?

expert opinions carry more weight

• greater influence informational social influence

• disapproval of high status people hurt more (normative)

how does independent/interdependent cultures impact conformity?

interdependent cultures → more likely to conform (both normative and informational)

• more concerned with others and maintaining consensus due to the focus on social relationships

how do tight and loose cultures impact conformity?

tighter cultures tolerate deviance less → more conformity

how does gender impact conformity?

women tend to conform a little bit more (because there’s a greater focus on social relationships) (as of the 1900s)

Torrance (1955) study: navy bonding crews given reasoning problems, can only give one solution

the group was more likely to present the right answer when someone of higher status offered it (versus when someone of lower status offered it)

• demonstrates effect of status in conformity

when may a minority opinion influence a member of the majority opinion?

the consistent appearance of a minority opinion and gradually change someone of the majority opinion

• informational social influence

Moscovici blue/green study

• participants identified a color as green or blue (people have the tendency to say blue)

• when a confederate consistently said green (versus varied responses) it increased how likely it was for participants to say green

  • → this effect persisted suggesting informational social influence

what are the 3 types of compliance social influence?

• reason-based

• emotion-based

• norm-based

what are 3 reason-based types of compliance?

• door in the face

• that’s not all

  • foot in the door

dorm in the face + that’s not all are based on….

norm of reciprocity

what is the norm of reciprocity?

people help those who help them

• ex study: participants were more likely to help buy a raffle from the confederate if the confederate bought them a can of soda (versus when they didn’t)

what is the door in the face appraoch?

• reciprocal concessions

• ask a large favor (target likely decline) → ‘concede’ and ask a more modest request → target feels compelled to also ‘concede’ and accept the modest request

• norm of reciprocity

Cialdini et al. study: door in the face (juvenile delinquents)

• C1: would you chaperone a group of juvenile delinquents on a zoo day trip?

• C2: would you be willing to counsel juvenile delinquents 2 hrs/week for 2 years? (expected answer no)

  • then asked: would you be willing to chaperone?

• more people agreed to chaperone in C2

what is the that’s not all approach?

an ‘add-on’ to the offer, making it feel like a gift

• norm of reciprocity

• you offer something so i should offer something (aka buying)

Burger study: that’s not all (buying desserts)

1 cupcake and two cookies vs. buy a cupcake get 2 cookies free

more purchases were made in the second condition despite the same total cost

what is the foot in the door approach?

small initial request → more likely they’ll agree to a larger request

• utilizes desire for a consistent self-image

study Freedman & Fraser: foot in the door (signs)

C1: will you display this large sign in your yard

C2: will you display this small sign → later followed up with and asked to display the large sign

more people agreed to have the large sign in C2

do positive and negative moods impact compliance? (T/F)

true

how does positive mood impact compliance? explain why

increases compliance

• positively skews construal

• positive mood maintenance

study: Isen et al. phone call and gift

C1: received phone call

C2: received a gift before the phone call

phone call: someone misdialed a number and asked the participant to call for them and relay a message

more people in C2 made the call (varied depending on time since receiving gift)

study Isen & Levin: help vs hinder

• participants were given a cookie (positive mood) or not (neutral)

• asked if they would serve as a confederate in an experiment

  • half told they would help the ‘participant’

  • half told they would hinder the ‘participant’

• positive mood increased compliance only when the task was to help someone

how do negative moods impact compliance? explain why

negative moods (especially guilt) increase compliance

• negative state relief hypothesis

what is the negative state relief hypothesis

when someone feels bad → helps someone to make oneself feel better

• motivated to remove the negative feeling

study Carlsmith & Gross: phone calls for confederate

C1: shocked confederate when they got answer wrong (known to be unpleasant)

C2: rung a bell when confederate got wrong answer

Confederate then asked the participant to help make a call…. those from C1 were more likely to agree

• people felt guilty about shocking them → agree help

what is norm-based compliance

explicit or implicit suggestions to conform to others

Schultz et al. study: Electricity usage

• homeowners received massage about their electricity usage in comparison to their neighborhood

  • people who used more → used less

  • people who used less → used more

• study repeated but…

  • added: a smiley or frowny face to indicate approval/disapproval to avoid the ‘boomerang’ effect

what are the two types of norms in norm-based compliance?

• descriptive

• prescriptive

Cialdini et al study: Petrified Forest National Park

• descriptive norm:

  • signs that highlight how common it is for ppl to do the wrong thing often encourages people to keep doing it

  • effectiveness comes from highlighting people doing the right thing

• a combination of prescriptive and descriptive norms in alliance are the most effective

the milgram experiment is an example of what type of social influence

obedience

according to the milgram experiment what factors can decrease obedience

• victim more salient (increase desire to disobey)

• authority less salient (easier to disobey)

what was the most effective in decreasing obedience

making it easier to disobey

why was the Milgram study ideal for obedience?

• no responsibility

• step by step

• unfamiliar situation

what is the reactance theory?

people experience unpleasant arousal when they believe their free will is threatened → trying to reassert the rights/privileges

stereotype

beliefs that certain attributes are characteristics of a particular group

prejudice

attitudes (positive or negative) toward a group

discrimination

favorable or unfavorable treatment of individuals based on their group membership

what are the two types of contemporary prejudice?

• traditional racism

• modern racism

what is traditional racism

explicitly acknowledged and expressed prejudice

what is modern racism

prejudice directed at racial that exists simultaneously with the rejection of explicitly racist beliefs

Gaertner & Dovidio study: providing help Black vs White and alone or in group

• if it was only one person they provided help regardless of their race

  • you have to help, if you don’t then you’re racist

• if there was a group less people helped the Black victim

  • you can avoid the idea of being racist because others may help

Hodson, Dovidio, Gaertnet study: college applicants

• rated applicants based on dimensions like SAT, GPA, etc

• consistent ratings when an applicant clearly excelled or were below average

• when applicant’s dimensions diverged…

  • black applicants were rated more poorly compared to white counterparts

• suggests modern racism that’s ‘covered’ by having some below average scores

what is benevolent racism/sexism?

non-negative stereotypes (still harmful)

benevolent and ambivalent attitudes may be particularly ____ to change. explain why

resistant to change

• the favorable (benevolent) aspects aid the holder to deny any prejudice

what are the three different perspectives explaining stereotypes?

• economic (realistic group conflict)

• motivational (social identity theory)

  • cognitive (schemas saving mental energy)

how can we measure modern/implicit prejudice?

• IAT implicit association test

  • measure accuracy and response time categorizing

• AMP affect misattribution procedure

  • measure evaluation of a neutral stimulus after a primer