24.2

Obedience

Following orders from someone in authority, even if you don't agree with them. 👉 Example: A soldier follows their commander's orders without question.

Compliance

Saying yes to a request from someone, even if they're not in charge. 👉 Example: Buying cookies from a kid selling them for a fundraiser because they asked.

Conformity

Changing your behavior to match what others are doing. 👉 Example: Wearing a certain style of clothing because everyone else at school is wearing it.

Foot-in-the-Door Technique

Getting someone to agree to a small request first so they'll say yes to a bigger request later. 👉 Example: Asking a friend to borrow $5, then later asking for $20.

Cognitive Dissonance

Feeling uncomfortable when your actions don't match your beliefs, so you change your thinking or behavior to fix it. 👉 Example: A person who loves animals but eats meat might convince themselves that certain animals don't feel pain to reduce guilt.

Stanley Milgram's Experiment

A notorious experiment in obedience conducted in 1963, where participants were told to administer electric shocks to a 'student' for incorrect answers.

Participant's Role

In Milgram's experiment, participants acted as the 'teacher' who administered shocks.

Student's Role

In Milgram's experiment, the student role was filled by an actor who was not actually shocked.

Experiment's Objective

To see if participants would follow orders and how high they would go on the switches.

Request for Help

The student actor asked to be let out of the experiment and screamed for help, yet most participants continued.

Milgram Experiment

A study that demonstrated the power of social influence, where 65% of participants went through all 30 switches up to 450 volts labeled 'Danger - Severe Shock.'

Blind Obedience

A form of social influence where individuals follow orders to harm others, exemplified by Nazi soldiers.

Door-in-the-Face Technique

A compliance tactic where a large request is made first, knowing it will be refused, followed by a smaller request that is more likely to be accepted.

Solomon Asch Experiment

A 1951 study that found about 75% of subjects conformed at least once when answering questions about perception in a group setting.

Groupthink

A phenomenon where pressure to make a unanimous decision leads to flawed thinking and choices made without thorough consideration.

Irving Janis

The researcher who first studied groupthink in relation to policy-making choices in U.S. History.

Unanimous Decision

A decision made by a group where all members agree, often leading to groupthink.

Impartial Leader

A leader who provides guidance without bias, helping to avoid flawed decision-making.

Social Influence

The effect that the presence or actions of others have on an individual's thoughts, feelings, and behaviors.

Bargaining Down

The feeling of having negotiated a better deal after initially refusing a larger request.

Perception Questions

Questions asked during the Asch experiment that tested subjects' ability to judge line lengths.

Confederates

Actors in an experiment who provide predetermined responses to influence the subject's answers.

Line Question

The specific question in the Asch experiment where subjects had to identify which line matched in length.