KEY TERMS

conformity

this occurs when a person’s behaviour or thinking changes as a result of social influence (group pressure). This pressure does not have to be explicit

obedience

this type of social influence causes a person to act in response to direct orders from an authority figure

informational conformity

people conform when they want to be right. This happens when a person is uncertain and so goes with the majority, whom they assume are correct

normative conformity

people conform because they want to be liked. This happens when people want to fit in with the majority. They don’t have to agree with the behaviour they’re imitating

dispositional factors

an individuals personality and/or character causes them to conform

social factors

the world around the person (social, cultural, etc) may have features which makes them feel a stronger pressure

internal locus of control (ILOC)

you make things happen

external locus of control (ELOC)

things happen to you

autonomous state

this is a state where we remain independent and free. We behave according to our own principles & are responsible for what we do

agentic shift

the move from autonomous to agentic. Occurs when a person perceives someone else as an authority figure

agentic state

where we feel others are responsible for what we do and there is no personal responsibility

authoritarian personality

• a rigid adherence to conventional values

• a tendency to submit to authority figures

• a strong desire for social order and uniformity

• exaggerated respect for authority

• obey orders without questioning

collective behaviour

actions that happen when people are part of a group. This behaviour may be different to how those people would act individually or when alone

crowd behaviour

an example of collective behaviour

crowd

a large but temporary group of people with a common focus

deindividuation

what happens when we are around people because we feel anonymous. We look around us and change our behaviour by using others’ actions to guide our own

social loafing

we make a reduced effort when we are part of a group than when we are on our own

social facilitation

the presence of others makes us work harder