social impact theory

What is the first law created by Latané for social impact theory?

Impact on the target is determined by the function of social forces, expressed as impact on target = f(SIN).

What does 'S' stand for in the equation for social impact theory?

S stands for strength, which is determined by status, authority, or age.

What does 'I' represent in Latané's social impact theory?

I represents immediacy, determined by distance in time or space.

What does 'N' indicate in the social impact equation?

N indicates the number of sources, referring to how many targets and sources there are.

What is the second law created by Latané for social impact theory?

The psychosocial law states that the most significant difference in social impact occurs in the transition from 0 to 1.

How does the number of sources affect social impact according to Latané's psychosocial law?

As the number of sources increases, the impact of each source levels out.

Can you provide an example of Latané's psychosocial law?

In a dark room, turning on one light has a greater impact than turning on an additional light.

What is the third law created by Latané for social impact theory?

The divisional effect states that the strength, immediacy, and number of sources can have a multiplicative effect on the behavior of a target, but there is a limit to this.

What does the divisional effect imply about persuasive speeches?

In a large audience, the persuasive ability of the speaker is divided among the audience members, reducing the overall effect of the persuasion.

What study demonstrates the divisional effect of social impact theory?

Latané and Darley (1970) showed this effect through studies on bystander behavior.

What did Latané and Darley find regarding helping behavior?

A lone person is more likely to help someone in need compared to a group of people due to diffusion of responsibility.

How does the divisional effect relate to obedience?

An authority figure's ability to influence someone decreases if that person has an ally or group of allies.

What is a strength of social impact theory?

The field experiment by Sedikides and Jackson (1990) supports the theory by demonstrating obedience in a zoo setting.

What were the obedience rates when instructions were given by a zookeeper?

Obedience was 58% when the instruction was given by an individual dressed as a zookeeper.

What happened to obedience rates when a person in a t-shirt and shorts gave the instruction?

Obedience dropped to 35% when the instruction was given by someone in a t-shirt and shorts.

How did proximity affect obedience in the experiment?

When visitors were asked in the same room, obedience was 61%, but only 7% when the instruction was given from an adjacent room.

What do these findings suggest about the factors influencing obedience?

The findings suggest that source and immediacy do have an effect on obedience in a realistic setting, which makes the theory credible.

What is a weakness of social impact theory?

A weakness of social impact theory is that there is contradictory evidence (hofling et al) suggesting that psychosocial forces may differ.

What did Hofling et al (1966) find regarding nurse obedience?

Hofling et al (1966) found that 21 out of 22 nurses obeyed a doctor's orders to overdose a patient over the phone, despite the doctor not being present.

What does the Hofling et al (1966) study suggest about immediacy in social influence?

The study suggests that immediacy may not play as significant a role in obedience as proposed by Bibb Latane in social impact theory.

How does the Hofling et al (1966) study challenge social impact theory?

It challenges the theory by showing that individuals may still obey orders even when immediacy or presence of authority is low.