social
Informational Social Influence (ISI)
Q: What is Informational Social Influence (ISI)?
A: Conformity that occurs because people believe others have accurate information; the motive is to be correct.---
Q: Give an example of ISI.
A: Changing your answer on a test because several classmates chose a different answer.---
Q: What is the basic motive behind ISI?
A: The desire to be correct.---
Q: List 3 conditions under which ISI is most likely
.A: Ambiguous situations, crisis situations, and when others are perceived as experts.---
Sherif’s Autokinetic Effect Study
Q: What was Sherif’s autokinetic study about?
A: Participants estimated movement of a stationary point of light alone and in groups.---
Q: What did Sherif find in the autokinetic effect study?
A: Group estimates converged into a shared norm that persisted even when participants were later alone.---
Q: What does Sherif’s study demonstrate about ISI?
A: ISI leads to private acceptance and the creation of group norms.---
Copycat Suicides (Dr. David Phillips)
Q: How does Dr. Phillips explain copycat suicides using ISI?
A: Media reports provide information on how and when to commit suicide, influencing vulnerable individuals.---
Q: What evidence supports Phillips’ copycat suicide explanation?
A: Suicide rates increase after media coverage, especially when the suicide is highly publicized or detailed.---
Q: Why is copycat suicide considered ISI rather than NSI?
A: People are influenced by information, not social approval.---
Normative Social Influence (NSI)
Q: What is Normative Social Influence (NSI)?
A: Conformity due to the desire to be liked, accepted, or avoid rejection.---
Q: Give an example of NSI.
A: Laughing at a joke you don’t find funny so you fit in.---
Q: What is the basic motive behind NSI?
A: The desire for social approval and acceptance.---
Asch’s Line Estimation Study
Q: What was the procedure in Asch’s line estimation study?
A: Participants judged line lengths while confederates gave incorrect answers aloud.---
Q: What were the results of Asch’s study?
A: About 37% conformity on critical trials; 75% conformed at least once.---
Q: What does Asch’s study demonstrate about NSI?
A: People often conform publicly even when the correct answer is obvious.---
Q: Did Asch’s participants experience private acceptance?
A: No, they showed public compliance.---
Group Size and NSI
Q: How does group size affect NSI?
A: Conformity increases up to about 3–4 people, then levels off.---
Q: What two situations drastically reduce NSI?
A: Having a dissenter present and responding privately.---
Social Impact Theory
Q: What is Social Impact Theory?
A: Conformity depends on strength, immediacy, and number of influencing people.---
Q: What does “strength” mean in Social Impact Theory?
A: Importance or power of the group.---
Q: What does “immediacy” mean in Social Impact Theory?
A: Physical or psychological closeness.------
Obedience: Milgram
Q: What was the basic procedure in Milgram’s obedience study?
A: Participants administered shocks to a learner for wrong answers under authority orders.---
Q: What percentage of participants administered the maximum shock in Milgram’s study?
A: 65%.---
Factors Affecting Obedience
Q: How does proximity of the victim affect obedience?
A: Obedience decreases as the victim gets closer.---
Q: How does proximity of the authority figure affect obedience?
A: Obedience is higher when the authority figure is nearby.---
Q: How does the legitimacy of authority affect obedience?
A: Obedience drops when authority appears illegitimate.---
Agentic Shift
Q: What is the agentic shift?
A: A psychological shift where people see themselves as agents carrying out orders, not responsible for their actions.---
Q: How does agentic shift explain obedience?
A: Responsibility is transferred from the individual to the authority figure.---
Social Facilitation
Q: How did Triplett define social facilitation?
A: Improved performance on simple tasks in the presence of others.---
Q: How did Zajonc (1965) explain social facilitation?
A: Presence of others increases arousal, strengthening dominant responses.---
Q: According to Zajonc, how does audience presence affect performance?
A: Simple tasks improve; complex tasks worsen.---
Cockroach Study
Q: What did the cockroach study demonstrate?
A: Cockroaches performed simple tasks faster with others present but complex tasks slower.---
Cottrell & Baron
Q: What is evaluation apprehension (Cottrell)?
A: Performance changes when people believe they are being evaluated.---
Q: What is distraction‑conflict theory (Baron)?
A: Others create attentional conflict, increasing arousal and dominant responses.---
Social Loafing
Q: What is social loafing?
A: Reduced individual effort when working in a group.---
Q: When is social loafing most likely?
A: When individual contributions are not identifiable.---
Q: How do gender and culture affect social loafing?
A: Men loaf more than women; collectivist cultures loaf less.---
Q: How can social loafing be reduced?
A: Make individual contributions identifiable, reduce group size, increase task importance.---
Deindividuation
Q: What is deindividuation?
A: Loss of self-awareness and restraint in group settings.---
Q: Give an example of deindividuation.
A: Riots or anonymous online behavior.---
Groupthink
Q: What is groupthink?
A: Faulty decision-making that results from strong pressure for group consensus.---
Q: What are antecedents of groupthink?
A: High cohesion, insulation, strong leadership, lack of decision procedures.---
Q: What are symptoms of groupthink?
A: Illusion of unanimity, self-censorship, pressure on dissenters, illusion of invulnerability.