Social Influence

Conformity

: Changing behaviour to align with those of a group due to real or implied pressure

Normative Influence

: The adoption of the established behaviour of the group (group norms)

  • Occurs when people conform because they want to be accepted by the group and not stand out

Information Influence

: The pressure on individuals when in strange situations to behave in the manner of those around them

  • Occurs when people conform because they would like to be correct and lack information needed to be sure of their belief

Factors Influencing Conformity

  • Collectivist Cultures:

Value the needs of the group over the needs of the individual, prize cooperation and view putting ones self-first as selfish

  • Individualistic Cultures:

Value individual needs over group needs, believe independence and self-reliance are important

—> People from collectivist cultures are more likely to conform to group norms than people from individualistic cultures

  • Deindividuation:

The process whereby people have reduced self-awareness and feel less inhibited in large group situations

  • Unanimity:

Agreement among all members of a group

  • Group Size:

Studies have shown that as group size increases rates of conformity increase, groups of 3-5 showing the highest conformity level

Social Influence - Kelman (1958)

: How the behaviour and attitudes of a person are influenced by the actual, imagined, or implied presence of others

Compliance

: Adoption of an attitude with the aim of being rewarded or to avoid punishment or gain approval or avoid disapproval

Indentification

: Adoption of an attitude to maintain a positive sustaining relationship with another

Internalization

: Adoption of an attitude due to rational persuasion, where the attitude is congruent with those of the individual

Milgram Obedience Study (1963)

Obedience

: Changing behaviour in response to a direct order by an authority figure

Aim

: To determine the extent individuals would obey an authority figure

Method

  • Sample:

40 American males between 20-50 years of age

Population - All people —> Unrepresentative sample —> Low generalisability

  • Sampling method:

Convenience sampling - Opt in volunteers responding to a newspaper ad

Findings

  • All participants obeyed up to 300 volts

  • 65% of participants obeyed all the way up to 450 volts

  • At 300 volts, the learner ceased responding but only 5 participants refused to continue

Contribution

: People tend to obey authority figures, even against their own morals/beliefs

Limitations

  • Proximity

The closer the authority figure, the more obedience is demonstrated

  • Legitimacy

Authority figures that appear more legimate elicit more obedience

  • Agentic Shift

Move from taking responsibility for own actions to passing responsibility to the authority figure

  • Gradual Commitment

The individual being asked to perform trivial, seemingly harmless tasks to begin with then increasing these demands incrementally

  • Biased Sample

All the participants were male from a variety of walks of life

  • Low Ecological Validity

Since it was carried out in a lab under artificial conditions it might not be possible to generalise the obedience findings to a real life setting

Antisocial Behaviour

: Deliberate behaviour that causes harm to others

Diffusion of Responsibility

: A reduction in personal responsibility when in a group resulting in an individual being less likely to act

  • If a person is alone, they accept responsibility for taking action

Audience Inhibition

: Failure to intervene in an emergency in the presence of others due to fear of being negatively judged

Cost Benefit Analysis

: The psychological process of weighing up what they will gain versus what they will lose if they act

  • Benefits

Rewards, feeling good, increased self-esteem or social approval, monetary, reciprocity points

  • Costs of helping

Effort and time required, personal injury, feaar of failture, fear of feeling stupid if the help is not warranted, not helping

  • Costs of not helping

Guilt, distress due to empathy, social ridicule as uncaring, loss of social standing, exclusion, feelings of regret

Social Influence

: If others appear unconcerned, the individual will adopt that attitude and not feel helpless is necessary. Opposite if others are concerned

Bullying

: Repeated aggressive behaviour by a person/group directed at a less powerful person/group

  • Bullying requires a power inbalance

Power Imbalance

Factors that can create a power imbalance: disability, poverty, lack of social skills, physical attributes, over or under advantage

Types of Bullying

  • Verbal

Name calling, put down, threats

  • Physical

Touching, hitting, kicking, stealing, destruction of property

  • Social

Ostracism, spreading rumours

  • Cyberbullying

Use of technology

Group Think

: Group members conform to make unanimous decisions without using critical thinking