AQA Psychology A-level - Social Influence Notes

Part 1: Types of Conformity and Explanations for Conformity

  • Definition of Conformity:
    • Yielding to group pressures.
    • Change in behavior or opinion due to real or imagined pressure.
  • Kelman's Types of Conformity:
    1. Internalisation:
    • Adoption of group's beliefs as one's own (e.g., becoming religious after upbringing).
    • Change is permanent.
    1. Identification:
    • Temporary change in behavior only in the presence of the group (e.g., acting professional at work).
    1. Compliance:
    • Agreeing publicly but disagreeing privately (e.g., drinking alcohol to fit in).
  • Influences on Conformity:
    • Informational Social Influence (ISI):
    • Conforming to be right; occurs when unsure and looking for information.
    • Example: Following the crowd in an emergency situation.
    • Evidence: Fein et al. - Participants changed their vote after seeing others do so, indicating ISI.
    • Normative Social Influence (NSI):
    • Conforming to be liked and accepted, often to avoid embarrassment.
    • Example: Smoking to fit in.
    • Evidence: Link between NSI and bullying - Garandeau and Cillissen's study.
  • Complementarity of ISI and NSI:
    • Deutsch & Gerrard’s Two Process Model suggests these influences work together rather than independently.

Part 2: Variables Affecting Conformity

  • Asch's Study:
    • Participants: 123 male American undergraduates in groups of 6 (1 true participant, 5 confederates).
    • Aim: Investigate conformity and majority influence.
    • Procedure: Participants identify which of four lines matches a standard line.
    • Findings: 36.8% conformed; 75% conformed at least once.
  • Factors Affecting Conformity:
    1. Group Size:
    • Larger groups increase conformity (30% rise with over 3 in agreement).
    1. Unanimity:
    • Conformity drops significantly with dissenting voices (from 32% to 5.5% with correct answer).
    1. Task Difficulty:
    • Increased difficulty leads to increased conformity due to reliance on others for confirmation.
    • Example: Similar line lengths raised confusion and conformity.

Part 3: Evaluation of Asch's Research

  • Strengths:
    • High internal validity with controlled extraneous variables.
    • Easy replication increases reliability.
  • Weaknesses:
    • Lacks ecological validity; may not generalize to real life.
    • Gender and age bias due to sample.
    • Ethical issues include deception and potential psychological harm.
    • Temporal validity questioned due to social context of the 1950s affecting results.

Part 4: Conformity to Social Roles - Zimbardo's Study

  • Participants: 24 American male undergraduates.
  • Aim: Understand conformity to social roles in a simulated prison environment.
  • Procedure: Random assignment as guards or prisoners, with strict role definitions.
  • Findings: Rapid internalization of roles; guards exhibited abusive behavior while prisoners showed emotional distress.

Part 5: Evaluation of Zimbardo's Research

  • Strengths:
    • Influenced prison reform practices in the U.S.
    • Ethical debriefing provided post-experiment.
  • Weaknesses:
    • Ethical issues due to the distress caused and lack of informed consent.
    • Ecological validity concerns with a controlled environment not mimicking real-life situations.

Part 6: Explanations for Obedience

  • Agentic State:
    • Individuals see themselves as agents executing another's orders, reducing personal responsibility.
  • Legitimacy of Authority:
    • People obey figures seen as credible and authoritative (e.g., scientists in formal attire).
  • Situational Factors:
    • Higher obedience when authority is visible, location is prestigious, and actions are less visible to the victim.
    • Milgram's experiments illustrated these effects significantly.

Part 7: Dispositional Explanations for Obedience - Authoritarian Personality

  • Authoritarian Personality:
    • Individuals with this personality, as discovered by Adorno, are predisposed to obey authority figures due to childhood experiences with strict parenting.
  • F-scale Measurement:
    • Likert-scale measuring alignment with authoritarian beliefs (e.g., value of parental respect).
  • Limitations:
    • Methodological issues with F-scale and inability to encompass obedience across the political spectrum.

Part 8: Resistance to Social Influence

  • Locus of Control:
    • Internal locus leads to less conformity; individuals feel responsible for their actions while external locus leads to obedience due to perceived lack of control.
  • Social Support:
    • The presence of dissenting individuals reduces conformity levels by providing alternatives and confidence in one’s views.
    • Evidence from Asch and Gamson supports this.

Part 9: Minority Influence and Social Change

  • Moscovici's Study:
    • Consistency, commitment, and flexibility are crucial for minority influence.
    • Demonstrated through systematic presentations of slide colors.
  • Social Change:
    • Occurs when minority views gain traction through authoritative processes and influence majority opinions, often leading to shifts in societal norms.
  • Challenges:
    • Social change is a gradual process that may face resistance from established majority views, leading to stereotypes and social barriers.
  • Summary: Strategies for successful social change must consider internal locus and authority disobedience alongside consistency and commitment from minority influences.