Summary of each topic in AQA psychology social influence including: Asch’s research, types and explanations of conformity, Zimbardo’s research, Milgram’s research, situational variables, situational explanations such as Agentic state & legitimacy of authority, dispositional explanations such ...
Social influence
Asch's research:
• Procedure = 123 American men in groups with 5-7 confederates who gave the wrong answer on some trials -
naive ppts conformed about 37% of times.
• Group Size = 1-15 confederates with 3 confederates, conformity was 32% but little significant increase after.
• unanimity = conformity rate dropped with dissenter (whether they were right or wrong)
• Task difficulty = stimulus & comparison lines more similar in lengths conformity increased (mainly ISI)
Types of conformity:
• Internalisation = conforming to the group because you accept its norms - agree privately & publicly (permanent
change)
• Identification = conforming to the group because we value it - prepared to change views to be accepted by it
• Compliance = Superficial agreement with the group - going along with it publicly but not privately (temporary
change).
Explanations for conformity:
• Informational social influence (ISI) = agreeing with majority view because we believe they know better or are
more likely to be right.
• Normative social influence (NSI) = agreeing with the majority because we want to be liked and/or do not want
to be rejected.
Zimbardo’s research:
• Procedure = 21 emotionally stable students randomly allocated to rites of prisoners & guards in mock prison -
social roles reinforced through uniforms (e.g. loose smock cap for prisoners ) & instructions about behaviour (eg.
prisoners applied for 'parole to leave study).
• Findings = guards treated prisoners harshly - harassed them constantly (eg. night time head counts). prisoners
rebellion failed, & they become more depressed Study stopped after 6 days!
• conclusions = social roles have a strong importance on behaviour - brutal guards, submissive prisoners, social
roles can be very easily adopted (including by volunteers such as ‘prison chaplain’).
, Milgrams research:
• procedure = 40 American men giver role of teacher through fixed draw.
- ordered to give (fake) shocks to learner (confederate) by experimenter.
-shocks increased 15 volts with each mistake on memory task, up to 450v
• Findings= no ppts stopped before 30lv & 65% went all the way to the top of shock scale
- many showed signs of stress, most objected but continued anyway - prior survey said 3% would obey.
Situational variables
• Proximity = obedience 40% ( down from 65%) when learner & teacher in Same room - proximity means teacher
cannot psychologically distance self from consequences of actions.
• Location = obedience 47.5% in run-down office building Prestige of Yale University gave the setting more credibility
& legitimacy than in-down office.
Uniform = obedience 20% when experimented role takes by ordinary member of the public. uniform is strong symbol of
legitimate authority.
Situational explanations:
Agentic state:
• Agentic state = we fail to take responsibility because we believe we are acting on behalf of on authority figure ('just
following orders').
• Autonomous state = we feel free of other influences & so take pusorial responsibility for our actions.
• Agentic shift = we switch from autonomous to agent because we perceive Someone else in on authority figure to be
obeyed - Binding factors maintain us in Agentic state- they allow us to minimise damaging effect of our behaviour and
reduce moral strain.
Legitimacy of authority:
legitimate authority = some people have positions of authority because they have been entrusted by society with
certain powers (eg police).
Power = one power is the power to punish, so we obey authority out of fear of punishment, which we learn in
childhood.
• Destructive obedience = we behave in cruel ways if the legitimate authority orders us to do something destructive.
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