Psychology

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Social Influence

Conformity

This is the process of yielding to majority influence. A change in the behaviour or belief as a result or real or imagined group pressure. There are three types; Compliance which is superficial and occurs publicly, Internalisation whereby the individual takes on the beliefs at a deep and permanent level. Identification which is genuine when in a particular group (but generally only temporary whilst in that group).

Explanations

Normative Social Influence and Informational Social Influence are explanations as to why we conform. Normative suggests that we conform because we want to be liked/approved of.

Schultz: 75% hotel guests increased use of hotel towels after being told that most people use hotel towels.

Linkenbach and Perlains found that teens exposed to the fact that little people their age smoke would cause them to stop smoking- conform to wider society.

Reductionist as there are lots of factors that could affect conformity (religion).

Informational suggests it is the need to be guided/correct.

Wittenbrink and Henley found that if someone was exposed to negative belief about African Americans from a young age they continued this one to unfamiliar situations.

Felin: found that in a debate, the audience agreed with the majority.

Variables Affecting

Asch researched this; unambiguous task, 7-9 people per group, identify the same length lines, most of the people were confederates. The results found that 75% conformed at least once, 25% never conformed. He changed the experiment slightly- conformity increased with task difficulty and group size to a certain point. It decreased if more people disagreed.

Lab experiment: lots of controlled variables.

Small Group- it is thought that conformity changes depending on group size but this was limited. Plus, conformity is likely to increase if the person is with friends.

Ethical Issues: it included on males and conformity is thought to increase in females.

Zimbardo

Zimbardo researched into conforming to social roles. He published an advertisement (volunteer), paid money, conducted in the basement in Stanford Uni, some were the guards, some were prisoners. The results found that prisoners initially rebelled but were overthrown, guards became increasingly taunting, an individual had to leave after 36 hours and it was stopped after 6 days.

Demand Characteristics: argued that the guards were acting according to what they had seen on TV or how they were expected.

Unethical: no protection from harm, right to withdraw.

Didn't achieve it's aim- if anything it made the prison standards worse.

Obedience

This is carrying out the demands or instructions of an authority figure. The figure has greater power in the situation or setting.

Explanations

There are situational (physical factors) and Dispositional (personality) factors which cause obedience. Situational factors include Agency Theory (autonomous level, agentic shift and agentic level):

Milgram's research showed that people would ask who is responsible showing the agentic shift from autonomous to agentic.

Bloss and Scmitt showed people videos of Milgram's experiment and when asked, they said that the experimenter was responsible.

Other Factors available- too simplistic.

Legitimate Authority whereby