Structure
In a design firm, interns defer to senior designers even when they have better ideas, because of unspoken rules about “who can speak.” What structural element organizes these power differences?
What is a status hierarchy?
This occurs when people change their behavior to align with group norms.
What is conformity?
This type of power is based on control over the distribution of rewards.
What is reward power?
These shared expectations define the behaviors appropriate for people who occupy certain positions in a group.
What are roles?
In Asch’s classic line-judgment study, participants often conformed even when they knew the group was wrong. What kind of influence does this illustrate, and why might people yield to it?
What is normative social influence? People conform to gain social approval or avoid rejection.
Power derived from respect or identification with another person is called this.
What is referent power?
When a person experiences incompatible expectations across different roles, it’s called this.
What is interrole conflict?
This theory proposes that social influence depends on the strength, immediacy, and number of sources present.
What is social impact theory?
This concept refers to the capacity to produce intended effects in interpersonal contexts.
What is social power?
This process occurs when the number of roles increases and each becomes more specialized.
What is role differentiation?
A class stays silent when the professor asks if everyone understands, even though most are confused. What psychological process is at work here?
What is pluralistic ignorance?
A junior nurse who controls access to a doctor’s schedule can subtly influence the team’s operations. What theory helps explain this “power from below”?
What is power-dependence theory?
In a volunteer network, one organizer connects people who otherwise don’t communicate. When she steps back, information flow stalls. What concept explains her influence?
What is network centrality (or being a central node in the communication network)?
This theory explains how consistent minorities can influence the majority.
What is conversion theory?
This type of subgroup forms to disrupt or change a group’s authority structure.
What is a revolutionary coalition?