Obedience, Status and Power
The name of the researcher who completed the Obedience Studies
Stanley Milgram
Cognitive dissonance is...
The discomfort we feel when two cognitions (or a cognition and behaviour) that we have do not align.
The three components of an attitude are...
A - affective (emotions)
B - behavioural (observable action)
C - cognition (thoughts or beliefs)
Attribution is...
The way someone explains behaviour (i.e. attributes a reason to someone's behaviour)
Difference between pro-social and anti-social behaviour is ...
Pro-social = helping others
Anti-social = harming others purposely or gaining something for yourself
What are the three variables that were changed after the original Milgram studies?
Social proximity
Legitimacy of authority figure
Group pressure
The theory that we compare ourselves to the people around us is ...
Social comparison theory
Ways to reduce prejudice were first suggested by what study?
Robber's Cave Experiment (Sherif)
The fundamental attribution error is...
When we try to explain someone's behaviour, but often don't get it right.
Situational
Personal
Social
Altruism
The difference between status and power using an example
Status = perceived role in a group
Power = ability to make change
e.g. The King has high status, but arguably the President has more power. Any relevant and correct example counts (teacher discretion).
What is the effect that is supported by 'justification of effort'?
IKEA Effect
A university lecture has 300 students listening to a professor. Is this a group? Explain why/why not.
No, because even though it satisfies the rule of 2+ people, they are not working towards a common goal and are not influencing each other.
The law of mental unity suggests that there are three main components which are...
Anonymity, Social Contagion, Suggestability
How do evolutionary psychologists explain pro-social behaviour?
OR
Some believe altruism is a personality trait that has developed over time and is passed down and supported by evolution.
Name the six types of power
Coercive, Referent, Expert, Reward, Legitimate, Informational
Compare upward and downward social comparison using an example.
Any relevant example.
Upward SC - Comparing
ourselves to people who are better with
regards to a trait or ability. This gives us a
standard of excellence to aspire to.
Downward SC - Comparing
ourselves to people who are worse. This
makes us feel good.
What are three symptoms of GroupThink?
Any three of the following:
1. Illusion of invulnerability
2. Belief in the moral correctness of the group
3. Stereotyped views of the out-group
4. Self-censorship
5. Direct pressure on dissenters to conform
6. Illusion of unanimity
7. Mindguards
How does social identity theory try to explain why people behave differently in a collective or crowd?
People gain a social identity when in a crowd when they identify with the group norms, and as such, lose their own identity in the process. This is because of deindividuation in a crowd.
Need to mention all four italicised sections to get the points.
Identify and explain the two social norms that affect pro-social behaviour
Reciprocity norm - that if you do something nice for someone, they owe you something nice in return (reciprocal behaviour)
Social responsibility norm - that all members of society should be 'giving back' to their community and acting in a socially responsible way to help
Provide two differences between obedience and conformity.
1. Demand (O) v Choice (C)
2. Authority Figure (O) v Group Pressure (C)
3. Other relevant response (Teacher Discretion)
Define ingratiation, and explain how it links to both impression management and persuasive language.
The process whereby people flatter, praise, and try to make themselves likable to another person (often of
higher status).
Impression management - people ingratiate to provide a positive impression of themselves to others
Persuasion - people who like you are more likely to be persuaded by you. Ingratiation may help to make people be persuaded by you more often.
Provide the aim, procedure and findings for Asch's Line Study
Aim: to determine conformity in a group setting
Procedure: participants sat in row of 5/6 other people and were shown three lines to compare to one main line and needed to match to the obviously correct length. Confederates said the wrong answer to see if the participant would conform even if they disagreed and knew the correct answer.
Findings: A significant number of participants were found to 'follow along' and say the wrong answer, even if they later said they knew the right answer.
Describe two trends that we see in atttribution.
1. We're more likely to attribute situational factors to ourselves when something goes wrong, dispositional when something goes right.
2. We're more likely to attribute dispositionally than situationally to others' behaviours.
What hormone(s) and neurotransmitter(s) are used to explain anti-social behaviour?
Hormones: testosterone and cortisol
Neurotransmitters: serotonin