Overview
This lecture summarizes key concepts in social influence for A Level Psychology, focusing on conformity, obedience, resistance, minority influence, and social change, with supporting studies and definitions.
Conformity
- Conformity is changing behavior or opinions due to group pressure (Asch, 1951/1958).
- Compliance: Shallow, public agreement but private disagreement; often due to Normative Social Influence (NSI).
- Identification: Moderate, temporary change to fit in with a valued group.
- Internalization: Deep, permanent change in beliefs due to Informational Social Influence (ISI).
- NSI is driven by the desire to be liked; ISI arises from a need to be correct.
- Asch’s line study found 32% conformity rate; unanimity and task difficulty increase conformity.
Evaluation of Conformity Studies
- High internal validity but low ecological validity due to artificial tasks and settings.
- Replications show cultural differences in conformity rates.
- Social support and the presence of dissenters reduce conformity rates significantly.
Social Roles and Zimbardo's Prison Study
- Stanford Prison Experiment showed rapid adoption of assigned roles (guard/prisoner).
- Situational power of social roles can lead to abusive behavior.
- Ethical concerns: psychological harm and researcher bias due to Zimbardo’s dual role.
- Replications challenge the inevitability of conforming to social roles.
Obedience and Milgram’s Experiments
- Obedience: Following orders from an authority figure.
- Agentic state: Acting as an ‘agent’ for authority, losing personal responsibility.
- Legitimacy of authority: Learned acceptance of social hierarchies and symbols of power.
- Milgram’s shock experiment showed 65% obeyed to maximum voltage.
- Obedience drops with increased proximity, lower legitimacy of location, and absence of uniform.
Evaluation of Obedience Studies
- High control and replicability but issues with ecological validity and ethical concerns.
- Alternative explanations: individual personality differences (authoritarian personality).
- Field studies like Hofling (nurses) and Bickman (uniforms) support real-world obedience findings.
Resistance to Social Influence
- Social support from others resisting reduces pressure to conform or obey.
- Dispositional factors: Locus of control (internal = more resistant, external = less resistant).
- Studies show internals resist obedience more than externals.
Minority Influence and Social Change
- Consistency, commitment, and flexibility increase minority influence on majority.
- The snowball effect describes gradual conversion of the majority to the minority’s viewpoint.
- Social change occurs when minority views become widely accepted; e.g., civil rights movements.
- Social cryptoamnesia: society forgets the role of minority groups in social change.
Key Terms & Definitions
- Conformity — Changing behavior or beliefs due to group pressure.
- Normative Social Influence (NSI) — Conforming to be liked or accepted by others.
- Informational Social Influence (ISI) — Conforming due to desire to be correct.
- Compliance — Outward conformity without private agreement.
- Identification — Adopting behaviors to fit with a group.
- Internalization — Genuine acceptance of group norms.
- Agentic State — Acting on behalf of authority, shifting responsibility.
- Legitimacy of Authority — Acceptance of social hierarchy and symbols of power.
- Locus of Control — Degree to which people believe they control outcomes (internal vs. external).
Action Items / Next Steps
- Download 2022 AS and A Level Psychology past papers from AQA's website for practice.
- Review flashcards or use the Psych Boost app for active revision.
- Prepare for daily live revision streams up to Paper 2 and before Paper 3.