Psychology Chapter on Conformity and Obedience

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Questions and Answers

What is the primary reason social institutions may maintain prejudice?

They aim to challenge existing societal norms.

They promote diversity and inclusivity.

They actively encourage open-mindedness.

They may bolster prejudice through overt policies or passive reinforcement. (correct)

What is scapegoat theory primarily associated with?

Redirecting frustration towards a convenient target. (correct)

Finding friends within other groups.

The belief that all groups are equal.

Supporting the status quo through community action.

How does ingroup bias affect social identity?

It creates a sense of superiority by favoring one's own group. (correct)

It encourages relationships between different groups.

It diminishes the importance of group belonging.

It promotes a greater appreciation for diversity.

What motivates the need for status in groups?

The perception that having a status requires others to be below us. Signup and view all the answers

What best describes the frustration-aggression hypothesis?

Blockages to goals create hostility, which may be displaced towards others. Signup and view all the answers

What must be perceived for obedience to increase in authority figures?

They must be perceived as legitimate. Signup and view all the answers

How does group size affect conformity?

A small group can still have a significant impact. Signup and view all the answers

What is an agentic state as described by Milgram?

Unquestioning obedience where people transfer responsibility. Signup and view all the answers

What effect does having just one dissenter in a group have on conformity?

It can deflate the group's social power. Signup and view all the answers

What type of conformity occurs when people accept evidence about reality from others?

Informational influence. Signup and view all the answers

What characteristic describes a cohesive group?

Members are bound together by attraction or shared goals. Signup and view all the answers

What is likely to happen when conformity is not unanimous within a group?

People are more likely to share their personal opinions. Signup and view all the answers

What psychological phenomenon occurs when the desire for harmony in a group leads to irrational decision-making?

Groupthink Signup and view all the answers

What term describes the condition when group members withhold or discount their misgivings to avoid discomfort?

Self-Censorship Signup and view all the answers

Which symptom of groupthink reflects an excessive optimism about the group's decisions?

Illusion of Invulnerability Signup and view all the answers

What creates a false appearance of agreement within the group, often discouraging dissenting opinions?

Illusion of Unanimity Signup and view all the answers

Which term best describes individuals in a group who shield the group from contrary information?

Mindguards Signup and view all the answers

What is the tendency of people to change their opinions to align with perceived collective viewpoints in a group?

Conformity Pressure Signup and view all the answers

How do group members typically respond to those who challenge the group’s assumptions?

They rebuff them Signup and view all the answers

Prejudice can be defined as which of the following?

A preconceived negative judgment Signup and view all the answers

What is a common issue faced by many gay and lesbian individuals in society?

They often cannot disclose their identities Signup and view all the answers

Which of the following is NOT a symptom of groupthink?

A strong leader Signup and view all the answers

What psychological phenomenon describes the tendency for people to agree to a larger request after agreeing to a smaller one?

Foot in the door phenomenon Signup and view all the answers

How does physical attractiveness influence persuasion?

Having appealing qualities increases persuasion on subjective preferences. Signup and view all the answers

Which technique involves exposing individuals to weak attacks on their attitudes to prepare them for stronger ones?

Attitude Inoculation Signup and view all the answers

What is a characteristic of the Low Ball Technique in persuasion?

It exploits people's initial commitment to a smaller request. Signup and view all the answers

What is the key emphasis in the 'Message Content' aspect of persuasion?

What is said is just as important as who says it. Signup and view all the answers

Why do uninvolved audiences tend to rely on peripheral cues when receiving messages?

They do not engage in critical thinking. Signup and view all the answers

What does the 'Door in the Face Technique' primarily involve?

Making an extreme request followed by a more reasonable one. Signup and view all the answers

How do counterarguments influence persuasion?

They can be disarmed through distraction. Signup and view all the answers

Which of the following accurately describes audience attitudes across different ages?

Older people's attitudes demonstrate less change compared to younger individuals. Signup and view all the answers

What does social dominance orientation refer to?

A preference for one's own group to dominate others Signup and view all the answers

How can socialization contribute to the development of prejudice?

Through the reinforcement of acquired values and attitudes Signup and view all the answers

What characterizes an authoritarian personality?

Obedience to authority and intolerance of outgroups Signup and view all the answers

What is the nature of racial prejudice, as described?

Trivial characteristics such as skin color Signup and view all the answers

What does ethnocentrism entail?

Believing in the superiority of one's own ethnic group Signup and view all the answers

What is a common outcome of social inequalities?

The emergence of prejudice and discrimination Signup and view all the answers

Gender stereotypes often focus on beliefs about what?

Prescriptive norms of behavior for men and women Signup and view all the answers

How does overgeneralization relate to stereotypes?

They can lead to inaccurate perceptions about individuals Signup and view all the answers

Why are prejudicial attitudes resistant to change?

Due to strong emotional connections to beliefs Signup and view all the answers

What aspect of racism reflects its individual impact?

It leads to prejudicial attitudes and discrimination Signup and view all the answers

Study Notes

Conformity and Obedience

63% of responses did not conform
Experiments show most people tell the truth even when others don't.
Stanley Milgram's experiments tested obedience when authority and conscience clash.
Obedience in experiments ranged from 0% to 93%
Four factors influencing obedience:
- Victim's emotional distance
- Authority's closeness and legitimacy
- Authority's institutional affiliation
- Presence of a disobedient participant

What Breeds Obedience?

Milgram's experiments varied social conditions to observe obedience.
Victim's distance from the participant affects obedience levels.
Depersonalization of the victim leads to greater obedience, particularly when participants cannot see the victim.
Obedience is highest when the experimenter is physically present and is seen as a legitimate authority figure.

Sherif's Studies of Norm Formation

Responses in studies of norm formation changed.
Group norms typically emerge.
Autokinetic phenomenon: Apparent movement of stationary light in the dark.

Asch's Studies of Group Pressure

37% of responses conformed to the group norm.
Studies show significant conformity to group pressure.

Mass Hysteria

Suggestibility spreads through large groups.
Studies show large group susceptibility to problems.

Reactance: People resist when social pressure threatens their freedom.
People act to protect their freedom.

Behavior and Attitudes

Attitudes influence behavior in social situations.

Predictions of Conformity

Group size: 3-5 people produce greater conformity than 1 or 2.
Increasing number of people beyond 5 yields diminishing results.

Unanimity

Puncturing group unanimity reduces its social power and influence.
People increasingly voice their own convictions when other individuals challenge the group position.

Liberating Effects of Group Influence

Conformity can be constructive.
Responsibility is diffused within groups.
Group experiences allow for sharing experience.

Agentic State

Obedience occurs when people view themselves as agents of another, transferring personal responsibility to the person giving the orders.

The Content of Your Message

The content immediately preceding a message affects its persuasiveness.
Foot-in-the-door phenomenon: Agreement to a small request increases likelihood of agreement to a larger request.
Low-ball technique: Agreement to an initial offer increases likelihood of agreeing to a more costly offer.
Door-in-the-face technique: Reduced request after a large refusal enhances agreement to the smaller request.
Reasoning versus emotion: Appeals to emotion produce more persuasiveness.
Effect of arousing fear: Fear appeals can have a strong effect.

Primary and Recency Effects

Primacy effect: The first message has stronger impact.
Recency effect: The last message has stronger impact.

The Channel of Communication

Persuasion requires various channels like face-to-face communication, written documents or media advertisements.

Audience Age and Attitudes

Older people's attitudes tend to change less than younger people's.

The tendency for individuals to improve performance in simple or well-learned tasks when others are present.

The tendency for individuals to exert less effort when working in a group than when doing tasks alone.

Crowding and Presence of Others

Individuals' presence affects arousal levels.
Increased number of people increases arousal.
Audience enhances simple behaviors but impairs difficult tasks.
Increased arousal affects well-learned automatic behaviors.
A large crowd intensifies positive or negative group reactions.

Group Influence (Chapter 8)

A group comprises two or more people who interact and influence each other..

How Are We Influenced By Groups?

Group polarization: Group discussions lead to more extreme views than before discussion.
Mere presence: The mere presence of others affects performance on tasks.

Groupthink

Groupthink is a psychological phenomenon that occurs within groups where the desire for harmony or conformity leads to irrational or dysfunctional decision-making.
Pressure for unanimity can lead to suppressing dissent.
Symptoms of groupthink include illusion of invulnerability, unquestioned belief in group morality, stereotyped views of opposing arguments, mindguards, and self-censorship.
Ways to prevent groupthink include seeking diverse opinions outside the group or creating subgroups.

Informational and Normative Influence

Informational influence results from the pooling of ideas in a group.
Normative influence occurs due to the desire to conform to group opinion.

Unquestioned Belief in Group Morals and Rationalizations during Decisions

Groups believe in the righteousness of their viewpoints. These ideas rationalize challenges by collectively justifying decisions.
Groups often discount opposing viewpoints.
Stereotypical views of the opposition and a lack of openness occur.
Pressures influence conformity.
Self-censorship occurs to avoid disagreement.

Individuals exert less effort in groups, attributing less responsibility to themselves.

Deindividuation

Loss of self-awareness and personal responsibility in groups.
This can lead to aggressive or anti-social behavior.
Factors contributing to deindividuation include group size, anonymity, and arousing activities.

Individuals' presence affects the dominant, or expected, response on tasks.
Individuals act differently when in groups versus alone.

Organizing the world by clustering into groups.
Ethnicity, sex and other factors are important identifiers.
Categorization exaggerates group similarities and minimizes group differences.

Distinctiveness

Distinctive persons and occurrences attract more attention; therefore judgments can be skewed.
Extreme happenings/people in a group often distort assessments.

Attribution

People often attribute others' behaviors to internal traits over situational factors leading to potential biased judgments.
Groups and members of those groups may distort behaviors.

Stereotype Threat

Anxiety about confirming negative stereotypes can negatively affect performance.

Attraction and Intimacy (Chapter 11)

Proximity, exposure, and similarity are factors driving attraction.
Reward theory of attraction predicts that we are attracted to those whose behavior rewards us.

Physical Attractiveness

Physical attractiveness is highly important in initial interactions
Physical attractiveness influences perceptions of other attributes.

Relationship Rewards

Rewards are a significant component of relationships and attraction.

What Enables Close Relationships?

Attachment styles impact close relationships.
Secure attachment involves trust and intimacy.
Avoidant attachment involves discomfort with closeness.
Anxious attachment involves anxiety and ambivalence.

Relationship Equity

Equitable relationships are characterized by a balance of contributions and outcomes.
Perceived inequality leads to dissatisfaction.

Self Disclosure

Self-disclosure is the deliberate revealing of information about oneself which are significant to the relationship.
In a trusting relationships, self-disclosure is more common.

Relationship Issues

Conflicts can arise due to differences in perception, values, and communication styles.
Conflict-resolution skills are important to navigate arguments.

Cognitive Sources of Prejudice

Categorization: People organize the world through categories including ethnicity and gender.
Categorization often leads to overgeneralization about group similarities and differences.

Prejudice Consequences

Prejudice often shapes perception and behavior.
Stereotyping and discrimination can occur.
Self-fulfilling prophecies can come into play.

Prejudice Sources

Social inequalities can create prejudice.
Social dominance orientation: A preference for one's group to dominate other groups.
Socialization includes learning prejudice through family, media, and other social institutions..
Frustration and aggression: Frustration can be redirected toward a scapegoat.
Realistic group conflict theory: Prejudice stems from competition over scarce resources.
Social identity theory: Part of one's identity comes from group belonging; therefore, groups can be favored.
Modern prejudice: Prejudice exists implicitly in modern society.

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Description

Explore the fascinating dynamics of conformity and obedience through the lens of key psychological experiments, including Stanley Milgram's groundbreaking studies. Understand the factors influencing obedience and the emergence of group norms, alongside their implications for real-world contexts. Delve into how authority and emotional distance shape our responses in social situations.