PSY 205 Lecture Notes - Lecture 12: Mass Suicide, Social Influence, Stanford Prison Experiment

• School: Syracuse University
• Department: Psychology
• Course: PSY 205
• Professor: Dr. Shannon C. Houck

Document Summary

How we think and behave is often influenced by other people. Social psychology: the scientific study of how people think about and are influenced by other people. Conformity: adjusting our behavior or thinking toward some group standard. Group size: the larger the group, the greater the impact on conformity (up to 7 people) Group unanimity: conformity decreased if another person deviated from the majority view. People may conform because they do not want to be or feel left out: learning, affiliation motivation: a person"s need to feel a sense of involvement and belonging within a social group, informational social influence. Obedience: when people follow direct commands, usually from an authority figure. Jim jones- led over 900 people into a mass suicide. Research on obedience: stanley milgram"s research (1961) The teacher is told to administer an electric shock every time the learner makes a mistake, increasing the level of shock each time.