PSY 2110 Chapter Notes - Chapter 7: Formal System, Pole And Polar, Authoritarian Personality
27 Apr 2018
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CHAPTER 7: SOCIAL INFLUENCE
SOCIAL LEARNING THEORY
•Social learning: the capacity to learn from observing others
•Children are more likely to imitate something they observed if the model got a reward, and less likely to
imitate if the model was punished
•Learning is influenced by our sensitivity to social cues and motivations
imitation more likely if model seemed likeable and similar to the children
•Social learning is more likely if the behaviour observed is consistent with motivational state of the
observer (i.e. frustrated kids imitate a violent model but rewarded models tend to be imitated regardless of
the motivational state of the observer
•Chameleon effect: tendency to mimic unconsciously, nonverbal mannerisms of someone that you’re
interacting with (i.e. shaking foot)
people automatically shift their attitudes towards what they think another person’s opinion might be,
especially when they want to get along with that person
role of liking - mimicry happen because most social interactions involve goal of trying to get along.
RESISTANCE TO CONFORMITY: INDIVIDUALISM
•Standing out causes discomfort, being seen as conformist is also undesirable in western cultures
there’s nothing about us that we think is distinctive
•Desire for individuation
individuation: differentiation of oneself from others by emphasis on one’s uniqueness or individuality
when you let people know they’re just like everyone else, then give them the chance to conform - they
are less likely to conform compared to if they weren’t first reminded they’re not unique
NfU (need for uniqueness) varies from person to person
impact of telling them the majority opinion has a larger impact on those with a low NfU, people with a
high NfU weren’t very reactant and didn’t disagree with he majority if it aligns with their independent
opinion
CONFORMITY VS. OBEDIENCE
FACTORS IMPACTING OBEDIENCE
•Situational
Authority Figure
authority’s distance: further away (i.e. by phone) = less likely to obey
authority’s legitimacy: decrease obedience if an assistant gave the command
Victim’s Distance
obedience decrease when victim is closer, and drop even more if you have to physically compel the
shock on the victim
Institutional Prestige
authority being part of a famous institution
Models of Disobedience
having confederates disobeying decreased the percentage of obedience
•Having an authoritarian personality increases obedience
view society as naturally competitive, hierarchical, submissive towards authoritative people
strongly believe in conformity, social darwinism
less empathetic
•No difference between sex and cultures
Conformity
Obedience
Description
Informal social norms (clothes, etiquette) guides
social behaviour
Formal social norms (plagiarism, competitions,
murder) ensures fairness, order, protect human
rights
any action engaged to fulfill the direct
order/command of another person
(typically of authority)
When they don’t
follow
informal: seen as rude or unusual
formal: morally doing something wrong
not following a command
Enforcement
informal: socially excluding those that don’t
conform
formal: formal system run by people with
authority
the pressure to obey is very direct and
explicit
Societal benefits
informal: making positive behaviours more
common (i.e. recycling, holding the door)
social harmony, can walk around
feeling safe and secure
Personal
benefits
social acceptance/understanding, desire for
affiliation / to be right
social acceptance, safety, stability,
predictability
