ISI support
LUCAS
- Greater conformity to incorrect answers when maths questions more difficult.
- Most true for students with poorer mathematical ability.
ASCH
Conformity increased when standard and comparison lines closer in length.
NSI support
ASCH
- Ppts conformed to incorrect answer 36.8% of the time.
- Claimed because afraid of disapproval.
- When ppts wrote down answers conformity fell to 12.5%.
ISI individual differences
ASCH
Students less conformist than other ppts; 28% vs 36.8%.
PERRIN AND SPENCER
Asch repeat with engineering students and found only 1 student conformed in 396 trials.
KEY STUDY: Asch (conformity)
ASCH
Procedure:
- 123 American male undergraduates tested alongside 6-8 confederates.
- Each ppts took part in 18 trails, 12 of which critical (confederates gave wrong answer).
- Ppts shown 2 large white cards at a time; standard line on one and 3 comparison lines on the other.
- Answer was obvious.
Findings
- Ppts conformed 36.8% of the time.
- 75% ppts conformed at least once.
- Claimed conformed due to NSI.
- Students conformed 28% of the time.
- Conformity dropped to 12.5% when wrote answers down.
Asch variations (conformity)
ASCH
- Group size - majority of more than 3 made little difference; 32% with 3 confederates.
- Unanimity - dissenting confederate dropped conformity by 1/4.
- Task difficulty - conformity increased when standard and comparison lines closer in length (ISI).
Asch against
PERRIN AND SPENCER
Only 1 student conformed in 396 trials of engineering students.
NETO
Women more conformist.
KEY STUDY: Zimbardo (conformity to social roles)
ZIMBARDO
Procedure:
- 24 mentally stable volunteer students randomly allocated role of prisoner or guard.
- Prisoners arrested in their homes, blind-folded, strip-searched and given uniform and identification number.
- Guards had identical uniforms, clubs and handcuffs. and worked shifts 3 at a time. Told had complete power over the prisoners.
Findings:
- Guards harassed and punished prisoners e.g. headcounts in the middle of the night.
- Prisoners rebelled on day 2 by shouting/swearing/ripping uniforms. Guards retaliated with fire extinguishers.
- Prisoners became depressed and subdued: 1 released on first day due to psychological disturbance, 2 more on 4th and 1 went on hunger strike (was force-fed by guards, put in ‘the hole’ and shunned by prisoners.
- 90% of conversation prison related.
- Stopped after 6 of intended 14 days.
Zimbardo against
HASLAM AND REICHER
Replication of Zimbardo called ‘BBC prison study’. Prisoners took control and harassed guards; guards failed to develop shared identity (social identity theory) and conform to roles.
KEY STUDY: Milgram (obedience)
MILGRAM
Procedure:
- 40 men aged 20-50 from newspaper advertisement (told participating in memory study).
- Paid $4.50 at outset.
- Rigged draw meant ppt always teacher and ‘Mr Wallace’ learner.
- Teacher instructed to give increasing ‘shocks’ when learner made mistake/didn’t answer in simple word pair task.
- Shocks ranged from 15V ‘slight shock’ to 450V ‘danger: extreme shock’. At 300V ‘intense shock’ learner pounded on wall, at 315V pounded again and gave no further responses.
- 4 prods gave by experimenter:
1. ‘Please continue’
2. ‘The experiment requires that you continue’
3. ‘It is absolutely essential that you continue’
4. ‘You have no other choice, you must go on’
Findings:
- None stopped before 300V (12.5%).
- 65% continued to highest level.
- Ppts showed signs of extreme tension e.g. sweating, mumbling. 3 had ‘full blown uncontrollable seizures’.
- 84% said glad participated in survey.
Milgram support
SHERIDAN AND KING
Real shocks on puppies; 54% of men and 100% of women delivered what they thought was the fatal shock.
GAME OF DEATH
- Reality show replication where 80% ppts delivered max. shock to ‘unconscious’ man in front of live audience. - Similar levels of discomfort to Milgram ppts.
HOFLING
21/22 nurses obeyed unjustified orders from unknown doctor over phone to administer unknown drug.
MIRANDA
Found 90% obedience in Spanish students.
Milgram against
RANK AND JACOBSON
Known doctor asked nurses to administer Valium and were allowed to discuss. Only 2/18 obeyed.
Milgram variations (obedience)
MILGRAM
- Proximity
- 40% in same room.
- 30% forcing learners hand.
- 20.5% instructions over phone + ppts pretended to give shocks/gave weaker ones. - Location -
- Dropped to 47.5% when in run-down office. - Uniform -
- Dropped to 20% when experimenter member of public in everyday clothes.
Uniform support
BICKMAN
- 3 confederates in jacket and tie, milkman’s outfit or security guard’s uniform.
- Asked passer-byers to do tasks such as picking up litter.
- Twice as likely to obey instructions from security guard than jacket and tie.
Legitimacy of authority support
BLASS AND SCHMITT
Showed Milgram to students and found blamed experimenter for harm; experimenter had legitimate authority and ppt in agentic state.
KEY STUDY: Adorno (authoritarian personality)
ADORNO
Procedure:
- 2000 American men
- Developed scales such as potential for fascism scale (F-scale).
- Looked for causes of obedience and attitudes towards other racial groups.
Findings:
- Authoritarians (scored highly on F-scale):
1. Identify with the strong and are contemptuous of the weak.
2. Conscious of social statuses and have excessive effect for authority.
3. Fixed cognitive style: distinctive stereotypes and highly prejudice.
Authoritarian personality support
MILGRAM
interviewed ppts and found correlation between obedience and score on F-scale.
Social support decreases conformity support
ASCH
Conformity dropped by 1/4 in presence of dissenter.
In another variation dissenter wore thick glasses + said trouble with vision; conformity still decreased.
Social support decreases obedience support
GAMSON
Milgram replication in groups; 29/33 disobeyed.
LOC support
HOLLAND
Milgram replication + measured LOC of ppts.
- 37% internals didn’t continue to highest shock.
- 23% externals didn’t continue to highest shock.
- Explains resistance to obedience.
LOC against
TWENGE
Analysed data from American LOC studies over 40 year period and found society becoming less obedient and more external; contradictory.
Consistency in minority influence support
MOSCOVICI
Procedure:
- 6 ppts viewed 36 blue slides and asked to state whether blue or green.
- 2 confederates consistently said 2/3 slides green
Findings:
- Ppts gave wrong answer 8% (control group 0.25%) of the time.
- In another condition minority inconsistent and agreement fell to 1%.
WOOD
Meta-analysis of 100 similar studies and found consistent minorities had more influence.
Flexibility in minority influence support
NEMETH
- Groups of 1 confederate and 3 ppts negotiated compensation for someone in ski accident.
- Confederate pushing for low sum.
- Ppts agreed lower sum if confederate flexible.
Deeper processing in minority influence support
MARTIN
- Gave ppts supporting viewpoint from either minority or minority.
- When exposed to contradictory view those who heard original from minority less willing to change views.
- Internalisation occurred.
NSI causing social change support
NOLAN
- Hung messages on front doors of houses every week for a month.
- In experimental group message said most residents trying to reduce energy usage.
- In control group message asked to save energy.
- Significant energy reduction in experimental group.
