Psychology Degree Social Influence and Behavior Questions and Answers Flashcards

A student changes her publicly stated opinion to match her study group but privately maintains her original belief. This is an example of which type of conformity?

Answer: Compliance

Compliance involves outwardly conforming to group norms while privately disagreeing, driven by a desire for social acceptance.

In Zimbardo's Stanford Prison Experiment, guards' increasingly aggressive behavior is best explained by which psychological process?

Answer: Deindividuation

Deindividuation, the loss of individual self-awareness and accountability within a group role, contributed to guards' escalating aggression.

Which of the following best describes the concept of minority influence as studied by Moscovici?

Answer: A consistent small group can shift the majority's private views over time

Moscovici demonstrated that a consistent and committed minority can produce genuine attitude change in the majority through informational influence.

When people exert less effort on a group task because their individual contributions cannot be identified, this is known as:

Answer: Social loafing

Social loafing refers to the reduction in individual effort when people work collectively and personal output is not individually evaluated.

According to Cialdini's principles of influence, which principle explains why people feel obligated to return a favor?

Answer: Reciprocity

The reciprocity principle states that people feel a strong social obligation to repay what another person has provided to them.

A jury that suppresses dissenting opinions to maintain harmony and reaches a poorly reasoned verdict is demonstrating:

Answer: Groupthink

Groupthink occurs when a cohesive group prioritizes consensus over critical evaluation, often leading to flawed decision-making.