Social Influence and Behavior Flashcards

A research participant is instructed by a person in a lab coat to deliver what they believe are increasingly painful electric shocks to another person. Despite the other person's cries of pain, the participant continues to follow the instructions. This behavior is a powerful demonstration of which social psychology concept?

Answer: Obedience to authority

This scenario directly mirrors Stanley Milgram's famous experiments on obedience. The research demonstrated that people are surprisingly willing to obey commands from a perceived authority figure (the person in the lab coat), even when those commands conflict with their personal conscience and involve harming another person.

Which of the following is a primary symptom of groupthink, a phenomenon where the desire for harmony in a decision-making group overrides a realistic appraisal of alternatives?

Answer: An illusion of invulnerability

Irving Janis identified several key symptoms of groupthink, including an 'illusion of invulnerability'. This symptom creates excessive optimism and encourages the group to take extreme risks because they believe they cannot fail. The other options are characteristic of healthy group dynamics that prevent groupthink.

A charity worker first asks a homeowner if they would be willing to sign a petition to support local parks. After the homeowner agrees, the worker then asks if they would be willing to make a small donation. This persuasion strategy is known as the:

Answer: Foot-in-the-door technique

The foot-in-the-door technique involves getting a person to agree to a large request by having them agree to a modest request first. Signing the petition is the small, initial request which makes the person more likely to comply with the subsequent, larger request for a donation.

The tendency for individuals to exert less effort when working collectively on a group task where their individual contributions are not monitored is known as:

Answer: Social loafing

Social loafing is the phenomenon where people in a group feel less accountable and therefore put in less effort toward a common goal compared to when they are individually accountable. It is distinct from social facilitation, where the presence of others can enhance performance on simple or well-learned tasks.

During a class discussion, a student is unsure of the answer to a complex question. After hearing several classmates confidently provide the same incorrect answer, the student agrees with them, believing that the group must have more information. This is an example of:

Answer: Informational social influence

Informational social influence occurs when people conform because they believe others have accurate information and they desire to be correct, especially in ambiguous situations. The student is conforming based on the perceived knowledge of the group, not primarily out of a desire to be liked (which would be normative social influence).

A person collapses on a crowded city sidewalk. Many people see the individual but fail to help, each assuming someone else will intervene. This failure to act is best explained by the principle of:

Answer: Diffusion of responsibility

Diffusion of responsibility is a key component of the bystander effect. It is a psychological phenomenon whereby a person is less likely to take responsibility for action when others are present because the sense of obligation is shared among all onlookers.