Social Influence and Behavior Flashcards

In Milgram's obedience experiments, what factor most significantly reduced participants' willingness to deliver shocks?

Answer: Adding a second confederate who refused

When a peer confederate refused to continue, compliance dropped dramatically because social support undermined the authority's power.

The 'foot-in-the-door' technique works primarily because of which psychological principle?

Answer: Commitment and consistency

People comply with larger requests after agreeing to small ones because they want to remain consistent with their self-image as helpful.

Which concept describes the tendency for individuals to exert less effort when working in a group than when working alone?

Answer: Social loafing

Social loafing occurs when individual contributions are not identifiable, reducing personal accountability.

A person publicly agrees with a group's opinion but privately disagrees. This is an example of:

Answer: Compliance

Compliance involves outward conformity without private acceptance, driven by desire to avoid conflict or gain rewards.

According to Moscovici's research, minority influence is most effective when the minority is:

Answer: Consistent and persistent

Consistent and unwavering minority positions signal confidence and cause majority members to reconsider their views.

The 'bystander effect' is best explained by which two processes?

Answer: Diffusion of responsibility and pluralistic ignorance

Bystanders fail to help because they assume others will act (diffusion) and look to others who also appear unconcerned (pluralistic ignorance).

Which term describes the intensification of a group's initial attitudes after group discussion?

Answer: Group polarization

Group polarization means that discussion tends to push the group toward a more extreme version of its pre-discussion average opinion.