Social Psych Ch 8
One of the factors associated with compliance is social validation. This is because we
are in need of being correct, and one way to do so is to emulate the behaviors of others whom we see as similar to ourselves in some way.
Suppose you are taking a friend to a party. The invitation specified that the party would begin at 6:00. When you arrive at your friend's apartment at 5:45 to pick her up, she tells you she won't be ready to leave before about 6:30 and comments that "Nobody arrives on time, anyway." Your friend is following a(n)
implicit social norm.
James, a 17-year-old high school student, has just moved to a new city and enrolled in a new school. At his old school, there were strong social norms against teenagers smoking cigarettes. At his new school, however, several of his new friends regularly smoke and say to him, "C'mon, don't be a jerk, have one of mine." As a result, James is likely to begin smoking because of the
normative social influence.
When an auto dealer offers you an extra option as a "closer" for a deal, the dealer is using
the that's-not-all technique.
Among the following, who is a compliance professional?
A political fund-raiser
Which of the following is a form of unintentional social influence?
Modeling
Mrs. Taunton is a teacher at a middle school in New York City. One day, her students are acting very boisterously. Mrs. Taunton quickly raps a ruler on the desk and says, "Be quiet!" Which type of social influence caused the students' behavior to change?
Obedience
Which of the following strategies has been shown to contribute to sharp reductions in destructive obedience?
Reminding individuals that they, rather than authorities, are responsible for any harm produced
Quentin has never liked his coworker, Ryan. One day, he notices that Ryan is called into the manager's office, and he can overhear the manager chastising Ryan for his months of low sales numbers. Quentin takes pleasure in this fact. Quentin is experiencing
Schadenfreude.
Many atrocities have been committed because of a gradual escalation in the scope of commands given from a person in authority. This factor is closely related to which compliance technique?
The foot-in-the-door technique
A possible reason why authority figures can be so successful in getting obedience for horrific tasks is that they
allow the obedient person to escalate their tasks very gradually.
Norman is in a group where he strongly believes that his judgment is correct, but he does not want to appear different. A possible way he may deal with this situation is to
alter his perception of the information provided so that he can feel comfortable with conforming to the group influence.
After seeing a commercial for sneakers supposedly designed by the basketball star Michael Jordan, Dave decides to rush out and buy a pair. Dave has been influenced as a result of the compliance principle of
authority.
Even though there is a sign that clearly says "Park closes after 9 P.M.," Mary says to herself, "What a silly sign! I just want to walk around here; I'm not a 'bad guy'" and proceeds to walk in the park. Mary's behavior is ________ with normative focus theory since she ________.
consistent; is disobeying an injunctive norm that she does not see as related to her own actions
Jenna saw in the paper that a department store was having a "One-Day Closeout of Winter Dresses" sale. If she goes to that sale and buys something, she will be a victim of the
deadline technique.
One of the key findings from Stanley Milgram's studies was that pressures to obey are
difficult to resist even if they involve harming another person.
Ada had missed the notes for several classes and asked Rob for the notes for one day. Rob gave the notes to Ada, who copied them and then asked Rob for a week's worth of notes. Because of the ________, Rob is highly likely to give Ada the notes.
foot-in-the-door technique
James and Wanda just bought a house, and moved into a new, upscale neighborhood. One of their friends, who lives down the street from them, has installed a hot tub in her rock garden and has pointed out all the advantages of having one. James and Wanda are debating whether to install a rock garden with a hot tub in their new home. Their decision may be strongly influenced by the ________ influence of their friend.
informational social
Three college friends went swimming in a local creek, ignoring both a No Trespassing sign and a No Swimming sign. These friends were violating
injunctive norms.
When confronted with the that's-not-all technique, we should always remember that the person making the request
is using a strategy that will make gaining comliance more likely.
In several variations on Asch's classic experiment, a standard-setting line was first presented to small groups of people, followed by the presentation of three comparison lines of different lengths. In one condition, two of three accomplices, posing as students, chose an incorrect answer before the subject could respond. The third accomplice sometimes chose a correct response and sometimes chose a more incorrect response. Under these conditions, respondents were more likely to choose the correct response. These results suggest
it becomes easier to resist conformity pressure once unanimity of the group is broken.
Jack has agreed to purchase a new car for $18,000. However, just before he gets ready to sign the contract, the salesman tells Jack that the sales manager will not approve the amount allowed for his trade-in, and that the contract will have to be higher, probably around $19,000. Jack has just been the victim of the
lowball technique.
Frank hires a handyman to install drywall in a room he's renovating. Frank has always wanted to know how to do this himself, so he watches much of the work the handyman does and takes notes on the supplies needed and the procedures followed. The following year, Frank installs drywall in another room by himself. Frank was able to do this due to
modeling.
One way in which symbolic social influence may work is by allowing the psychological presence of others to trigger goals with which the other persons are associated. This may, in turn, influence our
performance on tasks and our commitment to reaching these goals.
One reason that people are willing to obey persons in authority who order them to engage in destructive behaviors is that
persons in authority often possess visible signs of their status that remind us of the social norm for obedience to authorities.
Erin has been living with her boyfriend for a year. During that time, Erin has heard her boyfriend and his family make many negative comments about Asians. When her boyfriend's family is around, Erin also occasionally makes negative comments about Asians, even though she doesn't believe these comments are based in facts. This situation best represents the distinction between ________ and ________.
public conformity; private acceptance
Two years ago, Ursula loaned Katie $300 even though the two women didn't know each other very well. Now, Ursula has approached Katie to ask if Katie can loan her $200. Katie says yes. Katie's compliance rests on the principle of
reciprocity.
Your best friend Natalie has recently warned you against giving anyone you don't know well a ride home from a party. Recently, you attended a party and spent the whole night reminiscing with other friends about fun times you had all shared with Natalie. Later, a stranger approaches you and asks for a ride home; because your relational schema is activated, you will most likely
refuse to give the stranger a ride.
One way to help people become more resistant to commands from authorities that may lead to destructive behaviors is to
remind people that they—not the authorities—are responsible for any harm done.
Zosha and three of her friends have just watched a new movie. As they walk out of the movie, Zosha's friends are talking about how much they enjoyed the movie and how good the actor's portrayal was. If one of her friends then asks Zosha how she liked the movie, she is likely to say that
she also enjoyed the movie.
Marla and Tim are watching a documentary on television about the kidnapping of children. At one point during the documentary, during a scene in which a dramatization shows the reaction of a father when he learns of his daughter's kidnapping, Marla looks over at Tim and notices that he is crying. Tim's emotion is due to
social contagion.
Rachel attends a New Year's Eve party with her friends. They are having fun at the party, dancing and drinking champagne. At one point during the party, a woman that Rachel doesn't know asks her if she wants to go into another room and try some cocaine with her. Instinctively, Rachel's first thought is "what would my mother think if she knew about this?" Rachel can't bear the thought and declines. Her decision is due to
symbolic social influence.
All of the following individuals would likely be considered a "compliance professional" EXCEPT a(n)
telephone operator.
One reason that people are willing to obey persons in authority who order them to engage in destructive behaviors is that
the authority figure relieves those who obey of responsibility for their actions.
In Asch's classic experiment, a standard-setting line was first presented to small groups of people, followed by the presentation of three comparison lines of different lengths. In one condition, three accomplices, posing as students, chose an incorrect answer before the subject could respond. Frequently, the subject would then also select an incorrect response. This result illustrates
the influence of group pressure to conform.