Social
Psycholo
gy
Obedience and
prejudice
2
, Social Psychology Contents
Key assumptions of social psychology..................................................................3
Milgram’s study of obedience (1963)....................................................................4
Original study – Must know................................................................................ 4
Experiment 7 - Absent authority........................................................................6
Experiment 10 – Rundown office block..............................................................6
Experiment 13 – Ordinary man giving orders....................................................7
Replicating Milgram: Burger (2009) – Must know..................................................7
Evaluation.......................................................................................................... 8
The Agency Theory............................................................................................... 8
Evaluation.......................................................................................................... 9
The Social Impact Theory.................................................................................... 10
Social laws....................................................................................................... 11
Sedikides & Jackson (1990).............................................................................. 12
French & Raven (1959).................................................................................... 12
Evaluation........................................................................................................ 13
Social Identity Theory (SIT)................................................................................. 17
Tajfel and Turner (1979).................................................................................. 17
Minimal groups (1970)..................................................................................... 18
Jane Elliot – brown and blue eyes (1968).........................................................18
Zimbardo’s research (1973)............................................................................ 20
Evaluation........................................................................................................ 21
Realistic Conflict Theory..................................................................................... 22
Robbers’ Cave by Sherif et al. - 1954..............................................................23
Issues and debates............................................................................................. 24
Ethics............................................................................................................... 24
Practical issues in design................................................................................. 24
Psychology as a science.................................................................................. 25
Socially sensitive............................................................................................. 25
Social control................................................................................................... 25
Reductionism................................................................................................... 25
Themes and approaches.................................................................................. 26
Bias.................................................................................................................. 27
Hereditary or nurture....................................................................................... 27
2
, Key assumptions of social psychology
Human nature & behaviour: Assumption social psychology focuses social
aspects of humans.
Explain the effects of interaction between individuals.
-Agency theory - people are agents for society
-People help each other depending on behaviour, body language and issues
of obedience. This is known as the social approach.
Explain how people are affected by being in groups.
-It is assumed by the social approach that people live in a society
-Behaviour is affected by experiences in society
-people are assumed to be members of groups
-Groups are prejudice against each other
-People tend to copy each other within the group
Explain how by being in social situations can affect behaviour.
-Causes you to change behaviour, words and actions
What is meant by 'social roles '? Give one example of this from a study.
-Social role = something people regard themselves and others as in society
-People behave according to social roles
-Milgram’s work found people in higher authority are obeyed more than
‘ordinary’ people.
Reicher and Haslam’s experiment – social role of prisoner and guard found
that people behave according to roles.
Obedience – obeying direct orders from someone in authority
Conforming – doing something which is against the individual’s own inclinations,
but not doing it with the intention of matching the behaviour of the majority
Compliance – going along with what someone says, while not necessarily agreeing
with it (mainly peers rather than authority)
Internalising – obeying with agreement
Self-fulfilling prophecy – living to other’s expectations e.g. viewed as gangster so
becomes gangster
Diffusion of responsibility - A person is less likely to take responsibility for action or
inaction when others are present. The individual assumes that others either are
responsible for acting or have already done so. Assumption of responsibility tends
to decrease when the potential helping group is larger.
2
Psycholo
gy
Obedience and
prejudice
2
, Social Psychology Contents
Key assumptions of social psychology..................................................................3
Milgram’s study of obedience (1963)....................................................................4
Original study – Must know................................................................................ 4
Experiment 7 - Absent authority........................................................................6
Experiment 10 – Rundown office block..............................................................6
Experiment 13 – Ordinary man giving orders....................................................7
Replicating Milgram: Burger (2009) – Must know..................................................7
Evaluation.......................................................................................................... 8
The Agency Theory............................................................................................... 8
Evaluation.......................................................................................................... 9
The Social Impact Theory.................................................................................... 10
Social laws....................................................................................................... 11
Sedikides & Jackson (1990).............................................................................. 12
French & Raven (1959).................................................................................... 12
Evaluation........................................................................................................ 13
Social Identity Theory (SIT)................................................................................. 17
Tajfel and Turner (1979).................................................................................. 17
Minimal groups (1970)..................................................................................... 18
Jane Elliot – brown and blue eyes (1968).........................................................18
Zimbardo’s research (1973)............................................................................ 20
Evaluation........................................................................................................ 21
Realistic Conflict Theory..................................................................................... 22
Robbers’ Cave by Sherif et al. - 1954..............................................................23
Issues and debates............................................................................................. 24
Ethics............................................................................................................... 24
Practical issues in design................................................................................. 24
Psychology as a science.................................................................................. 25
Socially sensitive............................................................................................. 25
Social control................................................................................................... 25
Reductionism................................................................................................... 25
Themes and approaches.................................................................................. 26
Bias.................................................................................................................. 27
Hereditary or nurture....................................................................................... 27
2
, Key assumptions of social psychology
Human nature & behaviour: Assumption social psychology focuses social
aspects of humans.
Explain the effects of interaction between individuals.
-Agency theory - people are agents for society
-People help each other depending on behaviour, body language and issues
of obedience. This is known as the social approach.
Explain how people are affected by being in groups.
-It is assumed by the social approach that people live in a society
-Behaviour is affected by experiences in society
-people are assumed to be members of groups
-Groups are prejudice against each other
-People tend to copy each other within the group
Explain how by being in social situations can affect behaviour.
-Causes you to change behaviour, words and actions
What is meant by 'social roles '? Give one example of this from a study.
-Social role = something people regard themselves and others as in society
-People behave according to social roles
-Milgram’s work found people in higher authority are obeyed more than
‘ordinary’ people.
Reicher and Haslam’s experiment – social role of prisoner and guard found
that people behave according to roles.
Obedience – obeying direct orders from someone in authority
Conforming – doing something which is against the individual’s own inclinations,
but not doing it with the intention of matching the behaviour of the majority
Compliance – going along with what someone says, while not necessarily agreeing
with it (mainly peers rather than authority)
Internalising – obeying with agreement
Self-fulfilling prophecy – living to other’s expectations e.g. viewed as gangster so
becomes gangster
Diffusion of responsibility - A person is less likely to take responsibility for action or
inaction when others are present. The individual assumes that others either are
responsible for acting or have already done so. Assumption of responsibility tends
to decrease when the potential helping group is larger.
2
