Lesson Notes

Lesson 16.3a  Social Influence: Conformity and Obedience

In this lesson you will learn about conformity and obedience. Why are gangs so powerful? Why may you feel pressure to do things that your friends want to do, although you don’t agree with it (i.e. do drugs)? Why do people listen to a police officer when he tells you to pull over? These are behaviours in everyday life that form (and in some instances), govern our society. You will learn about two major theorists that are the most influential figures in this field:

Solomon Asch:    

Asch’s study of conformity may appear unbelievable, but rest assured that this study has been done over and over again. People have a tendency to “go along with others”. Asch explores the reasons this happens and has concluded that the main reasons for conformity are the need to “fit in” or be accepted.

Stanley Milgram:

As was mentioned in the first chapter, Stanley Milgram’s experiment was a major contributor to the development of psychological ethics, but also for helping people understand the role of obedience. Milgram was intrigued by the Nuremberg Trials after WWII that saw Nazi solider after Nazi soldier claim that, “they were only following orders.” This lack of responsibility people took for their actions, led him to conduct his revolutionary experiment. Milgram was able to conclude that there were four main factors to determine whether someone would obey another person.

Lesson 16.3b  Group Processes: Membership and Decision Making

In this lesson you will learn about the power of the group. Within most groups there are roles that people follow. For example, many times (even perhaps within your group of friends) there is a leader and others are followers. Although groups can have many positive aspects, there are situations where group pressure can have a negative impact. Through processes like deindividuation, groupthink, and group polarization, organizations like the Ku Klux Klan, various cults, political parties, and even teenage gangs are able to flourish in our society. One of the most influential studies in group processes was conducted by Philip Zimbardo.

Philip Zimbardo: In this lesson you will read about Zimbardo’s famous Stanford Prison Experiment which saw normal college students take on the roles of prisoners and guards. Follow the slide show to get a better understanding of this famous experiment. Although the experiment was to last two weeks, the experiment was quickly cut short after a few days after “prisoners” started to experience negative psychological affects. Understanding of this experiment will give you a clear idea of the power of groups. Watch the following video to get a first hand look at Stanford Prison.

Lesson 16.3c  Aggression: Explaining and Controlling It

This lesson is about aggression. Why are some people aggressive? Why do they seek to hurt others? This section explores this topic from a nature/nurture perspective. You will learn that there are possible biological and cultural factors behind aggression. After looking at possible explanations for aggression, you will learn about ways of controlling and even eliminating aggression.

Lesson 16.3d  Alturism: Why We Help (and Don’t Help) Others

You have probably experienced or witnessed many of the topics discussed in this chapter, whether that be prejudice, discrimination, aggression, or group pressures. This lesson looks at the subject of altruism: an action intended to help others without any direct benefit to the helper. Although there are many negative instances that you may witness in your life, there are probably just as many altruistic moments happening as well (perhaps we just don’t notice them). This lesson also looks at why we “don’t” help as well. Latane and Darley in 1970 investigated this issue after reading about the story of Kitty Genovese.