Question 1

What is the difference between conformity and obedience?

Accepted Answer

Conformity involves changing behaviour to fit in with a group, often due to peer pressure (e.g., Asch's line experiment). Obedience involves following direct orders from an authority figure (e.g., Milgram's shock experiment). The key difference is the source of influence: peers vs. authority. Conformity is usually implicit, while obedience is explicit.

Question 2

Why did Milgram's participants obey?

Accepted Answer

Milgram proposed several factors: the agentic state (seeing oneself as an agent of authority), legitimacy of the authority figure (Yale University setting), gradual commitment (small shocks first), and the buffer of distance (learner in another room). Situational pressures overwhelmed personal morality.

Question 3

How does minority influence lead to social change?

Accepted Answer

Minority influence works through consistency (same message over time), commitment (personal sacrifice), and flexibility (willing to negotiate). This draws attention, creates deeper processing, and triggers the augmentation principle (risks taken increase credibility). Over time, the minority view spreads via the snowball effect, eventually becoming the new norm (social cryptoamnesia).

Question 4

What are the ethical issues with Asch's and Milgram's studies?

Accepted Answer

Both studies involved deception (participants thought they were in a real experiment). Milgram's participants experienced severe distress (sweating, trembling), and were not fully debriefed immediately. Asch's participants were misled about the purpose. However, both studies provided valuable insights, and modern ethical guidelines (e.g., BPS) now require informed consent, right to withdraw, and debriefing.

Question 5

How can I remember the types of conformity?

Accepted Answer

Use the acronym 'CII' (Compliance, Identification, Internalisation). Compliance is public but not private (like agreeing to wear a uniform you dislike). Identification is public and private only when with the group (like supporting a football team). Internalisation is deep acceptance (like changing your political views).

Question 6

What is the authoritarian personality and how does it relate to obedience?

Accepted Answer

The authoritarian personality is a dispositional explanation for obedience, proposed by Adorno et al. (1950). People with this personality type are highly respectful of authority, submissive to superiors, and hostile to subordinates. They are more likely to obey destructive orders. Milgram's participants who scored high on the F-scale (authoritarianism) were more obedient. However, this explanation is limited because it ignores situational factors and is based on correlational data.

Social influence

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