Question 1

According to Latané's (1981) social impact theory, if group size increases from two to three members, the impact will increase __________ if a group increases from twenty-nine to thirty members.

Accepted Answer

According to Latané's social impact theory, the impact of a group increases as the size of the group increases. However, the rate of increase slows down as the group size gets larger. Therefore, the increase in impact from two to three members will be greater than the increase from 29 to 30 members, but it will not be exponential. Hence, option B is the correct choice.

Question 2

If you wanted to resist an influence attempt, social impact theory (Latané, 1981) suggests that you should __________.

Accepted Answer

Social impact theory suggests that decreasing the strength, immediacy, and number of the sources of influence can help to resist an influence attempt. Increasing the distance between oneself and the group can decrease the immediacy of the source of influence, making it easier to resist. Repeatedly thinking about how important the group is or spending as much time as possible with the group can increase the strength or number of sources of influence, making it harder to resist. Ensuring that the group is unanimous can increase the number of sources of influence as well, making it harder to resist.

Question 3

Moibi participates in two groups at school. One is the chess club. She is not very attached to this group and really only joined because they meet on Tuesdays and she needed to find something to do until 5 that day of the week. Moibi also is a cheerleader. Most of the other cheerleaders are her very close friends. If Moibi disagreed with a decision made by each of these two groups, what would be the most likely outcome, according to social impact theory?

Accepted Answer

According to social impact theory, the degree of influence of a group on an individual depends on three factors: strength, immediacy, and number. Moibi is not very attached to the chess club, and as such, its strength and immediacy are low. In addition, the number of members is also likely low, making the impact even less significant. However, Moibi is close friends with most of the cheerleaders, and therefore, the group's strength and immediacy are higher. The number of members may also be higher, increasing the impact further. Thus, Moibi is more likely to conform to the decision of the cheerleaders if she disagrees with them, but not to the chess club. Therefore, the best answer is D.

Question 4

Research shows that conformity is not always required of group members. If a member of your group occasionally deviates from the group and the group doesn't impose negative consequences, the individual has used some of his/her __________.

Accepted Answer

Idiosyncrasy credits refer to the amount of tolerance a group has towards a member who deviates from group norms. If the group member occasionally deviates from the group and the group doesn't impose negative consequences, it suggests that the individual has built up enough idiosyncrasy credits to deviate without facing negative consequences.

Question 5

Recall that when Solomon Asch (1955) conducted an experiment in which six confederates gave the wrong judgment about the lengths of lines and in which a seventh confederate gave the correct judgment, participants' normative conformity dropped drastically. These findings support the importance of __________ in creating conformity.

Accepted Answer

A unanimous group is crucial for creating conformity, as demonstrated by Asch's experiment. When there was at least one dissenter in the group, participants felt more comfortable deviating from the group's incorrect judgment, indicating that unanimity within the group significantly influences conformity.

Question 6

Suppose you wanted your friend Nick to agree to join the "Save the Seals" campaign, a campaign that most of your other friends support. You should invite Nick to a meeting of __________.

Accepted Answer

Inviting Nick to a meeting with four other friends who support "Save the Seals" would create a social environment where the majority supports the cause, potentially influencing Nick through social proof and peer pressure without presenting opposing views that could cause conflict or hesitation.

Question 7

You can build tolerance, over time, by conforming to group norms. Then, on some occasion when you deviate from the group, you will not suffer any retribution. These "credits" are referred to as __________.

Accepted Answer

The term used to describe the "credits" gained by conforming to group norms and being allowed to deviate from the group without retribution is idiosyncrasy credits. The other choices are not commonly used or recognized terms in this context.

Question 8

Fads such as Crocs, miniskirts, Mohawks, tattoos, and body piercing represent responses to __________.

Accepted Answer

The answer of Fads such as Crocs, miniskirts, Mohawks, tattoos,...

Question 9

Charlene typically goes along with what her group of friends wants and asks of her. However, one day she refuses to meet them for smoothies after class. Chances are, Charlene will face little retribution for this as long as she has enough __________.

Accepted Answer

Idiosyncrasy credits refer to the tolerance that group members have for deviations from group norms or expectations. Charlene's friends may be more likely to accept her refusal to meet up if she has built up enough idiosyncrasy credits by conforming to the group's expectations in the past. Therefore, the best answer is D.

Question 10

Recall that in an Asch-type conformity experiment (Frager, 1970), Japanese students were less conforming than were North Americans. According to researchers, these findings suggest that __________.

Accepted Answer

The finding that Japanese students were less conforming than North Americans suggests that in Japan, conformity is more likely in groups toward which one feels loyalty. This suggests that intra-group relationships and loyalty are more important in Japanese culture than simply conforming to social pressure.

Question 11

In the "Johnny Rocco" studies conducted by Schachter (1951), he found that when a confederate stubbornly deviated from the opinion of the rest of the group, the confederate was then more likely to __________.

Accepted Answer

In the "Johnny Rocco" studies, Schachter found that when a confederate stubbornly deviated from the opinion of the rest of the group, the confederate was more likely to be voted out of the group.

Question 12

Marcia values the opinions and desires of both her parents and her close friends. When she's with her parents, she finds herself agreeing with them. When she's with her friends, she finds herself agreeing with them, even though they sometimes disagree with her parents. This change in Marcia's behavior represents the influence of Bibb Latané's (1981) concept of __________ on normative conformity.

Accepted Answer

Immediacy refers to the physical or psychological closeness of an influence source, which can affect conformity. Marcia's behavior changes based on whether she is with her parents or friends, demonstrating the impact of immediacy on her conformity to each group's norms.

Question 13

Which situation below best exemplifies the tenet of social impact theory that group strength is directly related to conformity?

Accepted Answer

When eating with strangers, Suzie will talk with her mouth full, but not when eating with her friends. This exemplifies the tenet of social impact theory that group strength is directly related to conformity because the presence of others (strangers) increases the strength of the group and thus increases the likelihood that Suzie will conform to the group's norms (not talking with her mouth full).

Question 14

You're designing an activity for your social psychology class and you want to maximize conformity. What should you do to make that happen?

Accepted Answer

Group sizes of four or five are optimal for conformity, as they are large enough to exert social pressure without being so large that individual opinions get lost.

Question 15

If a person deviates from the norms of a group, the first thing the group is likely to do is __________.

Accepted Answer

When a person deviates from the norms of a group, the first response of the group is often to try to persuade the person to conform. This can happen through persuasion or pressure from the group to conform to its norms. It is only if persuasion fails that the group may resort to exclusion or assigning a lower status to the deviant person. Negative comments may also be made, but they are not always the first response.

Question 16

Teenagers are often more susceptible to influence attempts from peers than from their parents. This is because peers become more important to teenagers than their parents are. This example represents the influence of Bibb Latané's (1981) concept of __________ on normative conformity.

Accepted Answer

Bibb Latané's concept of "strength" in social impact theory refers to the importance or significance of the influencing group to the individual. In this case, peers have more influence on teenagers because they are perceived as more important or relevant than parents during this stage of life.

Question 17

Dr. Lemitt finds Bibb Latané's (1981) social impact theory very useful when she is researching conformity because its tenets __________.

Accepted Answer

Social impact theory focuses on the variables that make a source more influential in producing conformity, such as strength, immediacy, and number. Therefore, option D is the correct answer. Options A, B, and C are related to conformity but are not specifically attributed to social impact theory.

Question 18

According to Latané's (1981) social impact theory, Katy will binge eat with her sorority sisters because __________.

Accepted Answer

Latané's social impact theory suggests that individuals are influenced by the strength, immediacy, and number of sources present in a social situation. In this case, Katy's behavior (binge eating) is influenced by the immediacy (her sorority sisters are present) and the importance of the group (the sorority is very important to her).

Question 19

Which of the following comparisons represents the strength dimension as defined by social impact theory (Latané, 1981)?

Accepted Answer

The strength dimension in social impact theory refers to the importance, power, or intensity of the source of influence. Friends versus strangers represents this dimension because friends typically have more influence due to their stronger social ties and importance in one's life compared to strangers.

Question 20

You need to give a presentation in your class about Bibb Latané's social impact theory (1981). You want to focus on the three variables that influence the likelihood that people will conform to social influence pressures. Your lecture will include __________.

Accepted Answer

According to Latané's social impact theory, the three variables that influence the likelihood of people conforming to social influence pressures are strength (the importance or significance of the influencing group or individual), immediacy (the proximity or closeness of the influencing group or individual), and number (the number of individuals or group members exerting the influence). Therefore, option A is the correct choice. Option B is incorrect because norms, values, and social practices are related to socialization rather than social influence. Option C includes important factors, but they are not the three variables emphasized in Latané's theory. Option D does not accurately reflect the variables in Latané's theory.

Quiz 8: Conformity and Obedience: Influencing Behavior