Investigating Social Dynamics: Power, Conformity, and Obedience INTRODUCTION American Psychologist Philip Zimbardo is known for his Stanford prison study among many other works, one of the most notable being The Lucifer Effect: Understanding how good people turn evil. One of Zimbardo’s (2008) influences to write this book came from Stanley Milgram’s experiments that studied blind obedience to authority. In chapter twelve of this book, Zimbardo analyzes these experiments as well as other sociological and psychological studies to investigate the role social dynamics play in influencing power, conformity and obedience. With the previous chapters focusing specifically on the Stanford prison experiment, chapter twelve has significant importance as Zimbardo uses previous research to create theories to explain the results of his study and applies to them to the broader scale of humanity as a whole (Zimbardo 2008). His goal in this chapter is to prove that based on the research he outlines on social psychology; situational forces play a major role in determining human’s actions.
Having Fun With Operational Definitions Adapted from teachpsychscience.org Directions: Identify and operationally define the independent and dependent variables in each of the following research ideas. Research Idea #1: A social psychologist was interested in whether people are more likely to exhibit conformity when they are in situations that make them feel nervous and unsure of themselves. What is the independent variable? How would you define it operationally? What is the dependent variable?
Maureen Hannan Philip G. Zimbardo's article, Does Psychology Make a Significant Difference in Our Lives?, discusses the ways psychological research,theory, methods, and practices affected the lives of individuals, communities, and nations. After relaying scholarly information about himself Zimbardo presents the contributions psychology has already made to our lives. The contributions include psychological testing and assessment, positive reinforcement, psychological therapies, self-directed change, parenting tips, treatment for psychological stress, and decreasing prejudice and discrimination. According to the author, psychology testing and assessment contributes to our lives by developing and depending on tests like the SAT and Armed Services Vocational Aptitude Battery to measure human talents, abilities, strengths, and weaknesses. Psychology brings about positive reinforcement with its emphasis on only punishing bad behavior.
ETHICAL CASE STUDIES Case study 1: Milgram's experiments on obedience to authority In a series of famous - and notorious - experiments, Stanley Milgram (1974) studies the factors involved in obedience to authority. Milgram recruited volunteers through a newspaper advert, which described a study of "learning and memory". Upon arriving at the laboratory the volunteers were met by the 'experimenter' and by another 'subject', who was actually a confederate of the research team. The experimenter explained that the study dealt with the effects of punishment on learning, and that one of the subjects would be the teacher and one the learner. Lots were apparently drawn, but it was arranged that in each case the volunteer would be the teacher.
In Stanley Milgram’s article “The Perils of Obedience” the author finds that adults have the capability and willingness to go to extreme ends, even inflicting pain on others, to follow orders and show obedience. Through the author’s extensive experiments he has found time and time again that average, ordinary people will inflict pain on other human beings when ordered to do so by a person in authority. Dr. Milgram says that obedience is rooted deep into the human psyche and can be a more powerful force on a person’s actions than their learned behaviors of “ethics, sympathy, and moral conduct” (693). Milgram’s experiments consisted of an “experimenter” that was overseeing the process, a “teacher” and a “learner”. The subjects were informed
Explain what is meant by social influence Social influence is the term given to the way in which an individual’s behaviour, attitudes or beliefs are changed in some way due to the presence or actions of other people. It refers to the effect one person or a group of people has on another person or group of people. Since early history humans have attempted to define and refine the principles of successful influence. The science of social influence, however, can trace its roots to the Second World War, when a social psychologist named Carl Hovland was contracted by the US Armed Forces to bolster morale. Since then social influence has become a field of study devoted to discovering the principles that determine our beliefs, create attitudes, and move us to action.
Learning Theory 3 The social learning theory is the behavior theory most significant to criminology. Albert Bandura alleged aggression is erudite through a curse of action called behavior modeling. He believed that individuals do not actually inherit violent tendencies, but they modeled them (Bandura & Ribes, 1976). Albert Bandura and other theorist argued that individuals, especially children, learn aggressive responses from observing others, either personally or through the media and environments (Bandura, 1976). He stated that many individuals believed that aggression will fabricate reinforcements.
This essay will evaluate the effectiveness, reliability, and the strengths and weaknesses of two different personality tests. The Thematic Apperception Test (projective) and the Myer Briggs Type Indicator (objective). It will also asses when these test should and shouldn’t be used. The Thematic Apperception Test (TAT) is a projective method of testing created by Christiana D. Morgan and Henry A. Murray (1934) intended to evaluate a person's attitudes towards themselves and others. Moreover, this technique of testing was often utilized on individuals applying for employment in fields that required a high level of ability in dealing with others.
Behaviorists believe that a person’s environment is what determines their behavior, so the first step to treating a patient with this approach would be studying their environment to search for triggers of anxiety. In Jake’s case, it is pretty clear that the difficulty of his classes is a cause of stress. But why is that difficulty viewed as a threat, instead of a constructive challenge or an opportunity to learn? Because the possible rewards or punishments in his situation are too extreme, and causing his to feel as though the successfulness of his future is dependent on his success in these classes. In order for Jake to feel less anxious about his performance in these classes, the rewards for his good or bad performance in the class need to be altered.
For instance; we are able to learn how stereotypes are formed, why there is racism, and also how a person’s behavior changes in different types of situations. Social psychology differs from other forms of psychology because it uses a scientific method and the empirical study of social phenomenon. General and clinical psychologies both rely on anecdotal observations and subjective interpretations. Psychologists focus on different situations and the different variables that may affect social behavior. Sociology differs from social psychology because sociology specifically looks at the different social behaviors and the surrounding influences at more of a broader view.