Introductory topics in Psychology Revision Notes

Social Influence

• Types of Conformity:
• Internalisation: Acceptance of the group’s beliefs and behaviors as one's own, leading to permanent change.
• Compliance: Publicly conforming to group norms while privately maintaining one's own beliefs, resulting in temporary change.

• Informational Social Influence: Occurs when individuals conform because they believe the group is correct, often in ambiguous situations.

• Normative Social Influence: Driven by the desire to be accepted or liked by the group, leading to conformity even if one privately disagrees.

• Asch's Study: Investigated conformity through a line judgment task, revealing the impact of group pressure on individual responses.

• Obedience:
• Agentic State: A mental state where individuals see themselves as agents executing another person's wishes, reducing personal responsibility.
• Legitimacy of Authority: The perception that the authority figure is justified in their demands, influencing obedience levels.
• Milgram's Study: Explored obedience to authority through electric shock experiments, highlighting situational variables that affect compliance.
• Authoritarian Personality: A personality type characterized by rigid adherence to rules and submission to authority, linked to higher obedience.

• Resistance to Social Influence:
• Social Support: The presence of others who resist conformity can empower individuals to also resist.
• Locus of Control: Refers to the degree to which individuals believe they can control events affecting them; those with an internal locus are more likely to resist social influence.

• Minority Influence:
• Consistency: A consistent minority can influence the majority over time.
• Commitment: Demonstrating dedication to a cause can enhance influence.
• Flexibility: The ability to adapt arguments can make a minority more persuasive.

Memory Models

• Multi-Store Model of Memory:
• Sensory Register: Briefly holds sensory information.
• Short-Term Memory (STM): Limited capacity (7±2 items) and duration (about 18-30 seconds).
• Long-Term Memory (LTM): Potentially unlimited capacity and duration, with information stored semantically.

• Working Memory Model:
• Central Executive: Oversees and coordinates information from different sources.
• Phonological Loop: Processes auditory information.
• Visuo-Spatial Sketchpad: Handles visual and spatial information.
• Episodic Buffer: Integrates information across domains into a single episode.

• Forgetting:
• Proactive Interference: Older memories interfere with the retrieval of newer ones.
• Retroactive Interference: New information disrupts the recall of older memories.
• Retrieval Failure: Inability to access memories due to lack of cues.

• Eyewitness Testimony:
• Leading Questions: Can distort memory recall.
• Post-Event Discussion: Conversations after an event can alter memories.
• Anxiety: High levels of stress can negatively impact memory accuracy.

• Cognitive Interview: A technique designed to improve the accuracy of eyewitness testimony by encouraging detailed recall and reducing leading questions.