2. Topic 1: Social Psychology Content – to describe social impact theory
Most pupils will be able to…
Apply the new terminology to explain example from obedience research
Outline why it is difficult to measure strength compared with immediacy and number
Some pupils will be able to…
Evaluate social impact theory with reference to key term reductionism
All pupils will be able to…
Outline the theory with reference to …
sources, targets, SIN, multiplicative and divisional effects
Latane’s idea that social impact can be predicted using a mathematical equation.

3. Can you apply the terminology to the following studies
Milgram (1963): People obeyed in the Milgram study because….
Hofling (1966): People obeyed in the Hofling study because…however obedience might have been even higher if…
Milgram (1963): Obedience was reduced in the disobedient stooges variation because…
Use as many keywords from your
glossary sheet in each answer

4. Latane’s Mathematical formula
I= f(SIN)
the multiplicative effect
I is “the impact”
F is “as a function of” (is dependent on)
SIN; is “strength X immediacy x number”

5. Think! How would you measure strength, immediacy and number?
Think about how we would quantify (give a number to) STRENGTH (the importance of the source to the target)?
What problems might arise when we try to decide this?
Is the data NOI or R?

6. Thinking about “strength”
These men all asked passers-bys to give them a small amount of line, or to stand just a little further away in the pavement How do they differ in strength as sources? What does this depend upon?
(This is Bickman’s (1974) field experiment on obedience)

7. Think about “strength”
These people are all homeless, their presence might have some impact on the people passing by.
How could we measure the impact?
Do they differ in strength as sources?
How do we measure the strength of the source on the target?

8. How would we measure IMMEDIACY?
How might the units used differ to the units used to measure STRENGTH?
Is the data nominal, ordinal interval or ratio (NOI R)?

9. Okay so NUMBER is pretty straight forward…is this type of data similar or different to STRENGTH and IMMEDIACY?
How do the answers to these questions relate to the key terms objective and subjective.
Is the data NOI or R?

10. Reductionism in Psychology
breaking down a complex phenomenon into apparently simple parts (constituents)
“analysing and describing a complex phenomenon in terms of its simple or fundamental constituents”
assuming that this simple explanation is sufficient to understand the phenomena

11. Reductionism and Social Impact Theory
WEAKNESS: One weakness of Social Impact Theory is that it can be seen as a very reductionist way of understanding the intricacies of interpersonal interaction….
It fails to understand the idea that it is really hard to measure strength
This perception is based on so many different things and the judgement is subjective
each target’s perception of the source will vary according to which things are most important to them; an outsider can’t judge this