Psych. Blog #13

The studies done by Asch and Milgram seemed unrational. Of course we wouldn't be able to get the results if animals were used in the study. One thing that the video we had to watch pointed out that was how dictators worked and had people follow them. Those that followed Hitler fell into a character just like the prision guards did in Milgram's prision experiment. Normal people that you would never believed could cause harm to someone else would upon given instruction. This just proves that it is human nature to fall into groups or follow someone else. It happens everyday that we go with the flow even though we would disagree with what we did or are doing when not being in that group.

Social influence is when one's actions are affected by people around them. On many occassions I've talked to people and went along with what they were saying. Afterwards I ask myself what was I thinking, I should not have said or agreed with that. The worst thing is most of the time you don't realize that you're doing it, so you can't do anything about it with in that exact moment when you said it. Another situation is when reviewing for a test in some classes. When reviewing the teachers set up games or 'educational activities' to help us with taking the test. I know the anwser but someone else says a different answer and other people agree with them so I begin to think my answer is wrong and go with the other person's answer. Sometimes their right and I was wrong so there is no problem. Sometimes I'm right and it costs us the game, 'educational activity'. So I am affected by social influence around me.

The most interesting thing I learned in this class is how much things around us determine who we are. When we learned about nature versus nurture we learned it was a mix of both genetics and environment. Now in chapter 16 we learn that our behavior is also influenced by those around us. I knew people change us but I didn't know to what extent. Now I have a clue to how and why people influence us.