SAQ plan: Outline each of the principles & for each principle use a study/studies
that to explain how that principle is demonstrated.
Intro: This paper would outline each principle of the sociocultural LOA and would
draw studies for each that would explain how each principle is demonstrated.
Human beings are social animals and we want connectedness with, and a
sense of belonging to others.
Hazing is a series of initiation rites in order to join an exclusive group, such as
sports team, or a college or university fraternity. In spite of the many horror
stories about hazing—and the efforts by universities to stop it—the practice
continues.
 Aronson and Mills (1959) carried out an experiment to see if someone
who has had to endure trouble or pain to join a group will value it more
highly than someone who was able to join the group with no effort. In their
study, they asked female college students to join a sex discussion group.
 Some had to go through a severely embarrassing initiation in order to join,
while others joined with no initiation ceremony. When the women were
finally allowed to take part in the group, the meeting was made up of
confederates who were trained to be as boring and uninteresting as
possible.
 Meanwhile, Gerard and Matthewson (1966) carried out further research
where women received electric shocks. Those who endured pain as part
of their initiation were ore likely to find their group interesting, intelligent,
and desirable.
Connect back to thesis.
The social and cultural environment influences the individuals behavior
 The Reciprocity Principle demonstrates this principle. Cialdini outlined
reciprocity as one of the six “weapons of persuasion.” Reciprocity is seen
something as “people often feel they need to “return a favor.” It is the
social norm in that we should treat others the way they treat us.
Anthropologists and sociologists claim that reciprocity is one of the most
widespread and basic norms of human culture. The strategy of reciprocity
is common practice in many cultures to offer gifts, free travel, or free time
in hotels to potential customers. Lynn and McCall (1998) even found that
when restaurant customers are given a mint or sweet with their bill, the
size of the tip they leave increases.
 However, reciprocity does not always involve giving gifts, It can also be
because one feels that the other person has already compromised on
what he or she wanted, and that this compromise should therefore be
acknowledged with some behavior.
 One example is the door-in-the-face-technique. In this case, a first request
s made will surely be turned down.

Then a second request is made which asks less of someone. People are
more likely to accept the second request because they feel that the person
has already lowered the request in order to accommodate them.
Study: Cialdini et al. (1975) door in the face study
Aim: To demonstrate compliance Techniques
Procedures: Researchers posed as representatives of the “County Youth
Counseling Program” and stopped university students on campus and asked
them questions. In the first data collection session they asked:
 ‘Would you be willing to chaperone a group of juvenile delinquents on a
day trip to the zoo?’ 83% refused to volunteer.
 In the second data collection session they stopped students and first
asked “would you be willing to sign up to work for two hours per week as
counselors for a minimum of two years?” No one agreed to volunteer.
 But when they followed up the students’ refusal with the request to take
the juvenile delinquents to the zoo, approximately 50% of students agreed
to serve as chaperones.
Conclusion: The door in the face is a powerful compliance technique.
Connect back to thesis.
Humans are social animals and we construct our conceptions of the
individual and social self.
When investigating social cognition, psychologists observed that people do not
just passively observe their own and others’ actions, but try to work out or explain
what caused them. For themselves, circumstances or environment were
responsible (external/situational factors), but for others, personal characteristics
were responsible (internal/dispositional factors).
Study: The Stanford Prison Experiment (Zimbardo et al. 1973)
Aim: To demonstrate the situational rather than the dispositional causes of
negative behavior and thought patterns found in prison setting by conducting a
prison simulations with ‘normal’ participants playing the role of guards and
prisoner.
Procedures:
 24 healthy male PPs were assigned to either act as guards or prisoners.
 The study took place in the basement of the Stanford University
Psychology Department.
 The study was an ‘overt observation.’

A mock prison was created with cells, confinement rooms, arid an
exercise yard.
 Both guards and prisoners were given clothing that identified the role they
were assigned.
 The guards were told to maintain order, prevent escapes, that the
prisoners should feel helpless, and that there was to be no violence
against the prisoners.
Findings:
 Prisoners experienced a loss of personal identity and arbitrary control from
the guards and were deprived of adequate sleep and privacy.
 Half of the prisoners were released early because they developed
emotional and cognitive disorders.
 The guards quickly assumed their roles in the mock prison. Some of the
guards took the power of establishing and enforcing rules too far and
became abusive, especially during the hours when they thought they were
not being observed.
Conclusions:
 Situations are significant  affects the people who are in that situation.
Connect back to thesis.
Conclusion: The studies provided outlines how each principle is demonstrated in
the sociocultural LOA.