2: Social Psychology & Conformity

Question 1

Conformity

Answer 1

Changing one’s behaviour or attitudes to the beliefs, rules, or guidelines of other people
Ex: Zimbardo’s Stanford Prison Experimen
-symbols
-setting

Question 2

Group Pressure

Answer 2

1) Smoked filled Room: John Darley & Bibb Latane
2) Norms of a group (Stand up at the sound of bell, doctor office)

Question 3

Factors Affecting Confomity

Answer 3

1) Group Size
2) Group Attractiveness
3) Public vs. Private response
4) Self-esteem
5) Group Unanimity (majority of agreement in group)
6) Nature of the task (Unclear instructions leads to more conformity)

Question 4

Effects of Conformity?

Answer 4

Chameleon Effect: Mimicking body lanaguge of a person their interacting with
- Facial expressions
-Accents
-Pitch of voice
-Tone fo voice
Groupthink: Effects of collective pressure on the decision-making abilities of individual members of a group

Question 5

Groupthink
(Solomon Asch’s experiment)

Answer 5

Group experiment with lines on paper

Question 6

Effects of Conformity

Answer 6

Obedience (Stanley Milgram’s experiment: Shock+person on opposite side of wall)
1) Involves order and request
2) Obedience: Someone obeying of a higher status
3) Obedience relies on social power

Question 7

Reasons for Obedience

Answer 7

1) To avoid punishment
2) Beneficial purposes (gains something)
3) SIgn of respect for authority figure
4) Desire to conform, follow norms
4) Entrapment (Becoming more committed to a task to reach extremity)

Question 8

Compliance (Effects of Conformity)

Answer 8

Individual may follow the behaviour of others contrary to their own beliefs in order to achieve rewards and avoid punishments.
Compliance resembles confromity.

Question 9

Difference between Obedience & Compliance

Answer 9

Obedience: Carrying out orders from instructions of someone in authority/power
Compliance: Changing the behaviour to align of the demands of a social group.