2.11 Factors Affecting Conformity

Question 1

Group Attractiveness

Answer 1

• The more attractive the group is to its members, the more likely the members are to conform
• prestigue, power
• a person of e lower the social position in the group is more likely to conform

Question 2

Group Unanimity

Answer 2

if everyone else around you is agreeing on something, you are likely to follow

Question 3

Public vs. Private Responses

Answer 3

• When group members have to express their views in front of others, they are more likely to conform than if they can do so in private.
• elections

Question 4

Nature of the Task

Answer 4

Tasks or questions that are vague or have no clear answer are easier to have people conform to.

Question 5

Groupthink

Answer 5

• a group of individuals reaches a consensus without critical reasoning or evaluation of the consequences or alternatives.
• common desire not to upset the balance of a group of people.
• Too little time spent evaluating alternatives.
• Information is dismissed, belittled or ridiculed.
• Outside information that challenges the group’s view may be completely ignored and the group cnat be wrong
  BIG IDEA = There is power in numbers!

Question 6

conform

Answer 6

giving in/ matching attitude, beliefs an ideas with others

Question 7

Briefly describe the Solomon Asch experiment.

Answer 7

• Solomon Ash conducted an experiment to investigate how social pressure from a majority group affects a person’s conformity
• Your answer depends on the answers of those around you
• Almost 75% (or 1/3) of the participants in the conformity experiments went along with the rest of the group at least one time.

Question 8

What can we learn about conformity because of the Asch experiment?

Answer 8

Asch’s experiment shows that people will go against the truth just because their opinion isn’t “popular”. This shows us how intense the power of conformity i