6: Conformity and Obedience Flashcards
a change in behavior or belief as the result of real or imagined group pressure - behaving differently than you would otherwise due to the influence of others
conformity
form of conformity in which one genuinely believes what they have been persuaded to do - inwardly and sincerely believe that the group’s actions are right
acceptance
form of conformity in which one conforms insincerely and outwardly to an expectation without really believing in what they’re doing, privately disagreeing with it - often to reap a reward or avoid punishment
compliance
a type of compliance involving acting in accord with a direct order or command - doing something you wouldn’t otherwise because rules/laws or orders require it
obedience
the apparent movement of a stationary point of light in the dark - used by Muzafer Sherif to experiment with the suggestibility and convergence of group beliefs
autokinetic phenomenon
phenomenon in which being around a group of people displaying a particular mood will cause us to feel the same - being around happy people helps make us feel happier
mood linkage
mimicking someone else’s behavior, likely as an automatic response without conscious intention to conform (ex. rubbing your face when spending time around someone who rubs their face)
the chameleon effect
suggestibility to problems that spreads throughout a large group of people
mass hysteria
form of mass hysteria in which psychological stress is unconsciously expressed in physical symptoms and spread through social contagion
conversion disorder
becoming conditioned into behavior through small, successive, escalating acts that erode one’s sensitivity to the behavior (ex. adding slightly more power to each shock in Milgram’s experiment to slowly comfort participants into delivering extreme shocks)
slippery slope
a “we feeling” - the extent to which members of a group are bound together, such as by attraction to one another - the more united the group is, the more power the group has over its members
cohesiveness
conformity based on a person’s desire to fulfill others’ expectations, often to gain acceptance - desire to be “liked”
normative influence
conformity occurring when people accept evidence about reality provided by other people - desire to be “right”
informational influence
a motive to protect or restore one’s sense of freedom when someone threaten’s one freedom of action
reactance
a group widely sharing the beliefs and traits of one another - predicts greater conformity
unanimity
phenomenon in which attempts to forcibly restrict one’s personal freedoms create heightened attitudes of anticonformity
boomerang effect
