Ch 6 Understanding Conformity Flashcards
What is Conformity?
Conformity is when you change your behavior or beliefs to match others.
It can be:
Public change (going along with the group but not truly believing it).
Private acceptance (changing your belief because you think the group is right).
Conformity is different from obedience, which happens when you follow direct orders from an authority.
Why Do People Conform?
There are two main reasons why people conform:
Informational Influence – You believe the group knows better.
Example: You don’t know the answer in class, so you copy what others write, assuming they are correct.
Leads to private conformity (you truly change your belief).
Normative Influence – You conform to avoid rejection.
Example: You laugh at a joke you don’t find funny because everyone else is laughing.
Leads to public conformity (you change behavior, but not your true belief).
Types of Social Influence
-Conformity → Matching your behavior to group norms.
-Compliance → Doing what someone asks but not actually believing in it.
-Acceptance → Changing both your behavior and beliefs.
-Obedience → Following an authority’s command.
Example:
You wear a school uniform (conformity).
You sign a petition because your friend asks you to (compliance).
You start truly believing in the cause (acceptance).
You obey a teacher who tells you to stop talking (obedience).
Famous Conformity Studies
- Asch’s Line Study (Group Pressure)
A simple test where participants had to pick the correct matching line.
People knew the right answer but still conformed to the group’s wrong answer to avoid standing out.
✅ Lesson: Even when we know something is wrong, we might conform due to social pressure.
Techniques to Make People Comply
These are tricks people use to get others to agree:
-Foot-in-the-door – Start with a small request, then ask for more.
Example: “Can you sign this petition?” Later: “Can you donate money?”
-Door-in-the-face – Start with a big request (they say no), then ask for a smaller one.
Example: “Can you donate $100?” (No) → “How about $5?” (More likely to say yes).
-Lowballing – Get agreement first, then reveal extra costs.
Example: A car dealer offers a low price, but after you agree, they add hidden fees.
That’s not – Sweeten the deal before the person decides.
Example: “Buy one, get one free!
Milgram’s Obedience Experiment
Milgram wanted to see how far people would go to obey authority.
Participants were told to give fake electric shocks to someone.
Even when they thought they were hurting the person, most continued obeying just because the experimenter told them to.
✅ Lesson: People will follow orders even when they feel uncomfortable if an authority figure is in charge.
Why Do People Obey?
–Distance from the victim If you don’t see the harm, it’s easier to obey.
Example: Online bullying feels easier than bullying in person.
–Closeness of authority – If the boss is nearby, people are more obedient.
Example: You’re more likely to listen to your teacher when they’re standing next to you.
–Legitimacy of authority – We trust “official” figures.
Example: A doctor’s advice feels more valid than a random person’s.
–Institutional authority – A big-name institution adds power.
Example: A study from Harvard is seen as more trustworthy than an unknown website.
Group pressure – If others obey, you’re likely to follow.
Example: If everyone stands up when a leader enters, you do too.
What Makes People Conform?
Some factors make conformity more likely:
–Group size – The bigger the group, the stronger the pressure.
–Unanimity – If everyone agrees, you’re more likely to conform.
–Cohesion – If you feel close to the group, you’ll conform more.
–Status – High-status people influence us more.
Public Response – We conform more when decisions are public.
–No Prior Commitment – If we haven’t spoken up before, we go along with the group.
Who is More Likely to Conform?
-Personality – If social pressure is weak, personality matters.
-Culture – Collectivist cultures (e.g., Japan) conform more than individualist cultures (e.g., USA).
-Gender – Studies suggest women conform slightly more in certain situations.
Social Roles – The roles we play (student, employee, etc.) shape how much we conform.
✅ Example: A Japanese student might conform more in a group than an American student due to cultural norms.
Do We Ever Want to Be Different?
Sometimes we resist conformity:
–Reactance – When someone limits our freedom, we resist.
Example: A parent tells a teenager not to dye their hair, so they do it anyway.
–Asserting Uniqueness: We like to be different, but not too different.
Example: You want to stand out in fashion but not look too weird.
