Chapter 6: Conformity Flashcards
1
Q
What’s compliance?
A
- Conforming behaviourally but not in belief
- Ex. you want to speed but don’t do it cause no one else is doing it
2
Q
What’s obedience?
A
- Conforming to a direct order
- Ex. Formatting citations to APA because it’s in your best interest for your grade
3
Q
What’s acceptance?
A
- Conforming behaviourally and in belief
- Ex. Standing in line at the grocery store
- Think it’s the right thing to do anyways
4
Q
What were some shocking results from Milgram’s obedience study?
A
- Just over 60% of participants remained until the very end
- They conformed regardless of how wrong it felt
- The ‘teachers’ were visibly uncomfortable whilst administering the shocks
5
Q
Why did Milgram do the obedience study?
A
- Wanted to understand how Nazis were able to do such cruel acts to innocent people
- Wanted to see how far people would go to conform
6
Q
What did Milgram discover affects obedience?
A
- The victim’s distance
- 30% obeyed when “teachers” had to force “learner”s hand onto shock plate
7
Q
What approximate percentage in WW1 would fire their weapon at the enemy?
A
- Only about 15%
8
Q
What are different strategies employed by militaries to increase acceptance?
A
- Distance (depersonalization, use of drones)
- Desensitization (getting people used to the idea of killing)
- Moral justification (doing it for your country/protect your soldiers)
- Euphemistic labelling (don’t say kill, say ‘engage’ or ‘neutralize’)
- Displacement of responsibility (you’re not the one deciding to kill, you’re taking orders)
- Cognitive reframing (you should be proud of killing)
9
Q
What was Sherif’s studies of Norm Formation?
A
- Participants were brought into dark room and asked to say how far the dot moved, but the dot doesn’t move at all
- Next day they were brought in with a group, and eventually after repeated trials they would converge to a single answer, even though the dot wasn’t actually moving
10
Q
What are Asch’s studies of group pressure?
A
- Participants told it’s an experiment on perception
- Brought into table group with confederates and must say which line is longest
- Everyone before them keeps saying the wrong lines
- Participant gets confused and concerned, so some of them would conform to what the confederates said
11
Q
What were the major findings from Asch’s studies of group pressure?
A
- Approximately a third of the people conformed to the group even though there was no pressure to do so
- Still means about 63% of the participants still pointed out the right answer
12
Q
What factors affect conformity?
A
- Group size (greatest at around five people)
- Unanimity (more conformity if there is more agreement among everyone else. All you need is one dissenter to decrease conformity)
- Cohesion (more cohesion = more conformity)
- Status (higher status = higher conformity)
- Credibility/expertise (more believable)
- Anonymity/public response
- No prior commitment
13
Q
Which personality trait makes people more susceptible to conform?
A
- Those high in agreeableness
14
Q
T/F: Individualistic cultures are more likely to conform than collectivistic cultures.
A
- FALSE
- Conformity is viewed more positively in collectivistic cultures
15
Q
What are the two routes to conformity?
A
- Normative influence - Conforming to fulfill other’s expectations, to avoid rejection, or to gain their approval. Leads to public compliance.
- Informational influence - Conforming to be right in ambiguous situations. Leads to private acceptance, want to know what’s right. Trying to get clues on how to act
