Chapter 7 Conformity

Question 1

Social Norms

Answer 1

• Rules or guidelines in a group or culture about what behaviours are proper and improper
• Implicit or explicit

Question 2

Conformity

Answer 2

A change in behaviour or beliefs due to the real or imagined influence of other people
* Change to become consistent with group norms

Question 3

Why do people conform?

Answer 3

• The need to be right (Informational influence)
• Fear of Ostracism (Normative influence)

Question 4

Informational Social Influence

Answer 4

Influence that produces conformity when a person believes others are correct in their judgments
* More likely to conform when situation is uncertain or ambiguous

Question 5

Examples of Informational Social Influence

Answer 5

• Fire alarms
• Eye-witness testimony
• Sherif’s autokinetic effect

Question 6

Sherif’s autokinetic effect study

Answer 6

• Participant in dark room shown a single point of light
• Task: Estimate distance that light moves
  
  • Difficult & ambiguous task
  • Light is stationary but appears to move
• Do task first alone, then with other Ps in the room

Question 7

When will people conform to Informational Social Influence?

Answer 7

• Ambiguous situations
• Crisis
• Experts present

Question 8

Informational Social Influence leads to…

Answer 8

private acceptance

Question 9

Normative Social Influence

Answer 9

Influence that produces conformity when a person fears the negative social consequences of appearing deviant
(Conforming to social norms to avoid poor outcomes)

Question 10

Deviant members of a group may face…

Answer 10

1. Punishment
2. Ostracism
3. Bullying
4. Cyberbullying

Question 11

Ostracism

Answer 11

Exclusion from a society or group
Rejection can be physically painful

Question 12

Social Pressure Study (Asch, 1951)

Answer 12

• 6 Ps, subject was in the next to last position.
• All before him choose the same wrong line.
• Results:
• Went along with incorrect majority 37% of the time.
• 25% refused to agree with any of the incorrect group judgments
• 50% went along on at least half of the critical presentations.
• Those who did not conform said they felt “conspicuous, crazy, or like a misfit”

Question 13

Normative Social Influence leads to…

Answer 13

Public conformity

Question 14

When will people conform to normative social influence?

Answer 14

Social Impact Theory (Three group variables)

Question 15

Social Impact Theory (Latane, 1981)

Answer 15

The theory that social influence depends on the
strength, immediacy, and number of source persons relative to target persons.

Question 16

Idiosyncrasy Credits

Answer 16

The tolerance a person earns over time by conforming to group norms; if enough idiosyncrasy credits are earned, the person can occasionally behave deviantly without retribution from the group

Question 17

Compliance

Answer 17

Changes in behaviour elicited by direct requests

Question 18

Six “weapons” of Influence:

Answer 18

1. Reciprocity
2. Commitment & Consistency
3. Social Proof
4. Liking
5. Authority
6. Scarcity

Question 19

1. Norm of Reciprocity

Answer 19

Treat others as they treat us
Can be used to trap us into compliance
E.g. people are more willing to comply with a request from somebody who has previously provided a favour

Question 20

Door-in-the-face technique

Answer 20

A two-step compliance technique in which an influencer prefaces the real request with one that is so large that
it is rejected

Question 21

That’s not all technique

Answer 21

A two-step compliance technique in which the influencer begins with an inflated request, then decreases its apparent size by offering a discount or bonus.

Question 22

Foot in the door technique

Answer 22

A two-step compliance technique in
which an influencer sets the stage
for the real request by first getting a
person to comply with a much smaller
request.

Question 23

Low-balling

Answer 23

A two-step compliance
technique in which the influencer
secures agreement with a request but
then increases the size of that request
by revealing hidden costs.

Question 24

Bait & Switch

Answer 24

• Offering a substitute, usually lesser quality option
• illegal

Question 25

Labeling

Answer 25

• Assign a label to a person and then request a favour that is consistent with the label
• “You look like a smart/conscientious/patriotic person…”

Question 26

Obedience

Answer 26

Behaviour changes produced by commands of authority

Question 27

Milgram’s Obedience Study

Answer 27

In Milgram’s classic, controversial, and profound research, 65% of subjects fully obeyed an experimenter’s command to administer increasingly painful electric shocks to a confederate.