Chapter 8: Conformity and Compliance Flashcards
Two reasons why we conform
Informative social influence
We need to know what is going on
Normative social influence
Need to be liked or accepted
Conformity
Conformity
A change in perception opinion or behavior due to the real or imagined presence of others
Informative social influence and study
Need to know what is right
Informational social influence
Influence of other people and need to conform as a source of info.
Leads to private acceptance, or believing it’s really true
Sheriff, 1936
People watched an optical illusion with lights on the screen judging distance. When they did it with multiple participants, each time they gave answers, the results converge together
Normative social influence and study
Need to be liked or accepted
Based on social norms
-Implicit or explicit rules a group has
Often results in public compliance but not private acceptance
Asch conformity study
One participant and five Confederates were in a room judging the size of straws. When the five Confederates began to answer wrong, 76% of participants conformed with them and answered wrong.
Two types of norms
Descriptive norm- based on observing others real perceived behavior
Clapping when everyone else does
Injunctive norm- based on what you know ought to be done
Being quiet in the library
Conditions that influence conformity (4 things)
APGP
Conditions that lead to conformity
Awareness of norm
Pluralistic ignorance
People mistakenly think their opinions are different than the publics (people and their drinking habits)
Group size
The larger the group, the more the conformity to a point
Presence of an ally
Minority influence and study
Process by which dissenters produce change within a group
Minority opinion has to be consistent across group members
Micivilli 1969
Four participants and two Confederates were shown obviously blue colors. The two Confederates acted as a minority and said they were green. When they were consistent with this opinion, they changed the participants answer is one third of the time.
Compliance and study
Compliance
A change in behavior due to a direct request from another person
People often comply mindlessly
Langer et al
When people gave BS reasons why they needed to get in front of the line to make copies, most people complied with no problem
Three strategies to increasing compliance
Foot in door
Door in the face
Lowballing
Foot in the door and study
Foot in door
Make small meaningless request then make large request compliance increases
Freedman and Fraser
Housewives answered questions about kitchen items. Those who did unoriginal phone study were much more likely to allow men in their house.
Door in the face and study
Door in face
Make really large request you don’t care about, they reject, then make smaller
Cialdini et al
Approach people in the park and asked if they would donate two hours a week, they all said no, and when asked to then donate just two hours, many said yes.
Lowballing and study
Low balling
Salesperson tells customer they got a great price, then they say oh no it’s actually this price the people are more likely to comply
Cialdini
He called psych students and asked if they were available for a study. When they complied first and then he asked if they were available at 7 AM, they were more likely to say yes then if he told the time first.
Sense of irrevocability
Sense of irrevocability
Feeling like You can’t back out
Norm of reciprocity
Norm of reciprocity
Psychological push or compulsion to reciprocate if they do something bad to you, ie, you owe them now
Obedience to authority and Milgram study
Obedience to authority
Behavior change produced by commands of authority figure
Will everyday people inflict severe pain on another person at the command of authority figure (Milgram 1968)
A participant would send increasingly painful shocked to learn or instructed by an authority figure when they made mistakes. Well over 60% of people went all the way till death
