Chapter 8 - Conformity and Obedience Flashcards
Conformity
the change of one’s behavior due to the real or imagined influence of other people
Informational social influence
relying on other people as a source of information, which leads to conformity because we believe that other’s interpretation of an ambiguous situation is correct
Private social acceptance
conforming to other people’s behavior out of genuine belief that what they are doing or saying is right
Public compliance
conforming to other people’s behavior publicly without necessarily believing what the other people are doing or saying
Social norms
implicit or explicit rules a group has for the acceptable behaviors, values, and beliefs
Normative social influence
going along with what others do in order to be liked and accepted by others, which leads to public conformity with the group’s beliefs and behaviors but not always private acceptance of them
Social impact theory
conforming to social influence depends on the group’s importance, immediacy, and size
Idiosyncrasy credits
the tolerance a person earns over time by conforming to group norms; if enough credits are earned, the person can on occasion deviate from the group without retribution
Minority influence
the case where a minority of group members influences the behavior or beliefs of the majority
Injunctive norms
what most people in culture approve and disapprove of
Descriptive norms
what people actually do, the ways in which people actually behave, regardless of whether that behavior is approved or disapproved by others
Foot-in-the-door technique
secure agreement with a small favor and then ask for a bigger one
- people feel committed so they continue the behavior
Door-in-the-face technique
make a large request first that people will definitely decline and after that make a smaller on that they will likely agree to
Obedience
the change of one’s behavior due to the direct influence of an authority figure
