Conformity

Question 1

What is informational social influence

Answer 1

The change in opinions or behaviour that occurs when we conform to people who we believe have accurate information

Question 2

informational social influence is based on what?

Answer 2

Social comparison

Question 3

When does informational social influence tend to occur?

Answer 3

When we are uncertain of our beliefs or behaviours

• New or ambiguous situations
• We are with someone (or people) who believe to be experts

Question 4

Normative social influencence

Answer 4

We express opinion or behave in ways that help us to be accepted or that keep us from being isolated or rejected by others

• Social norms
• Public compliance

Question 5

Social norms

Answer 5

Socially accepted beliefs about what we do or should do in particular social contexts

Question 6

Public compliance

Answer 6

A superficial change in behavior that is not accompanied by an actual change in one’s private opinion

Question 7

What is the difference between public compliance and private acceptance

Answer 7

Public compliance: Still believing in our ideas - but conforming in front of others

Private acceptance: conforming in front of others and convinced by the source of influence

Question 8

Majority influence

Answer 8

Asch’s experiment (if everyone says that line A is the same length as the original line, you will probably say line A too even if you think it’s line B

Unanimity (first person that break unanimity stands out - can be embracing - People become less certain of their ideas and opinion)

Size of the crowd/group

Question 9

Minority influence

Answer 9

• Pushing a majority to rethink their ideas
• Consistency of the minority (more convincing)
• Flexibility (nice person more convincing - you mean well)
• Commitment over time (gives time to the majority to reflect)

Question 10

Group cohesion

Answer 10

• Common goals
• Regular interaction
• Normative expectations
• Identification with the group
• Groupthink (when people tend to conform decisions to avoid feeling outcast, leading to error in decision making –> incomplete evalutation of alternatives and options - failure in risk review)

Question 11

Importance and difficulty of the task

Answer 11

Participants won’t rely on others if they are certain of their answers (easy task)

Question 12

Awareness of norms

Answer 12

For us to change behavior, social norms need to be activated and to be brought to our conscience

Question 13

What personality traits put people more at risk of conforming?

Answer 13

• Low self-esteem
• High need for affiliation (need to feel a sense of involvement and belonging to a group) (liking and reciprocation)
• High authoritarianism (unquestioning respect for authority) (Low openness to experience)

Question 14

What factors of culture put people more at risk of conforming?

Answer 14

Individualist vs Collectivist

Higher vs lower diversity

Question 15

What factors related to gender put people more at risk of conforming?

Answer 15

• Women conform more than men (according to a flawed study made in the 1970s)
• The reason to conform might be different:
  - Men: status
  • Women: connecting with others, maintaining group harmony

Question 16

What factors related to age put people more at risk of conforming?

Answer 16

• Before 40 and after 60