Conformity Flashcards
conformity
- change in B due to real or imagined influence of others
- reasons for forming
1. informational social influence
2. normative social influence
conformity: individualistic
- seen as negative
- however, we conform daily, whether we are aware of our B or not
conformity: animal studies
- may be based on evolution as a survival trait
informational social influence
- conform because we believe that others’ interpretation of ambiguous situation is more correct than our own
- conform because we see oyjers as source of info to guide B
- can bring about private acceptance or public compliance
ISI: private acceptance
conforming to others’ B out of genuine belief that what they are doing is right
ISI: public compliance
conforming to others’ B publicly, without necessarily believing in what they are doing
situations that are most likely to produce conformity due to ISI
- ambiguous or confusing situations
- crisis situations
- when the situation seems very important/crucial
- when others are experts
resisting ISI
using others as source of info can be +/-
- conformity influences how people see reality
- important to carefully consider if another’s interpretation of situation is more legitimate than one’s own
normative social influence
- conforming to be liked/accepted by others
- conforming to avoid being ridiculed, punished, rejected by one’s group
- results in public compliance, but not necessarily private acceptance
NSI: social norms
- implicit or explicit rules a group has
- includes acceptable B, values, beliefs of its members
- important role in driving + maintaining conformity
Asch line judgment studies
- what happens when we are with strangers who are obviously wrong? Do we still conform?
- refer to notes for more information on the experiment procedure
What is the effect of conforming on brain areas associated with negative emotions according to recent fMRI scans
conforming activates areas of the brain associated with negative emotions
social impact theory
- predicts likelihood of conforming to social influence
- depends on group strength, immediacy, number
social impact theory: group strength
- how important the group is to you
- predicted that conformity increases when both group strength and immediacy increase
social impact theory: immediacy
- how close the group is to you in space and time during the influence attempt
- predicted that conformity increases when both group strength and immediacy increase
social impact theory: number
- how many people are in the group
- predicted that conformity will increase as group number does, but only to a point
- group size matters most in case of incorrect responses
unanimity of group
- most likely to conform when group is unanimous
- very difficult being the lone dissenter
- just 1 person not in agreement = enough to decrease conformity
NSI: gender differences
- small differences found
- women slightly more likely to conform in public compliance
- no difference in private acceptance
- both sexes less likely to conform when are knowledgeable about the topic in question
NSI: cultural differences
- conformity = higher in collectivist cultures (viewed as cooperation towards collective goal)
- some cultures view conformity as submissiveness or lack of independence
- some researchers proposed that the threat of infectious disease may cause culture to promote greater conformity to social norms
consequences of NSI
- can be used for good
- social groups will bring a nonconformist into line by poor treatment/punishmnet
resisting inappropriate NSI
- becoming aware of what social norms are operating
- finding an ally who thinks how we do
- gathering idiosyncrasy credits
idiosyncrasy credits
credits a person earns over time by conforming to the norms of a group in the past
NSI and body image
- perceptions influenced by both ISI and NSI
- seeing oneself as non-ideal can contribute to:
1. low self-esteem
2. body dissatisfaction
3. depression
4. depression
5. negative B (i.e. eating disorders)
minority influence
- when minority group influences B and beliefs of the majority
- they must present their views consistently
- do so using ISI (leads to private acceptance)
anticonformity
- act of going against B of a group
- considered as deliberate defiance of group’s decision
- more observable in individualistic cultures
- possibly explained by psychological reaction
anticonformity vs independence
decision to be anticonformist is still dependent on the group’s B
compliance
- change in B in response to direct request
- common techniques:
1. door-in-the-face
2. foot-in-the-door
3. lowballing
door-in-the-face
- gets people to comply with a request
1. presented with large request (expected to refuse)
2. presented with smaller, more reasonable request (hoped they will accept) - based on reciprocity norm
reciprocity norm
when requester backs down from extreme request to a smaller, we feel obliged to return the favour by acquiescing to the request
foot in the door
get people to comply with a large request
1. presenting them with a smaller request (expected to accept)
2. presented with larger request (hoped they will accept)
foot in the door: triggers change in self-perception
- by agreeing to the small request, it activated people’s self image of someone who helps others
- once this image is in place, makes it difficult not to agree to a 2nd, larger request
lowballing
- gets people to comply with a request
1. inducing a customer to agree to a purchase at low cost
2. then raise the price - customer will often sill make the purchase at the new price
1. decision seems irrevocable
2. they want to avoid disappointment
3. new price is slightly higher
other compliance tricks
- “free gifts” and reciprocity
- social proof
- “and that’s not all”
- the sunk cost trap
- scarcity and psychological reactance
reciprocity
- we feel compelled to repay what another person has given us
- through free gifts, we feel compelled to support a request or become a frequent customer
psychological reactance
tendency to assert our freedom when we feel others are attempting to control us
obedience
- conformity in repsonse to commands of an authority figure
- understanding social pressure, individuals will conform to the authority
- even when this means doing something immoral
Milgram’s experiment (1963)
- examined if ordinary people can be influenced to inflict severe pain on an innocent person
- 62.5% of participants fully obeyed the experimenter and gave 450 volts (maximum)
- even when learner reported a heart condition, cries did little to reduce the obedience
NSI and obedience
- made it difficult for people to refuse to continue with the study
- participants were afraid that the experimenter would be disappointed, hurt or angry
ISI and obedience
- ISI plays role when situation is ambiguous, unfamiliar, upsetting
- participants look to expert as guide
- when experimenter did not specify a shock and was later unexpectedly called away, full obedience dropped to 20%
reasons for obedience: self-justification
- can offer insight into why people acted so inhumanely in Milgram’s study
- once participants delivered the first shock, it became very difficult for them to decide where to draw the line and stop
reasons for obedience: social situation
- people obeyed because of social situation
- when given freedom to choose shock levels, participants chose a very mild shock level and only 2.5% went to the max level
Milgram’s experiement: those who disobeyed
- disobedience most likley to occur at 150V, 1st time learner asks to be let go
- being made aware of the power of authority figures made a positive impact
