Conformity Flashcards
Social influence
The ways in which ppl are affected by the real and imagined pressures of others
- Depends on perception
- Influence varies on degree of pressure exerted on an individual
The Chameleon Effect
People mimic each other’s behaviours and moods to smooth social interactions
Study:
A confederate in a waiting room with the participant either rubs their face or shakes their foot every few seconds. What happened to the participant?
They copied the confederate’s action
What are bystander effects?
- Apathy vs Altruism
When we’re influenced by what people are doing around us
Apathy - The more ppl present, the less likely any one person will attempt to help
Altruism - Self-sacrificing behaviour carried out for the benefit of others w/ no expectation of anything in return
Diffusion of responsibility
Deindividuation
We’re less likely to assist in a large group bcuz responsibility to help is shared
Loss of self-awareness and individual accountability in a group
- Often causes ppl to behave badly
Bystander intervention study:
Participants talked to each other on the phone from diff rooms or are in a room together
- What happened when smoke was sensed?
Ppl alone were more likely to go out and check others are okay
Ppl in a group often stayed still and did nothing
What are the 5 steps of intervening?
1) Notice event
2) Interpret event as emergency
3) Feel personal responsibility for acting
4) Consider what form of assistance is needed
5) Implement action
What is group action/social facilitation? Social loafing?
- Cockroach maze study
- Ringelmann farmer workmen study
If you’re trained for something, presence of others will pressure us to perform better (and do worse if we’re not trained)
Ppl reduce effort when working in a group compared to working alone
The more complex the maze was, the more the cockroach audience hindered the time on getting out
Farmer workmen did less work as a team than alone
When are you less likely to loaf? (3)
(Social loafing)
Believe you will get credit/blame for your work
Believe your contribution is important/meaningful
Part of a cohesive, desirable group
Zimbardo electric shock study:
A female confederate provoked participants by insults. Participants were assigned to wear cloaks/hoods or nametags and shock the confederate. What happened?
(Deindividuation)
Deindividuated participants gave much greater shocks
- More likely to act on their impulses when ppl don’t know who they are
Groupthink
- What are its predictors? (4)
When pressure to agree in a group leads to inadequate appraisal of options and poor decisions
- Cohesive group
- Directive leader (One person telling everyone what to do)
- Isolated group (no interaction with other groups)
- Feelings of superiority (Feel group is better than others)
Group polarization effect
After group discussions, positions become more extreme (Ex: In favour becomes more in favour)
Conformity
Tendency for people to change their perceptions, opinions, behav to be consistent w/ group norms
- Caused by real or imagined perceptions from others
Sherif spot of light study:
Participants estimated how much a small spot of light moved in a dark room. In reality, the autokinetic effect occurred (light appears to move but doesn’t). What happened when individually tested and in groups of three (w/ two other ppl having diff answers)?
Individually - Answers varied
Groups - Person with diff answer eventually had same answer as other two
- After going back to do the test again themselves, their answer stayed the same
Asch line-judgment task:
Participants asked which line the one they were shown was most similar to. Confederates in the same room all agreed to the incorrect answer. What happened to the participant?
Majority of participants conformed to incorrect answer at least once
- Most went along in fear of being ridiculed but didn’t actually agree
- But some actually ended up believing that the group’s answer was correct
Informative vs Normative influence
Does it exhibit private or public conformity?
Informative: Ppl conform bcuz they want to be correct and assume that if others agree on something, they must be right
- Private conformity (Privately accept position taken by others)
Normative: Ppl conform in public behav to avoid appearing diff
- Usually don’t believe the majority is right, just conforming to belong
- Public conformity (Change in ocert behav, w/out change of opinion)
What are the majority influences? (4)
Group size: As the size of an incorrect unanimous majority increases, so does conformity
- But this doesn’t apply if the group is too large -> we become anonymous
Social norms: Ppl conform to perceived social norms when they come to mind
- Ex: The elevator study
Dissenters: Presence of one dissenter (person against majority) reduces conformity
- Happens even if dissenter disagrees w/ participant or lacks competence at the task
Cultural influence: Conformity higher in cultures that value collectivism than in those that value individualism
Changes in behaviour are elicited by what kind of requests?
- Role of compliance, identification, and internalization?
Direct requests
Compliance: Motivated by desire to gain reward/avoid punishment
- Yielding to public but w/out private acceptance
- Least enduring but depends on communicator influence
Identification: Attempt to match a communicator if they’re liked (make a change in behav bcuz it puts us in a satisfying relationship w/ person we’re trying to identify with - sense of belonging)
Internalization: Yielding to influence in situations where the new attitude is intrinsically rewarding and lets them be accurate
- Message influence - If it’s not against your views, your brain integrates it
What is obedience?
- Milgram experiment
Influence when the request is a command + requester is a figure of authority
W/ an authority figure, participants continued to increase shock intensity on a confederate even though they were in distress
- Felt like authority figure had right to prescribe the behav
Why are ppl obedient to authority figures?
- Early socialization
- Trappings of authority
- Binding forces
Ppl are socialized to obey authority and are rewarded for it
Clothing/Status/etc gives a sense that the person is of high authority
Hard to challenge authority, esp if we have less knowledge on the topic
How does minority influence counter conformity?
Minorities resist pressures to conform and can influence majorities by forcing other group members to think more openly
- Can especially influence if minority view is expressed in a consistent, confident, unwavering position or if the minority used to agree w/ majority
- Also if both sides are willing to be openminded and willing to compromise
