Conformity & Influence (Ch.8)

Question 1

Conformity

Answer 1

change in behavior due to real or imagined influence of others

Question 2

Causes of Conformity

Answer 2

informational and normative social influences

Question 3

Informational Social Influence

Answer 3

looking to behavior of others around us when unsure of the best choice

Question 4

Private Acceptance

Answer 4

genuine belief that the informational influences used are correct

Question 5

Information Conformity Fails

Answer 5

when those around us are wrong

Question 6

Normative Social Influence

Answer 6

change in behavior to conform to social norms, rules, etc.

Question 7

Public Compliance

Answer 7

result of normative social influence, although not private acceptance

Question 8

Resisting Normative Influence

Answer 8

can lead to criticism, rejection, etc.

Question 9

Injunctive Norms

Answer 9

communicating expectations about approved behavior, powerful way to create change

Question 10

Descriptive Norms

Answer 10

communicating expectation of how people truly act, less effective than injunctive

Question 11

Boomerang Effect

Answer 11

when descriptive norms make bad behavior more likely than before

Question 12

Tactics of Social Influence

Answer 12

foot-in-the-door and door-in-the-face techniques

Question 13

Foot-in-the-door Technique

Answer 13

requestor presents a small request first, then follows with a larger ask

Question 14

Door-in-the-face Technique

Answer 14

requestor presents large request first, expecting rejection, then follows with smaller ask

Question 15

Authority & Normative Influence

Answer 15

normative pressures make ppl want to please authority with good work

Question 16

Authority & Informational Influence

Answer 16

when unclear on how to proceed, ppl will follow orders of authority

Question 17

Obedience Conformity

Answer 17

once conformed to a norm of obedience, it becomes difficult to change/abandon said norm

Question 18

Solomon Asch

Answer 18

known for line judgment experiments, demonstrated normative influence and how people even conform to group pressure against their own perceptions

Question 19

Stanley Milgram

Answer 19

conducted obedience to authority experiments, also provided insights on informational & normative influence and how authority can pressure conformity

Question 20

Muzafer Sherif

Answer 20

autokinetic effect study on informational social influence, showing people use others as reference point when uncertain of answer

Question 21

Social Norms

Answer 21

implicit or explicit rules/expectations a group has for accepted behaviors/beliefs

Question 22

Social Impact Theory

Answer 22

concept that conforming to social influence depends on three factors: importance, immediacy, and size of the group

Question 23

Idiosyncrasy Credits

Answer 23

earned over time via conforming to group norms, building such credit increases group tolerance of the occasional deviation from norms

Question 24

Minority Influence

Answer 24

when a small contingency of the group influences behavior/beliefs of the whole

Question 25

Burger (2009) vs. Milgram

Answer 25

Burger’s experiment, held under more acceptable conditions, found a statistically similar obedience rate, Burger finding 70% vs Milgram’s 82.5%

Question 26

Stanley Schachter

Answer 26

study found that those who resist normative influence are often silenced and even excluded by the majority

Question 27

Reciprocity

Answer 27

the expectation that one will repay the actions done to them

Question 28

Reciprocal Concessions

Answer 28

in negotiations, expectations that concessions by one party should matched by the other

Question 29

Compliance

Answer 29

the changing of behavior in response to direct request

Question 30

Agentic State

Answer 30

when individuals place responsibility for their actions on authority figure, offers lack of personal culpability

Question 31

Obedience

Answer 31

behavior change as result of request
from authority

Question 32

Personal Responsibility

Answer 32

in the agentic state, a greater likelihood to obey in exchange for authority taking responsibility

Question 33

Freedman & Fraiser

Answer 33

how small initial requests increase compliance for larger requests, foot-in-the-door technique

Question 34

Cialdini (1975)

Answer 34

large initial request expecting refusal, followed by smaller reasonable request, increase compliance to smaller request by making it appear as concession
door-in-the-face technique

Question 35

Autokinetic Effect

Answer 35

where stationary point of light in a dark room appears to move, without actually moving. without reference points, the brain has trouble determining the light’s position, creating the ambiguous scenario used by Sherif’s study of informational influence