Lecture 6: Conformity Flashcards
What is Social influence?
The ways that people are affected by the real and imagined pressures of others
* Conformity, compliance, obedience
As social animals, humans are vulnerable to subtle
influences….How and why?
- Humans unwittingly mimic each other all the time
- E.g., yawn, grimace, laugh, clap
- Animals exhibit rudimentary forms of automatic imitation
- E.g., mimicking hunting techniques
- Why?
- Mimicry smoothens interaction/communication by
influencing behaviours, emotions, and language/speech
styles
What is Conformity?
The tendency to change our perceptions, opinions, or behavior in ways that are consistent with social or group norms
How do people un north America view conformity?
People in North America often identify themselves as
nonconformists and think they conform less than other
people in North America
- Adhering to social norms is necessary for community
peace
What was The Early Classics: Sherif (1936) Study?
- Participant in dark room shown
a single point of light, asked to
estimate distance that light
moves - Difficult & ambiguous task
- Light is stationary but
appears to move (autokinetic
effect) - Do task alone first, then with 3
other participants in the room
Sherif (1936) found that in ambiguous situations, people tend to conform to group norms.
What is Informational influence?
Influence that produces
conformity when a person believes others are correct in
their judgments
- Sherif’s autokinetic study
- Want to make accurate judgements and assume if
others agree, they must be right
What was Asch’s (1951) Conformity Study?
- Went along with incorrect
majority 37% of the time - 25% refused to agree
with incorrect group
answers - 50% went along on at
least half of the incorrect
answers - Non-conformers said
they felt “conspicuous,
crazy, or like a misfit
What is Normative influence?
Influence that produces
conformity when a person fears the negative social consequences of appearing deviant
- Asch’s line studies
- Want to avoid ostracism or rejection that follow deviance
- Rejection hurts
- Why does it hurt? We’ve evolved as social creatures who need others to survive – rejection could be deadly
Why Do People Conform?
The Sherif and Asch studies demonstrate that people conform for two very different reasons: one informational, the other normative
What are the two main types of conformity?
- private
- public
What is private conformity?
The change of beliefs that occurs when a person privately accepts the position taken by others.
What is public conformity
A superficial change in overt behavior without a corresponding change of opinion that is produced by real or imagined group pressure.
What are the 4 factors of Majority Influence in conformity?
- Group size: 3-4 individuals or 3-4 small groups exert greatest effect
- Norms: Lead to conformity if we know and focus on the norms
- Often misperceive what is normative (e.g., substance use)
- Allies: Dissent can reduce normative pressures to conform
- A single confederate who agreed with a participant
reduced conformity by almost 80% - Gender: Gender differences in conformity are small and
unreliable, except that in public women conform more and
men conform less than in private (gender norms)
What Is Minority influence?
The process by which dissenters
produce change within a group
* Consistent dissent
What is Idiosyncrasy credits?
Interpersonal “credits” that a
person earns by following group norms
- First conform, then dissent
- Dissent can spark innovation
What is Individualism?
A cultural orientation in which independence, autonomy, and self-reliance take priority over group allegiances
What is Collectivism?
A cultural orientation in which interdependence, cooperation, and social harmony take priority over personal goals
What is Compliance?
Changes in behaviour that are elicited by direct requests
What is the connection between Mindlessness and Compliance?
We respond mindlessly to words without fully processing the
information they are supposed to convey
* Disrupting mindlessness can also increase compliance
What is The Norm of Reciprocity?
- We treat others as they have treated us
- Can increase compliance
- E.g., tip more when there’s a happy face on a check
What is Creditors?
Keep others in reciprocity debt to cash in at will
What is non-creditors?
Avoid being in reciprocity debt
What was the Cultural Differences: Hao et al., 2011 study?
- Asked White Canadians and
Chinese Hong Kongers if they
would accept a favour - Soup sample, free drink
- Chinese participants less likely
to accept favour - Follow-up questions revealed
this was because they
perceived favour as self-
serving
What is the foot-in-the-door technique?
A two-step compliance technique in which an influencer sets the stage for the real request by first getting a person to comply with a much smaller request.
E.g., Agreeing to sample something and then
purchasing it
What is Lowballing?
A two-step compliance technique in which the influencer secures agreement with a request but
then increases the size of that request by revealing
hidden costs
E.g., Phone plan is a great deal! You agree to purchase
and then the salesperson tells you it’s more expensive.
You still purchase the plan.
What is the Door-in-the-face technique?
A two-step compliance technique in which an influencer prefaces the real request with one that is so large that it is rejected.
E.g., Volunteer daily at the library vs. once a month
What is the That’s-not-all technique?
A two-step compliance
technique in which the influencer begins with an inflated request, then decreases its apparent size by offering a discount or bonus
E.g., You can buy the set for $50, and we’ll throw in a
bonus item!
What is Obedience?
Behavior change produced by the
commands of authority
- E.g., Holocaust
- E.g., Mass suicides in cults
What is Milgram’s Obedience Studies?
Milgram’s Obedience Studies, conducted in the 1960s by Stanley Milgram, explored how far people would go in obeying authority figures, even when asked to perform morally questionable actions. Participants believed they were administering increasingly severe electric shocks to another person (actually an actor) under the instruction of an experimenter. Despite hearing protests from the actor, many participants continued to deliver shocks when prompted by authority.
What are the findings of Milgrams obedience study ?
Milgram’s studies found that 65% of participants were willing to administer the highest level of electric shocks (450 volts) when instructed by an authority figure
What Factors Influence Obedience?
Participant, Authority, Victim, Procedure
What is Milgram’s Obedience Studies: 4 elements that contributed to obedience…
- Participants relieved of personal responsibility for
victim - Gradual escalation in small increments
- The situation was novel with unknown norms
- The task was quickly paced, preventing careful
thought
What was the Milgram study in the Twenty-First Century?
Dutch researchers Wim Meeus and Quinten Raaijmakers (1995) created a different but analogous situation. They constructed a moral dilemma much like Milgram’s. Rather than order participants to inflict physical pain on someone, however, they ordered them to cause
psychological harm.
When the applicant pleaded with the participant to stop:
* Control group: 0% obedience
* Experimental group: 92% complete obedience
What was the burger 2009 study?
- C1: Replicated Milgram
- C2: Added defiant teacher
- Some differences…
- % at 450 volts estimated
- Exclusionary criteria
- Withdrawal 3x
These results show that obedience to authority may have declined a bit over the years, but it has by no means extinguished. Burger, 2009
Why did Milgram’s participants follow orders?
- Obedience
- Engaged followship: Identified with scientific process and wanted to help contribute to it
What are the moral implications of Milgrams research?
- Do situational forces provide an excuse?
- Do social psychologists unwittingly excuse the
perpetrators? - Does focusing on situational forces let them off the
hook of responsibility?
What is the Social impact theory?
The theory that social influence
depends on the strength, immediacy, and number of
source persons relative to target persons (Latané, 1981)
Social influence depends on three factors…
- The strength of the source person
- The immediacy of the source person to the target in
time and space - The number of source people
What is the Strength of social impact theory?
- Determined by status, ability, or relationship to target
- E.g., competent source, more likely to conform
Revisit….
What is conformity? Why does it occur?
* Change our perceptions, opinions, or behavior in ways that
are consistent with social or group norms
What is compliance and how to we make people comply?
* Changes in behavior that are elicited by direct requests
What is obedience and the effects of obedience?
* Behavior change produced by the commands of authority
How do we resist social influence?
* Identify tactics, find an ally, distance yourself from sources
