Module 6 - Conformity

Question 1

what is conformity?

Answer 1

conformity is defined as a change in behavior in response to the influence of a real or imagined group.

Question 2

what is compliance?

Answer 2

publicly acting in accordance with social pressure to gain rewards or avoid punishment.

Question 3

obedience

Answer 3

when we act upon a direct order

Question 4

acceptance

Answer 4

we actually believe in what the group has convinced us to do via social pressure.

Question 5

reasons why we conform

Answer 5

1. normative influence

2. Informational conformity

Question 6

normative influence

Answer 6

a need to be accepted by others

Question 7

informational conformity

Answer 7

a need to be right so we rely on information provided by others in a group

Question 8

Sherif’s (1935) Social Norm Formation

Answer 8

to judge movement of light in a dark room; group norm of distance was established

Question 9

auto-kinetic phenomenon

Answer 9

apparent movement of a stationary point of light in the darkness

Question 10

Asch 1953 - Group pressure experiment

Answer 10

perception pressure; comparing the length of lines

Question 11

Milgram 1965 - Infamous Obedience Study

Answer 11

shock generator from 15 to 450 volts

Question 12

what breeds obedience?

Answer 12

1. emotional distance
2. closeness and legitimacy of the authority.
3. institutional authority

Question 13

when do people conform?

Answer 13

1. group size
2. unanimity
3. cohesion
4. status
5. public responses
6. no prior commitment

Question 14

social impact theory

Answer 14

the first few people have more power than those subsequently added to the group

Question 15

reactance

Answer 15

when people feel that their sense of freedom is being threatened through forced conformity, they will rebel.

Question 16

who conform?

Answer 16

• the predictive power of personality increases when the situation is less rigorous
• cultural variation
• there is major difference between individualist and collectivist countries.

Question 17

most people comply in order to reap a reward or avoid a punishment

Answer 17

true

Question 18

research suggests that the more “together” or cohesive an “anti-group” is within a larger group, the less influence it has over its members

Answer 18

true

Question 19

In Milgram’s obedience study, it was observed that when others present during the experiment with the concerns of the “teacher”, the teacher was more likely to ignore the orders of the experimenter.

Answer 19

true

Question 20

For his classic study on social norm formation, Sherif used the autokinetic phenomenon or the apparent movement of a stationary point of light in the darkness as a target stimulus.

Answer 20

true

Question 21

conformity may reflect an evolutionary response to survival threats, such as disease-bearing pathogens

Answer 21

true

Question 22

conformity based on a person’s desire to fulfill other’s expectations, often to gain acceptance, is known as informational influence

Answer 22

false

Question 23

Asch’s group pressure study was one of the most controversial experiments of its time which did much to spark a heated debate on research ethics.

Answer 23

False

Question 24

Solomon Asch is best known for his obedience study in which participants had to deliver shocks of increasing intensity when an incorrect answer was given.

Answer 24

False

Question 25

For conformity to be greater, it is best to have a large group of people rather than a small group of people.

Answer 25

False