socialchange Flashcards
I: Surface Culture - The What
- Food
- Visual Arts
- Drama
- Literature
- Language
- the VISUAL elements of culture that are easily identifiable, easily shared, and easily accessed
- tend to be tradition-based
II: Deep Culture - The Why
- Courtesy
- Concept of Time
- Personal Space
- Rules of Conduct
- Eye-Contact
- elements of culture that are perhaps not so easily identifiable,
- more ingrained into society
- tend to be behavior-based
II: Deep Culture - The Why
- Concept of “self”
- Concept of Past and Future
- Notions of Modesty
- Social Interaction Rate
- Attitudes Towards Elders
- the elements of culture that are perhaps not as easily pointed out, more ingrained into society
- tend to be behavior-based
what are the five core soical motives of conformity
- Belonging
- Understanding
- Controlling
- Enhancing Self
- Trusting
what is the core need of social motive
belonging
Belonging
People are motivated to affiliate and bond with each other.
Understanding
To belong, people are motivated to create an accurate-enough shared social understanding in order to belong and function in social groups
Controlling
The urge to compete and succeed in navigating our surroundings, fostering a sense of initiative, agency, and avoiding feelings of ineffectiveness
Enhancing Self
Hoping that others will see you as socially worthy, fits the core social motive of enhancing self.
Trusting
Viewing the world as benevolent enables people to participate in many group activities without undue suspicion or vigilance.
Conformity
is a change of behaviour as a result of real or imagined group pressures or norms.
social comparison - that is, our tendency to compare ourselves to others around us to validate our behaviour and opinions
Normative social influence:
Normative social influence: The need for social acceptance and approval.
example: dressing a certain way
laughing at a joke u don’t find funny bc everyone else is laufhgin
Informational social influence:
Informational social influence: The need for certainty. When we are in ambiguous situations, we engage in social comparison.
example: seeking directions from locals
following evatuuation instructions in an emergency
What factors influence conformity?
- Group Unanimity
- Group size
- Private vs. public responses
- Self-esteem/confidence
- Cultural dimensions
- Social identity
Group Unanimity:
When the entire group (except the participant) unanimously agrees on a response, it increases conformity. Introducing even a single dissenting voice in the group can significantly reduce conformity.
group size
Larger groups tend to have a greater influence on conformity than smaller groups. Asch’s experiments showed that conformity increased when the number of confederates (actors pretending to be participants) went from 2 to 3, but further increases in group size did not lead to more conformity.
Private/Public
Research suggests there is less conformity if respondents and their answers remain anonymous.
Confidence and self-esteem:
Research suggests women may be more likely to conform in situations involving surveillance, while men may conform less. Younger individuals tend to conform more than older, more experienced people. Groups with stronger bonds and a greater sense of belonging among members tend to exhibit higher levels of conformity.
Culture
collectivist cultures that emphasize group harmony and belonging tend to have higher rates of conformity compared to more individualistic cultures
Social Identity:
As group membership becomes more important, individuals tend to see themselves less as unique individuals and more as prototypical members of the group. This “depersonalization” process leads them to conform to the group’s norms and behaviors.
THE ASCH STUDY
Solomon Asch (1907-1966):
Solomon Asch (1907-1966):
Classic conformity study, published in 1951 ( has been repeated many times with many different variables)
Hypothesis:
When people know the answer (or norm) to a situation, would they still conform even if they knew the group was “wrong”?
Study:
Created the line judgement task involving one participant and eight “confederates”
Distortion of Perception
reported they saw what the majority saw
Distortion of Judgment:
decided perceptions were inaccurate
Distortion of Action:
knew the group was wrong but didn’t want to seem different
A negative effect of normative conformity
a phenomenon that occurs when the desire for group consensus overrides people’s common sense desire to present alternatives, critique a position, or express an unpopular opinion
Recognizable signs groupthink is happening
Illusion of Invulnerability:
Members ignore obvious danger, take extreme risk, and are overly optimistic
