Week 8: Conformity

Question 1

What is conformity?

Answer 1

Change in behaviour due to the real or imagined influence of others

ex: cults

Question 2

What are the two main reasons for conforming?

Answer 2

1. Informational Social Influence
2. Normative Social Influence

Question 3

What is informational social influence?

Answer 3

• We see others as a source of information to guide our behaviour
• we believe that others’ interpretation of an ambiguous situation is more correct than ours and will help us choose an appropriate course of action.

Question 4

What is normative social influence?

Answer 4

Conform either to…
a. be liked and accepted by others
b. to avoid being ridiculed, punished or rejected by one’s group.

Ex: underage drinking to fit in with friends

Question 5

What two things that informational social influence bring about?

Answer 5

1. private acceptance
2. public compliance

Question 6

What is the difference between private acceptance and public acceptance?

Answer 6

Private:
- Conforming to other people’s behaviour out of a genuine belief that what they are doing or saying is right

Public:
- Conforming to other people’s behaviour publicly, WITHOUT believing in what they are doing, or saying.

Question 7

What are 3 situations that are most likely produce conformity due to informational social influence?

Answer 7

1. AMBIGUOUS situations
2. CRISIS situations
3. when other people are EXPERTS

Question 8

Why do we conform to informational social influence when the situation is ambiguous?

Answer 8

if you’re unsure of the correct response, the appropriate behaviour, or the right idea, you will be most open to the influence of others

ex: hearing the fire alarm and knowing if you need to leave or not

Question 9

Why do we conform to informational social influence when the situation is a crisis?

Answer 9

• we do not have time to stop and think
• if we panic and are uncertain what to do, it is only natural for us to see what other people are doing in response

Question 10

Why do we conform to informational social influence when other people are experts?

Answer 10

• the more expertise or knowledge a person has, the more valuable they seem to guide you through a confusing situation

ex: see smoke on the plane –> look to flight attendants to know how to react as they are experts and you are not

Question 11

How do we resist informational social influence?

Answer 11

use RATIONAL THINKING!! –> weigh the options and don’t just blindly follow

Question 12

We tend to conform to group’s social norms. What are “group social norms”?

Answer 12

• Implicit or explicit rules a group has for the acceptable behaviours, values, and beliefs of its members
• if you do not follow, you are percieved as different, difficult, and deviant –> leads to being punished or rejected

Question 13

Normative social influence results in public compliance with the group’s beliefs and behaviours but not necessarily in private acceptance. true or false

Answer 13

true

Question 14

But what happens when we are with a group of strangers who are obviously wrong? Will we still conform?

Answer 14

Yes, according to Asch’s (1956) line studies.

Question 15

What was the purpose of the Asch line experiments?

Answer 15

Are there limits to how much people will conform?

Question 16

What was the method of the Asch Experiment?

Answer 16

• participants were in a group with other people who were giving wrong answers and they themselves had to rate which line is closer to a standard line.
• the DV was whether they conform to group

Question 17

What were the results of the Asch experiment?

Answer 17

• 76 percent of participants conformed by also giving the wrong answer on at least one trial (even though they knew the right answer)
• People do not want to risk the social disapproval, even from strangers

Question 18

What happens with the Asch experiment when the participants were allowed to write their answers on a piece of paper instead of say them out loud in the group?

Answer 18

conformity DECREASED

Question 19

Recent fMRI research shows that not conforming (going against the group) activates brain areas associated with negative emotions (discomfort and tension). true or false

Answer 19

true

Question 20

According to “social impact theory”, what are the 3 variables that make you more likely to respond to normative social influence?

Answer 20

1. strength
2. immediacy
3. number

Question 21

What is the variable “strength” in the social impact theory?

Answer 21

how important is the group

ex: family vs acquaintances

Question 22

what is the variable “immediacy” in social impact theory?

Answer 22

How close the group is to you in space and time during the attempt to influence you

ex: in front of you vs on social media

Question 23

What is the variable “number” in social impact theory?

Answer 23

how many people are in the group

ex: large vs small group will influence if you will conform

Question 24

When will conformity to normative social influence INCREASE?

Answer 24

when strength INCREASES and immediacy INCREASES

Question 25

Conformity will increase as the group number does, but only up to a point. true or false

Answer 25

true

Question 26

What are 3 other conditions under which people will conform to normative social influence?

Answer 26

1. the group is UNANIMOUS 2. gender 3. group culture is COLLECTIVIST

Question 27

How can you decrease conformity when the group is unanimous?

Answer 27

-having the presence of ONE dissenting ally --> if you can get a few allies to agree with you, it is easier to buck the majority!

Question 28

Do women or men conform more?

Answer 28

women

Question 29

Conformity in regards to gender depends on what?

Answer 29

1. types of pressures 2. stems from social roles

Question 30

In situations in which conformity is private (ex: writing it down) , gender differences virtually disappear. true or false

Answer 30

true

Question 31

women are taught to be more agreeable and supportive, whereas men are taught to be more independent in the face of direct social pressures. true or false

Answer 31

true

Question 32

People in collectivist cultures do not value normative social influence because it promotes harmony and supports relationships in the group. true or false

Answer 32

false --> they do!

Question 33

How can normative social influence be good?

Answer 33

- could increase charitable donations - increase pro-environmental behaviours

Question 34

How can normative social influence be bad?

Answer 34

- social groups will bring nonconformist into line by poor treatment and/or punishment ex: reporting sexual harassment in the armed forces --> being ostracized by the rest of group

Question 35

What are 3 ways we can resist inappropriate normative social influence?

Answer 35

1. becoming aware of what social norms are operating 2. finding an ALLY who thinks the way we do 3. gathering IDIOSYNCRASY credits

Question 36

what are idiosyncrasy credits?

Answer 36

- the credits a person earns over time by conforming to the norms of a group in the past --> your past conformity allows you to deviate from the group without getting into too much trouble

Question 37

What is compliance?

Answer 37

change in behaviour in response to a direct request from another person

Question 38

What are 3 techniques of compliance?

Answer 38

1. Door in the face 2. foot in the door 3. lowballing

Question 39

What is the door in the face technique?

Answer 39

- Gets people to comply with a request by... 1. presenting them with a large request, which they are expected to refuse. 2. next, present them with a smaller, more reasonable request, to which is hoped they will accept. - based on reciprocity norm

Question 40

What is the reciprocity norm?

Answer 40

When the requester backs down from an extreme request to a smaller one, we feel obliged to return the favour (reciprocate) by acquiescing to the request

Question 41

What is the foot in the door technique?

Answer 41

get people to comply to a LARGE request by... 1. present them with a small request --> expected to accept 2. next, presented with larger request, with hopes they will also accept - triggers a change in self perception

Question 42

How does the foot in the door technique trigger a change in self-perception?

Answer 42

- By agreeing to the small request, it activated people’s self-image of someone who helps others. - Once this self-image is in place, it makes it difficult not to agree to a second, larger request

Question 43

What is lowballing?

Answer 43

Inducing a customer to agree to purchase a product at a VERY LOW cost, and then RAISING the price once you have committed to purchase

Question 44

Why will customers often still make the purchase after they have been lowballed? (x3)

Answer 44

1. decision seems IRREVOCABLE 2. want to AVOID DISAPPOINTMENT 3. new price is ONLY slightly higher