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PSY2110: Social Psychology > Week 8: Conformity > Flashcards

Week 8: Conformity Flashcards

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1
Q

What is conformity?

A

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

ex: cults

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2
Q

What are the two main reasons for conforming?

A
  1. Informational Social Influence
  2. Normative Social Influence
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3
Q

What is informational social influence?

A
  • 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.
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4
Q

What is normative social influence?

A

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

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5
Q

What two things that informational social influence bring about?

A
  1. private acceptance
  2. public compliance
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6
Q

What is the difference between private acceptance and public acceptance?

A

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.

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7
Q

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

A
  1. AMBIGUOUS situations
  2. CRISIS situations
  3. when other people are EXPERTS
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8
Q

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

A

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

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9
Q

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

A
  • 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
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10
Q

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

A
  • 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

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11
Q

How do we resist informational social influence?

A

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

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12
Q

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

A
  • 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
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13
Q

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

A

true

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14
Q

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

A

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

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15
Q

What was the purpose of the Asch line experiments?

A

Are there limits to how much people will conform?

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16
Q

What was the method of the Asch Experiment?

A
  • 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
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17
Q

What were the results of the Asch experiment?

A
  • 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
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18
Q

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?

A

conformity DECREASED

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19
Q

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

A

true

20
Q

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

A
  1. strength
  2. immediacy
  3. number
21
Q

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

A

how important is the group

ex: family vs acquaintances

22
Q

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

A

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

23
Q

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

A

how many people are in the group

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

24
Q

When will conformity to normative social influence INCREASE?

A

when strength INCREASES and immediacy INCREASES

25
Q

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

A

true

26
Q

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

A
  1. the group is UNANIMOUS
  2. gender
  3. group culture is COLLECTIVIST
27
Q

How can you decrease conformity when the group is unanimous?

A

-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!

28
Q

Do women or men conform more?

A

women

29
Q

Conformity in regards to gender depends on what?

A
  1. types of pressures
  2. stems from social roles
30
Q

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

A

true

31
Q

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

A

true

32
Q

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

A

false –> they do!

33
Q

How can normative social influence be good?

A
  • could increase charitable donations
  • increase pro-environmental behaviours
34
Q

How can normative social influence be bad?

A
  • 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

35
Q

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

A
  1. becoming aware of what social norms are operating
  2. finding an ALLY who thinks the way we do
  3. gathering IDIOSYNCRASY credits
36
Q

what are idiosyncrasy credits?

A
  • 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
37
Q

What is compliance?

A

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

38
Q

What are 3 techniques of compliance?

A
  1. Door in the face
  2. foot in the door
  3. lowballing
39
Q

What is the door in the face technique?

A
  • 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
40
Q

What is the reciprocity norm?

A

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

41
Q

What is the foot in the door technique?

A

get people to comply to a LARGE request by…
1. present them with a small request –> expected to accept

  1. next, presented with larger request, with hopes they will also accept
  • triggers a change in self perception
42
Q

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

A
  • 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
43
Q

What is lowballing?

A

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

44
Q

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

A
  1. decision seems IRREVOCABLE
  2. want to AVOID DISAPPOINTMENT
  3. new price is ONLY slightly higher
45
Q
A

PSY2110: Social Psychology (13 decks)

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