Social Psychology Ch. 6

Conformity

a change in behavior or belief as the result of real or imagined group pressure

Compliance

acting in accord with a request (despite possibly disagreeing)

-saying yes to a request

Obedience

acting in accord with a direct order or command (authority figure)

Sherif's Studies of Norm Formation

used autokinetic phenomenon and concluded that even though the light never actually moved their perception of how much the light changed over time to match the group

chameleon effect

a form of norm formation where subjects unconsciously imitated subtle, repetitive behaviors of confederates, changing actions to blend in

Examples of norm formation

-contagious yawning, coughing, and laughter

-large scale suggestibility

-suicide contagion

mood linkage

example of norm formation where just being around happy people can make us feel happy

Solomon Asch Studies of Group Pressure

Perceptual Judgment experiment

-6 confederates (actors) gave purposeful incorrect answer to see if participant would agree even if they knew it was the incorrect answer

-75% conformed to incorrect answer; 37% of all responses were confirming responses

Factors predicting Conformity

group size, unanimity, cohesion, status, public response, no prior commitment, personality, culture and SES, social role

group size and conformity

5 people will elicit more conformity than 1 or 2, but groups greater in size than 5 yields diminishing returns

unanimity and conformity

observing others dissent (disagree) makes it more likely for you to conform, increasing our own independence.

being the lone dissenter leads to

discomfort which is why they usually conform

cohesion and conformity

the extent to which members of a group are bound together, such as by attraction ("we feeling")

-people want to avoid breaking rank so they conform to what the people they are close with do which explains behaviors during the holocaust

status and conformity

there is greater conformity to hugh status group members, senior members, well-dressed members, and when moving into higher-status communities

public response and conformity

we conform more when responding publicly than privately

-ex. asch replications shower lower rates of conformity when answers were written down privately

No prior commitment (conformity)

we tend to stick to a public commitment made previously

ex. judges and sports referees rarely change a decision that was given publicity

Early research of personality as it pertains to conformity

failed to identify personality traits that reliably predicted conformity

What type of personality traits are more likely to conform?

recent research found; agreeableness, conscientiousness, and people pleasers

What type of people were less likely to conform?

recent research found; people who are open to experience, novelty seekers (like to try new things, liberal political views, and belief in free will

What may override personality in predicting conformity?

Social Influences

Advantages of conformity?

groups thrive when coordinating their responses to a threat

ex. 87% of americans favored "stay at home" orders for covid, despite being an individualistic culture

There is greater conformity in what cultures?

Collectivist Cultures

Social Role Conformity

stronger when taking on a new social role to fit expectations

ex. New role leads to an awkward feeling then they gradually absorb the role when the role then becomes genuine

How easily we adopt a new social role depends on...

situational factors and personality traits

What does Role Reversal do for people? ("put yourself in my shoes")

-improves empathy and understanding

-improves communication and relationships

-reduces hostility

-often used in therapy

normative influence (conformity)

conformity based on a person's desire to fulfill others' expectations, often to gain acceptance (lie to fit in with the crowd)

-may do it without being aware

Informational Influence (conformity)

conformity occurring when people accept evidence about reality provided by other people, often because of a desire to be correct (start to second guess themselves)

informational influence is stronger when

reality is ambiguous, the task is difficult, we feel incompetent, we are very concerned about being right

When we don't conform

Reactance & Asserting Uniqueness

Reactance

a motive to protect or restore one's sense of freedom after someone threatens our freedom (feel like we've being bossed around)

Asserting Uniqueness

taking actions that preserve our sense of individuality, there are times when doing this overrides our desire to fit in

Desire for uniqueness is more common in what cultures

Individual cultures and when those those of high status are non-conforming

Stanley Milgram's Obedience Studies

research instructs one participant (teacher) to shock another participant (learner) following incorrect test answers and the shocks gradually increase in intensity everytime

-Milgram said keep going even if the learners protest and 65% of participants continued up to the maximum voltage but there learners was actually a confederate so no one was actually shocked

What percent of participants reported they were glad they participated in Milgrams Obedience Study?

84% even though there was significant deception of the purpose of the study and what was actually going on as there no one actually getting shocked and only 1% regretted it

What breeds obedience?

-Victim's distance or depersonalization

-Closeness and legitimacy of the authority

-Institutional authority

-Liberating effects of group influenced

What several components, expressed by Berger, led to increased obedience making Milgrams study not as surprising?

-small requests often escalate into larger ones ("foot in the door technique")

-giving shocks was presented as the social norm in this situation

-participant were given the opportunity to deny responsibility, "the experimenter made me do it" (external attribution)

-limited time to reflect on decision

-felt like they didn't have a choice

Similarities between Asch and Milgram Studies

-They showed how compliance can take precedence over moral sense

-They succeeded in pressuring people to go against their own consciences

-They sensitized us to moral conflicts in our own lives

-They affirmed two familiar social psychology principles:

the link between behavior and attitude, and

the power of the situation