chap 6 Conformity and obedience

chap 6 Conformity and obedience

What is conformity?

• the change in a person’s behavior or beliefs as a result of real or imagined group pressure.

• It involves adjusting one’s actions or attitudes to align with social norms, often to gain acceptance, avoid rejection, or because one believes the group is correct.

What are the classic conformity and obedience studies?

• Two of the most influential conformity studies were conducted by Solomon Asch in the 1950s.

  1. In the Asch Line Experiment, participants conformed to clearly incorrect group judgments about line lengths, demonstrating the power of normative social influence.

  2. In terms of obedience, the classic study is Stanley Milgram’s obedience experiment (1961), where participants were instructed to administer what they believed were painful electric shocks to another person. The study showed that ordinary people could follow authority orders to potentially harmful extremes, highlighting the strength of obedience to authority.

What predicts conformity?

• Group size: Conformity increases with group size up to a certain point (typically 3–5 people).

• Unanimity: When everyone in a group agrees, people are more likely to conform.

• Cohesion: The more connected an individual feels to the group, the more likely they are to conform.

• Status: Higher-status individuals are less likely to conform, while people tend to conform to those with higher status.

• Public response: Conformity is more likely when responses are given in front of others.

• Prior commitment: Once a person has committed to a position publicly, they are less likely to conform.

Why conform?

People conform for both informational and normative reasons.

• Informational influence occurs when individuals conform because they believe others have accurate information, especially in ambiguous situations.

• Normative influence happens when people conform to gain approval or avoid disapproval, even if they privately disagree.

Who conforms?

Conformity varies based on personality, culture, and social roles.

• Individuals who are high in agreeableness and conscientiousness may be more likely to conform.

• Collectivist cultures (e.g., many East Asian societies) tend to show higher levels of conformity than individualist cultures.

• People who strongly identify with a social role or group are also more likely to conform to that group’s norms.

Do we ever want to be different?

• Yes, individuals often seek to be unique in some way, especially in cultures that value individualism.

• This is known as reactance—a motivational reaction against threats to personal freedom.

• Additionally, optimal distinctiveness theory suggests that people strive for a balance between fitting in and standing out, seeking uniqueness without complete isolation.

Conformity

Changing your behavior or beliefs because of group pressure (real or imagined).

• A change in behavior or belief as the result of real or imagined group pressure.

Acceptance

You change both your actions and your beliefs to match the group—you're genuinely convinced.

• Conformity that involves both acting and believing in accord with social pressure.

compliance

Conformity that involves publicly acting in accord with an implied or explicit request while privately disagreeing.

• You go along with what others want (maybe to fit in or avoid trouble), but you don’t actually agree on the inside.

obedience

A type of compliance involving acting in accord with a direct order or command

autokinetic phenomenon

• Self (auto) motion (kinetic).

• The apparent movement of a stationary point of light in the dark.

autokinetic phenomenon → Muzafer Sherif (social influence)

• In his experiment, participants were placed in a dark room with a single point of light.

• Over time, they reported the light moving in different directions, even though it was stationary.

• Sherif used this to explore how people conform to group norms, showing that when placed in uncertain or ambiguous situations, people tend to rely on others' perceptions to form their own judgments.

• This is a form of informational social influence.

Mass Hysteria

• When a lot of people start reacting emotionally or behaving strangely due to shared fears or suggestions.

• It is contagious behavior (smittende atferd)

• Suggestibility to problems that spreads throughout a large group of people.

What does Conformity mean?

means changing how you act or think because of group pressure.
There are two main types:

• Acceptance: You really believe what the group says and act like them.

• Compliance: You act like the group, but don’t truly believe it.

→ A special kind of compliance is obedience, where you follow a direct order.

Example of conformity

Imagine you're in a classroom where everyone says the answer to a question is "B", but you think it's "A".

• If you change your answer to B because you think they must be right, and you now believe it too → that's Acceptance.

• If you say B just to fit in but still think A is correct → that's Compliance.

• If the teacher tells you directly, “Choose B” and you do it → that's Obedience.

• All of these fall under Conformity, because you're changing your behavior due to group pressure.

Summary of Classic Obedience Studies PHOTO

Three Famous Conformity & Obedience Experiments

• Sherif’s Study (Moving Light)

• Asch’s Study (Line Judgment)

• Milgram’s Study (Obedience & Shocks)

Sherif’s Study (Moving Light)

• People guessed how much a light moved in the dark (it actually didn’t).

• When others gave estimates, people changed theirs to match.

• A group "norm" formed and lasted over time.

  
  🟢 Shows how group norms can shape and stick in our minds.

Asch’s Study (Line Judgment)

• People were asked to pick which line matched another.

• When everyone else gave a wrong answer, 37% of participants also went along.

  
  🟢 Shows how people conform even when the group is clearly wrong.

Milgram’s Study (Obedience & Shocks)

• People were told to give shocks to someone in another room.

• With strong authority and no one resisting, 65% went all the way to the highest shock level.

  
  🟢 Shows how far people will obey authority—even when it harms others.

Cohesiveness

• means how close and connected a group feels — like a strong “we” feeling.

• It’s how much group members stick together because they like and are loyal to each other.

Example of cohesiveness

• a tight group of friends who always support each other

What Makes People More Likely to Conform?

• Group Size → People conform more when 3 or more people show the same behavior.

• Unanimity → If everyone agrees, conformity goes up. If even one person disagrees, conformity drops.

• Cohesion → The more connected you feel to the group, the more likely you are to go along.

• Status → We follow people with higher status more.

• Public Response → If we have to respond in front of others, we conform more.

• Prior Commitment → If we've already committed to something, we're more likely to stick with it.

Two Main Reasons People Conform:

• Normative influence

• Informational influence

• Normative influence

• Conformity based fitting in

  • desire to fulfil others expectations often to gain acceptance
    → You go along because you want to be liked or accepted.
    🟢 “I don’t want to look weird.”

→ Normative = Need to belong

Informational influence

• Conformity occurring when people accept evidence about reality provided by other people.

Figuring things out
→ You go along because you think others know better.
🟢 “They must be right, so I’ll follow.

→ Informational = Need to be right.

Why Do People Conform?

• Normative Influence → To be liked
  → We conform because we want acceptance and to fit in.
  🟢 Shows up more when we answer in public.

• Informational Influence → To be right
  → We conform because we believe others know better.
  🟢 Happens more in uncertain or hard situations.

Who Conforms?

• Personality: People who are agreeable (want to please others) and conscientious (follow rules) are more likely to conform.

• Culture: Different cultures teach people to be more or less socially responsive (so conformity can vary by culture).

• Social Roles: When stepping into a new role (like a new job), conforming to expectations is often part of fitting in.

Conformity is influenced by your personality, culture, and role in society.

Do We Ever Want to Be Different?

1. Reactance: When people feel too much pressure to conform, they often want to resist to keep their sense of freedom.
   🟢 When pushed too hard, we push back.

2. Uniqueness: We don't like to be too different, but we also don’t want to be exactly the same as everyone else.
   🟢 In a group, we’re most aware of what makes us different.