Chapter 6: Conformity & Obedience

conformity

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

acceptance

involving both acting and believing in accord with social pressure

compliance

involving publicly acting in accord with an implied or explicit request while privately disagreeing

obedience

involving acting in accord with a direct order or command

Sherif norm formation

• guessed the distance of a light

  • when done in a group, answers conformed

autokinetic phenomenon

apparent movement of a stationary point of light in the dark

Asch study of group pressure

• different length lines, when others answered wrong, participant did too

• 75% conformed at least once

Milgrams obedience study

65% continued to highest voltage

greatest obedience when learners and teachers could not be seen

mimicry

subtly and unconsciously copying actions, words, or vocab of those around you

mass hysteria

suggestibility to problems that spreads through a large group

cohesiveness

a ‘we’ feeling, the extent to which members of a group are bound together

normative influence

conformity based on a persons desire to fulfill others expectations, often to gain acceptance

informational influence

conformity occuring when people accept evidence about reality provided by other people

• desire to be correct

psychological reactance

a motive to protect or restore ones sense of freedom

• arises when someone threatens this sense of freedom