Social Influence & Conformity

psy 104s exam 2

Conformity

behavior change designed to match the actions of others

Informational Influence

influence due to the belief that others are behaving correctly

Normative Influence

influence due to the fears of negative social consequences of appearing deviant

Implicit Norms

unwritten, unspoken rules or custom standards that everyone in a culture or group implicitly understands and follows

Explicit Norms

explicit and clear laws/rules

Descriptive Norms

Perception of the prevalence of a behavior, where the group/society/culture is; Violations are seen as odd

Prescriptive (injunctive) Norms

Perception of what is commonly approved or disapproved of in a group/society/culture, Where the group should be, not where it is; Violations are seen as bad

Compliance

behavior change that occurs as a result of a direct request

Obedience

Compliance that occurs in response to a directive from an authority figure

Sherif’s Autokinetic Effect Study

People’s judgments of a moving light changed to match the group’s opinions (conformity).

Public Compliance

Conforming can lead to public acceptance– conforming with others without accepting what they are doing as correct (Asch’s study)

Private Acceptance

Conforming can lead to private acceptance– conforming with others and having the genuine belief that what others are doing or saying is right (Sherif’s study)

Asch’s Line Judgment Study

People conformed to the group’s obviously incorrect answers about line lengths.

Paluck, Shepherd, & Aronow Study

Student leaders opposing conflict influenced peers, reducing school conflict by 30%

Pluralistic Ignorance

the (incorrect) belief that one’s personal attitudes are different from the majority’s norm

Petrified Forest Study

Researchers tested different signs to discourage visitors from stealing rocks. The most effective was a direct negative request: “Please don't remove the petrified wood.” This showed that injunctive messages were more effective than descriptive norms.

Inspire Somalia Reality Show

A 2013 UN-supported singing competition that challenged al-Shabaab’s ban on music and encouraged freedom of expression through public performances.

Betsy Paluck's Research– Social Norms

A Rwandan radio show changed people’s perceptions of social norms, not their personal beliefs, leading to more cooperation between ethnic groups.