Soc. Psych. Ch8 Conformity

conformity

a change in a person’s behavior caused by real or imagined influence of other people

informational social influence

occurs when people conform because they believe others have accurate information about an unfamiliar situation

private acceptance

refers to conforming to others’ behavior because one genuinely believes their interpretation of reality is correct

Autokinetic Effect study

a study conducted by Muzafer Sherif, put people in a dark room and asked to make judgements about location of a stationary light point

findings from Sherif’s study

study found that people use others as a source of information in an ambiguous situation- accept the group’s judgement

public compliance

occurs when people conform outwardly to group behavior without privately believing in the groups value. (i think weed is bad, but my coworkers believe its good for you, so I say I agree)

Eyewitness study

Baron, Vandello, and Brunsman conducted this 1996 study, where they identify a suspect from lineups alongside confederates who intentionally gave wrong answers.

Eyewitness study finding

the findings of this study were that the more ambiguous a topic, the more likely people will conform to group’s answer, and people prefer to rely on group when accuracy is important

contagion

the rapid spread of emotions of behaviors through a group, especially in ambiguous situations

War of Worlds Radio Broadcast

Orson Welles aired a fake Martian invasion and found that in crises, informational social influence can amplify panic and misinformation

mass psychogenic illness

occurs when groups of people experience similar physical symptoms without any identifiable physical cause

Tennessee High School case

A teacher reported smelling gasoline and getting ill, soon everyone reported similar symptoms. but no physical cause existed. Symptoms spread through observation and communication

normative social influence

occurs when people conform in order to be liked, accepted. usually results in public compliance without private acceptance

social norms

the implicit or explicit rules that groups establish for acceptable behavior, values, and beliefs

Line Judgement Studies

Solomon Asche, asked participants to judge the lengths of lines. 76% of people conformed at least once, even though the correct answer was obvious

Line Judgement Study findings

this study found that people conform to avoid standing out or appearing foolish, demonstrating normative social influence

solomon asche got participants to write their answers privately

In the line judgement study, this change was made to DECREASE CONFORMITY

resisting normative social influence

ridicule, exclusion, or punishment are all consequences of:

Schacter’s deviance study

a study where members discussed a juvenile delinquent case, and one person always disagreed. eventually he was ignored and rejected.

schacter’s findings

groups attempt to bring a deviator into conformity and may punish those who resist.

social impact theory

Latane’s theory that proposed that conformity depends on Strength, immediacy, and group size

idiosyncrasy credits

Hollander’s idea: the tolerance that individuals earn by conforming over time count as credibility, which allows occasional deviation without punishment

Minority influence

occurs when a consistent minority persuades the majority to reconsider its views

moscovici’s theory

minorities often create private acceptance, while majorities create public compliance. Minorities can make change

Injunctive norms

describe what behaviors are approved of or disapproved of by society

descriptive norms

describe what people actually do in a given situation, regardless of approval

Littering Study

a study where researches observed whether injunctive or descriptive norms were made salient (Cialdini, Reno and Kallgren)

obedience

when people follow direct orders from authority figures

Milgram’s study

over 60% of participants administered maximum shock level, showing that people will commit acts of harm when obeying legitimate authority