Psychology of Groups, Conformity, and Obedience

Ostracism

when a group deliberately excludes another person

Social facilitation

being in the presence of others improves individual task performance

Group cohesion

the integrity, solidarity, social integration, and unity of a group

Group polarization

tendency for group members’ judgement and attitudes to become more extreme after deliberation with the group

Conformity

our tendency to change attitudes or behaviors to adhere to a perceived social norm

Factors that influence conformity

• size of the group

• unanimity in the group

• group in collectivist cultures

Factors that influence obedience

• proximity of authority figure

• level of authority

• proximity of target

• examples of disobedience

Stanley Milgram’s Obedience Experiment

wanted to test to see the limits people would go to to obey authority figures

Acsh’s Conformity Study