Lecture Notes on Conformity and Social Influence

Vocabulary flashcards covering core concepts from the lecture notes on conformity, social influence, and related phenomena.

Conformity

A change in behavior or beliefs to align with the norms or expectations of a group (social influence to fit in).

Normative social influence

Conformity driven by a desire to be liked or accepted by others rather than by information about the correct answer.

Informational social influence

Conformity driven by the belief that others’ judgments reflect the correct reality and provide information.

Asch conformity experiment

Solomon Asch’s line-judgment study showing that people often conform to incorrect majority answers under social pressure.

Public conformity

Agreeing with the group in public without necessarily changing private beliefs.

Private acceptance

Internalizing the group’s beliefs; changing one’s private opinions to align with the group.

Need to belong

The human drive to form and maintain strong interpersonal relationships and be part of a group.

Status quo bias

Tendency to prefer the current state of affairs and resist changes to what is familiar.

Epistemic aspect of psychology

How reality is understood, partly shaped by social norms and the information available from others.

Black sheep effect

Judging dissenters more harshly to preserve group norms and cohesion.

Minority influence

When a small group or individual influences the majority through consistency and strong arguments.

Public vs. private conformity

The distinction between outward conformity in public and genuine belief change in private.

Foot-in-the-door technique

A compliance tactic where agreeing to a small initial request increases the likelihood of agreeing to a larger one later.

Commitment and consistency

The principle that people prefer to act consistently with prior commitments, making small commitments pave the way for bigger ones.

Norms

Shared expectations about what is typical or appropriate within a group.