Social Psychology - Chapter 7: Conformity, Compliance, and Obedience

Vocabulary flashcards covering key terms, theories, and empirical research findings from Chapter 7 on Social Influence, Conformity, Compliance, and Obedience.

Conformity

The tendency to change our perceptions, opinions, or behavior in ways that are consistent with social or group norms.

Autokinetic Effect

A perceptual phenomenon where, in darkness, a stationary point of light appears to move, sometimes erratically, in various directions.

Informational Influence

Influence that produces conformity when a person believes others are correct in their judgments.

Normative Influence

Influence that produces conformity when a person fears the negative social consequences of appearing deviant.

Private Conformity

The change of beliefs that occurs when a person privately accepts the position taken by others.

Public Conformity

A superficial change in overt behavior without a corresponding change of opinion that is produced by real or imagined group pressure.

Idiosyncrasy Credits

Interpersonal "credits" that a person earns by following group norms, which can later be used to express nonconformity.

Individualism

A cultural orientation in which independence, autonomy, and self-reliance take priority over group allegiances.

Collectivism

A cultural orientation in which interdependence, cooperation, and social harmony take priority over personal goals.

Compliance

Changes in behavior that are elicited by direct requests.

Norm of Reciprocity

A social norm dictating that we treat others as they have treated us.

Foot-in-the-Door Technique

A two-step compliance technique in which an influencer sets the stage for the real request by first getting a person to comply with a much smaller request.

Lowballing

A two-step compliance technique in which the influencer secures agreement with a request but then increases the size of that request by revealing hidden costs.

Door-in-the-Face Technique

A two-step compliance technique in which an influencer prefaces the real request with one that is so large that it is rejected.

Perceptual Contrast

An effect in which a second request "seems smaller" to a person exposed to a very large initial request.

Reciprocal Concessions

The pressure individuals feel to respond to changes in an influencer's bargaining position.

That's-Not-All Technique

A two-step compliance technique in which the influencer begins with an inflated request, then decreases its apparent size by offering a discount or bonus.

Obedience

Behavior change produced by the commands of authority.

Social Impact Theory

The theory that social influence depends on the strength, immediacy, and number of source persons relative to target persons.

Chartrand and Bargh's Mimicry Theory

The theory that nonconscious mimicry serves a social function, enabling individuals to interact more smoothly by staying "in sync" with each other's behaviors and expressions.

David Wilder's Majority Influence Perception (1977)

The principle that majority impact depends on one's perception of how many distinct, independent minds exist in a group rather than the raw body count.

Moscovici's Dual-Process Approach to Influence

The theory that majorities elicit public conformity through sheer numbers and normative pressure, whereas committed minorities elicit deeper private conformity through behavioral consistency.

Milgram's Baseline Obedience Rate

The finding in Stanley Milgram's classic study that $65\%$ ($26$ of $40$) of participants delivered the maximum punishment of $450\text{ volts}$, despite predictions that average people would quit at $135\text{ volts}$.

Burger's Partial Replication (2009)

A study of $70$ adults aged $20$ to $81$ that found obedience rates were not解决 appreciably lower than in Milgram's original study $45$ years prior.

Shift in American Maternal Values (1924 vs. 1978)

A cultural evolution in which American mothers shifted from prioritizing conformity traits like "obedience" and "loyalty" in $1924$ to autonomy traits like "independence" and "tolerance of others" in $1978$.