Chapter 7

Question 1

What is conformity?

Answer 1

A change in behavior due to the real or imagined influence of others.

tendency to change your perceptions, opinions, or behaviors in ways that are consistent with perceived group norms

Question 2

What are the two types of conformity?

Answer 2

1. Private acceptance - Genuine belief that others are correct.
2. Public acceptance - Conforming publicly without necessarily believing it.

Question 3

What are the two main reasons people conform?

Answer 3

1. Informational Social Influence (The need to know what’s “right”).
2. Normative Social Influence (The need to be accepted).

Question 4

What is informational social influence?

Answer 4

(the need to know what’s “right”)

->Conforming because we believe others’ interpretation of an ambiguous situation is more correct than our own.

->we see others as a source of information to guide our behavior.

->Can bring about private acceptance (mostly) or public compliance.

Question 5

What situations increase conformity due to informational social influence?

Answer 5

1. Ambiguous or confusing situations.
2. Crisis situations.
3. When other people are experts.

Question 6

How can we resist Informational Social Influence ?

Answer 6

-> Using other people as a source of information can be beneficial in some situations and disastrous in others.

-> It is important to carefully consider if another person’s interpretation of a situation is more legitimate than your own.

Question 7

What is normative social influence?

Answer 7

(The Need to be Accepted)

->Conforming to be liked and accepted by others and avoid being ridiculed, punished or rejected by one’s group

->often resulting in public compliance but not private acceptance.

EX. don’t like skirts but that your required work attire but don’t wear them in your day to day

Question 8

What are social norms?

Answer 8

Unspoken but shared rules of conduct in a group, guiding acceptable behaviors, values, and beliefs.

->Play an important role in driving and maintaining conformity

Question 9

What are the two types of social norms?

Answer 9

1. Descriptive norms - How a typical person behaves in a given situation.
2. Injunctive (prescriptive) norms - Accepted behaviors, values, and beliefs within a group.

Question 10

What did Solomon Asch’s Line Judgment Studies demonstrate?

Answer 10

-> Participants were in a group with accomplices who gave the wrong answer on 12 of 18 trials.

-> Seventy-six percent of the participants conformed by also giving the wrong answer on at least one trial (even though they knew the right answer)

-> On average, participants conformed about 1/3 of the trials

-> Participants were afraid of looking foolish, in front of complete strangers even though there was no risk of being punished or ostracized from the group

-> Bottom line: people do not want to risk social disapproval, even from strangers

-> Conformity dropped dramatically when participants were allowed to write their answers on a piece of paper instead of saying them out loud or when they had a partner saying the right answer as well

Question 11

What does fMRI research show about non-conformity?

Answer 11

Not conforming activates the amygdala, which is associated with negative emotions.

Question 12

What is Social Impact Theory?

Answer 12

The likelihood of conforming depends on strength, immediacy, and number of people in the group.

→ Strength: how important the group is to you.

→ Immediacy: how close the group is to you in space and time during the influence attempt.

→ Number: how many people are in the group (more people = increase conformity to a point 5-6 people).

Question 13

What effect does unanimity (unanimous) have on conformity?

Answer 13

Conformity is highest when the group is unanimous, but one dissenter can significantly reduce conformity.

->However, just one other person not in agreement with the group is enough to decrease our conformity

Question 14

How does personality influence conformity?

Answer 14

People with a high need to achieve or high self-esteem are less likely to conform.

Question 15

How does age affect conformity?

Answer 15

Conformity is highest in adolescence and lower in children and older adults.

Question 16

How do gender differences impact conformity?

Answer 16

->Women are slightly more likely to conform publicly, but no gender difference exists in private acceptance.

->When faced with a difficult task, men are more likely than women to conform to the incorrect (misleading) answer

-> Both men and women are less likely to conform when they are knowledgeable about the topic in question.

Question 17

How does cultural background affect conformity?

Answer 17

Conformity is higher in collectivist cultures than in individualist cultures.

Question 18

How can normative social influence be used for good?

Answer 18

By promoting positive behaviors

EX. at Uni sexist attitudes are not acceptable

EX. everyone in your community recycles so you do as well which is good for environment

Question 19

How do social groups react to nonconformists?

Answer 19

By treating them poorly or punishing them.

Question 20

How can we resist inappropriate normative social influence?

Answer 20

1. Becoming aware of social norms.
2. Finding an ally who thinks the same way.
3. Earning idiosyncrasy credits through past conformity.
   (the credits a person earns over time by conforming to the norms of a group in the past)

Question 21

How does normative social influence affect women’s body image?

Answer 21

North American standards promote “thin is beautiful,” contributing to low self-esteem, depression, and eating disorders.

Question 22

How does normative social influence affect men’s body image?

Answer 22

Men face pressure to be more muscular, which can lead to low self-esteem, depression, and steroid use.

Question 23

What is minority influence?

Answer 23

->When the Few Influence the Many - When a minority group influences the behavior or beliefs of the majority.

Question 24

How does minority influence differ from majority influence?

Answer 24

Minority influence relies on informational social influence and leads to private acceptance.

Question 25

What is the minority slowness effect?

Answer 25

Occurs when people who hold the minority position take longer to express their opinions

Question 26

When is minority influence most effective?

Answer 26

->When the minority is consistent and confident. ->When the minority is open-minded and flexible. ->When people identify with the minority group member.

Question 27

What is compliance?

Answer 27

A change in behavior in response to a direct request.

Question 28

What factors increase compliance?

Answer 28

1. Reciprocity norm -> you do something for me, I’ll do something for you 2. Consistency and commitment; self perception -> comply with someone's request it activates schemas about yourself -> Makes you feel like good person so more likely to comply to more requests 3. Scarcity -> Limited amount of product available = you get it immediately 4. Friendship/liking -> more likely to comply to friend or family request then strangers 5. Mindlessness -> not analyzing or bored = more likely to comply to requests

Question 29

What is the door-in-the-face technique?

Answer 29

->Gets people to comply with a request by first presenting them with a large request, which they are expected to refuse

Question 30

Why does the door-in-the-face technique work?

Answer 30

It triggers the reciprocity norm — we feel obligated to comply when the requester compromises.

Question 31

What is the foot-in-the-door technique?

Answer 31

->Get people to comply with a large request by: – First presenting them with a smaller request, which they are expected to accept. – Then they are presented with the larger request, to which is hoped they will also accept. EX. heavy box with couch is being delivered and ask delivery man to bring it to the door, then ask him to push it down the stairs, then ask him to push it in the living room, then ask him to assemble it

Question 32

Why does the foot-in-the-door technique work?

Answer 32

->It triggers a change in self perception -> By agreeing to the small request, it activated people’s self-image of someone who helps others. –> Once this self-image is in place, it makes it difficult not to agree to a second, larger request. –> Bem’s self-perception theory: Once we freely engage in a behavior, we often infer (i.e. adopt) attitudes that are consistent with that behavior –> Also influenced by our desire to appear consistent

Question 33

What is lowballing?

Answer 33

Getting someone to agree to a low-cost offer, then raising the price. EX. typically used at car dealerships - shake hands makes you feel like you’ve signed a contract so don’t back out

Question 34

Why does lowballing work/why will customers pay the new price?

Answer 34

-> The decision seems irrevocable -> They want to avoid disappointment -> The new price is only slightly higher, making it easier to accept

Question 35

What are norms for social commitment?

Answer 35

A belief that once people make a public agreement, they tend to stick to it, even if circumstances change

Question 36

What psychological factors explain lowballing?

Answer 36

– Commitment to the request – Self-presentation – Commitment to the person

Question 37

What is the deadline technique?

Answer 37

->Creating a false sense of urgency by claiming a limited-time offer. EX. Ads for stores: going out of business everything 70% off

Question 38

What is the hard-to-get technique?

Answer 38

Making an item seem rare or difficult to obtain, increasing its perceived value.

Question 39

What is social proof (Bandwagon effect)?

Answer 39

When people follow others’ behavior, believing it's the correct action. ->see other people buying particular product you end up doing the same thing as well (”why don’t you get it”)

Question 40

What is obedience?

Answer 40

Conformity in response to the commands of an authority figure.

Question 41

How does social pressure affect obedience?

Answer 41

→ Under strong social pressure, individuals will conform to the authority, even when this means doing something immoral EX. "I was just following orders"

Question 42

What was the goal of Stanley Milgram's 1963 experiment? Results?

Answer 42

->To examine if ordinary people could be influenced to inflict severe pain on an innocent person. ->62.5% of participants fully obeyed the experimenter and gave up to the maximum of 450 volts shock. –> Even when the learner reported a heart condition, his cries did little to reduce the obedience.

Question 43

How did normative social influence affect Milgram’s participants?

Answer 43

Participants feared disappointing, hurting, or angering the experimenter, making it difficult to refuse.

Question 44

How did informational social influence affect Milgram’s participants?

Answer 44

->The unfamiliar, ambiguous, and stressful situation led participants to look to the expert (experimenter) for guidance. ->When the experimenter left and stopped giving orders, full obedience dropped to 20%.

Question 45

When was obedience highest in Milgram’s study?

Answer 45

1. When the authority figure was nearby and perceived as legitimate. 2. When the research was supported by a prestigious institution. 3. When the victim was depersonalized or at a distance. 4. When there were no role models for defiance.

Question 46

How does self-justification explain obedience in Milgram’s experiment?

Answer 46

Once participants delivered a small shock they justified it, making it harder to stop as the voltage increased.

Question 47

Why were Milgram’s participants obedient?

Answer 47

->Due to the social situation, not because they were aggressive or inhuman. ->When given freedom to choose shock levels, most participants chose a mild level, with only 2.5% reaching the maximum.

Question 48

At what point was disobedience most common in Milgram’s experiment?

Answer 48

At 150 volts, when the learner first asked to be let out.

Question 49

How can awareness of authority influence positively impact behavior?

Answer 49

Awareness of authority’s power can increase moral reasoning and resistance to unethical commands.

Question 50

Define: 1. Conformity 2. Compliance 3. Obedience

Answer 50

*Conformity - change in behavior or attitude because other people are acting that way (elevator experiment) *Compliance - someone is requesting you to do something (but not in authority position) *Obedience - someone is in position of authority and ordering you to do something