Conformity and Obedience: Influencing Behavior

Question 1

American culture

Answer 1

Stresses the importance of not conforming
Celebrates the rugged individualist

Question 2

Conformity:

Answer 2

A change in one’s behavior due to the real or imagined influence of other people

Question 3

Social Pressure and Torture

Answer 3

Under strong social pressure, individuals will conform to the group even when this means doing something immoral. In 2004, American soldiers’ degrading abuse of Iraqis held at the Abu Ghraib prison sparked an international scandal and a great deal of soul-searching back home. Why did the soldiers humiliate their captives? As you read this chapter, you will see how the social influence pressures of conformity can contribute to decent people committing indecent acts.

Question 4

Conform because

Answer 4

See others as a source of information to guide our behavior
Believe that others’ interpretation of an ambiguous situation is more correct than ours and will help us choose an appropriate course of action

Question 5

Private Acceptance

Answer 5

Conforming to other people’s behavior out of a genuine belief that what they are doing or saying is right
Informational social influence often results in private acceptance!

Question 6

Public Compliance

Answer 6

Conforming to other people’s behavior publicly without necessarily believing in what we are doing or saying

Question 7

Sherif’s Study

Answer 7

Public compliance or private acceptance?
Subsequent research suggested private acceptance

Question 8

The Importance of Being Accurate

Answer 8

Informational social influence affected by how important it is to make an accurate judgment

Question 9

Eyewitness conformity when picking “perpetrators” out of police lineups
Manipulated importance of task

Answer 9

High-importance: Expect to receive $20 for accurate identification, used to develop real task
Low-importance: Just another psych experiment
Confederates gave incorrect answers

Question 10

Contagion

Answer 10

The rapid spread of emotions or behaviors through a crowd When the situation is Ambiguous
A crisis
When other people are experts

Question 11

Ambuiguity

Answer 11

Ambiguity is the most crucial variable.
When you are uncertain, you will be most open to influence from others.
The greater the uncertainty, the more reliance there is on others!

Question 12

When the Situation is a Crisis

Answer 12

Don’t have time to stop and think about action we should take
Need to act—immediately
May be scared, panicked
See how other people are responding, and do the same
Problem
The people we imitate may not be behaving rationally!

Question 13

Normative Social Influence: The Need to Be Accepted (2 of 4)

Answer 13

Humans are a social species.
Other people are important to our well-being.
Being deprived of human contact is stressful and traumatic.

Question 14

Social norms:

Answer 14

The implicit or explicit rules a group has for the acceptable behaviors, values, and beliefs of its members

Question 15

Normative social influence

Answer 15

Conform in order to be liked and accepted by others
Results in public compliance with the group’s beliefs and behaviors but not necessarily private acceptance of those beliefs and behaviors.

Question 16

Classic normative reasons for conforming

Answer 16

Don’t want to feel peculiar
Don’t want to feel like a fool
Belief that what others think is important, even if they are strangers

Question 17

Variation of original Asch study

Answer 17

Participants wrote answers on paper instead of saying them out loud
Answers were private, not public
People did not have to worry about what the group thought of them

Question 18

Variation of original Asch study

Answer 18

Conformity dropped dramatically
Occurred on average of only 1.5 of the 12 trials

Question 19

Usually results in public compliance without private acceptance

Answer 19

Go along with the group even if you think the group’s actions are wrong

Question 20

When participants conformed to group (gave incorrect answer)

Answer 20

Vision and perception areas active in brain

Question 21

When participants disagreed (gave correct answer)
Different brain areas active

Answer 21

Amygdala
Negative emotions
Right caudate nucleus
Modulating social behavior

Question 22

What happens when it is important to people to be accurate?

Answer 22

These people conform less to answers of the group that are obviously wrong.
But they still conform sometimes!

Question 23

Conformity can occur

Answer 23

Even when the group is wrong
The correct answer is obvious
There are strong incentives to be accurate

Question 24

People find it difficult to risk social disapproval

Answer 24

Even by strangers

Question 25

Variation of original Asch study

Answer 25

Conformity dropped dramatically Occurred on average of only 1.5 of the 12 trials

Question 26

Usually results in public compliance without private acceptance

Answer 26

Go along with the group even if you think the group’s actions are wrong

Question 27

When participants conformed to group (gave incorrect answer)

Answer 27

Vision and perception areas active in brain

Question 28

When participants disagreed (gave correct answer)

Answer 28

Different brain areas active Amygdala Negative emotions Right caudate nucleus Modulating social behavior

Question 29

If you disregard the group norms of your friends and fail to conform

Answer 29

Group would try to bring you “back into the fold” Long discussions, teasing comments If discussions don’t work Friends may say negative things to you and about you Start to withdraw from you

Question 30

Social impact theory

Answer 30

The idea that conforming to social influence depends on Strength Importance of group to person Immediacy Closeness in time and space Number of people in the group

Question 31

More conformity to normative pressures when group is

Answer 31

More important More immediate But, number (group size) operates differently

Question 32

Conformity increases as the number of people in the group increases.

Answer 32

But, once the group reaches 4 or 5 other people, conformity does not increase much.

Question 33

When the Group Is Important (1 of 2)

Answer 33

Normative pressures are much stronger when there is a cost to losing the group. People whose friendship, love, and respect we value Highly cohesive groups can make less logical decisions. No one wants to upset relationships

Question 34

Idiosyncrasy credits:

Answer 34

The tolerance a person earns, over time, by conforming to group norms; if enough credits are earned, the person can, on occasion, deviate from the group without retribution

Question 35

Variation on original Asch study

Answer 35

6 of 7 confederates selected incorrect line instead of unanimous.

Question 36

Participant had an “ally”

Answer 36

Person not alone in dissenting Conformity dropped to 6% of the trials (compared to 32% when the person was the only dissenter).

Question 37

U.S. Supreme Court

Answer 37

Most common decision ratio Unanimous, 9-0 vote Least common decision ratio 8-1 (single dissenter) It is difficult to be the lone dissenter!

Question 38

When the Group’s Culture is Collectivistic

Answer 38

Greater conformity in collectivist cultures Asch’s line judgment task Norway more conformity than France Collectivistic cultures view conformity as a valued trait, not as a somewhat negative one.

Question 39

Minority Influence: When the Few Influence the Many

Answer 39

Minority influence: The case where a minority of group members influence the behavior or beliefs of the majority Consistency is key People with minority views must express the same view over time Members of the minority opinion must agree with one another

Question 40

Can social norms be used to induce people to conform to correct, socially approved behavior?

Answer 40

Cialdini and colleagues suggestion First, identify the norm that is operating in the situation.

Question 41

Injunctive norms:

Answer 41

People’s perceptions of what behaviors are approved or disapproved of by others

Question 42

Descriptive norms:

Answer 42

People’s perceptions of how people actually behave in given situations, regardless of whether the behavior is approved or disapproved of by others

Question 43

Using Norms to Change Behavior: Beware the “Boomerang Effect”

Answer 43

Invoking descriptive norms may backfire Depending on pre-existing behavior e.g., college binge drinking, energy use Invoking descriptive plus injunctive most successful Example: Energy use (Schultz et al)

Question 44

Other Tactics of Social Influence

Answer 44

Using norms is not the only way to change other people’s behavior. Compliance techniques: Foot-in-the-door Door-in-the-face Propaganda

Question 45

Foot-in-the-Door Technique

Answer 45

Getting people to agree first to a small request makes them more likely to agree later to a second, larger request.

Question 46

Door-in-the-Face Technique (1 of 2)

Answer 46

First, asking people for a large request that they will probably refuse makes them more likely to agree later to a second, smaller request. Would you agree to put a big sign in your yard, blocking the front of your house?

Question 47

Door-in-the-Face Technique (2 of 2)

Answer 47

Research on the door-in-the-face technique suggests that your answer might depend on whether or not you have already agreed to a smaller request first.

Question 48

Propaganda

Answer 48

A deliberate, systematic attempt to advance a cause by manipulating mass attitudes and behaviors, often through misleading or emotionally charged information

Question 49

Nazis on Parade

Answer 49

Nazi propaganda permeated all facets of German life in the 1930s and 1940s. Here, huge crowds attend the 1934 Nuremberg rally. Such large public gatherings were a technique frequently used by Goebbels and Hitler to promote loyalty and conformity to the Nazi party.

Question 50

Obedience to Authority (1 of 3)

Answer 50

Obedience is a social norm Universally valued Without obedience, would be chaos We are socialized to obey legitimate authority figures Internalize social norm of obedience Obey even if authority figure isn’t present e.g., traffic lights

Question 51

Obedience to Authority (2 of 3)

Answer 51

Obedience can have serious, tragic consequences. Obey the orders of an authority figure to hurt or even kill other human beings

Question 52

Obedience to Authority (3 of 3)

Answer 52

The Milgram studies Most famous series of studies in social psychology

Question 53

Imagine that You Were a Participant (1 of 4)

Answer 53

When you arrive at the laboratory, you meet another participant, a 47-year-old, somewhat overweight, pleasant-looking fellow. The experimenter, wearing a white lab coat, explains that one of you will play the role of a teacher and the other a learner.

Question 54

Imagine that You Were a Participant (2 of 4)

Answer 54

You draw a slip of paper out of a hat and discover that you will be the teacher. Your job is to teach the other participant a list of word pairs (e.g., blue–box, nice–day) and then test him on the list.

Question 55

Imagine that You Were a Participant (3 of 4)

Answer 55

The experimenter instructs you to deliver an electric shock to the learner whenever he makes a mistake because the purpose of the study is to examine the effects of punishment on learning.

Question 56

Imagine that You Were a Participant (4 of 4)

Answer 56

The learner makes many mistakes. The experimenter instructs you to keep shocking the learner. What would you do?

Question 57

Milgram’s Studies (1 of 4)

Answer 57

How many people do you think would continue to obey the experimenter and increase the levels of shock until they had delivered the maximum amount, 450 volts?

Question 58

Imagine that You Were a Participant (4 of 4)

Answer 58

The learner makes many mistakes. The experimenter instructs you to keep shocking the learner. What would you do?

Question 59

Milgram’s Studies (1 of 4)

Answer 59

How many people do you think would continue to obey the experimenter and increase the levels of shock until they had delivered the maximum amount, 450 volts?

Question 60

Milgram’s Studies (2 of 4)

Answer 60

Estimate: About 1% of the population Psychology majors at Yale University Middle-class adults Panel of psychiatrists made similar predictions

Question 61

The Role of Normative Social Influence (1 of 4)

Answer 61

Don’t want to disappoint experimenter Insistent experimenter Difficult to say no Variations on original study Other teachers (confederates) refused to continue Only 10% gave maximum shock Compared to 62.5% in original study When someone wants us to do something, it’s difficult to say no If they said no, experimenter may have been disappointed, hurt, or maybe angry Experimenter actively tried to get people to conform “It is absolutely essential that you continue” Variations on original study 3 teachers, 2 of which were confederates One confederate read word pairs Other confederate told the learner whether the response was correct or not Real participant delivered shocks Variations on original study Confederates stop at different points in the study Confederate 1 at 150 volts Confederate 1 at 250 volts Results? Seeing peers disobey made it easier for the participant to disobey Only 10% gave the maximum shocks

Question 62

The Role of Informational Social Influence (1 of 5)

Answer 62

Participants were free to get up and leave. Why didn’t they do so? Confusing circumstance, not sure what to do Informational social influence is powerful when Situation is ambiguous Situation is a crisis Other people in the situation have expertise All three characteristics describe the Milgram experiment Variations on original study 3 critical changes Experimenter never said which shock levels were to be given. Before the study, the experimenter received a phone call and had to leave the room, telling the participant to continue without him. A confederate played the role of an additional teacher, recording the length of the learner’s responses. Variations on original study The other “teacher” suggested that they increase the level of shock with each wrong answer. Variations on original study Results? Compliance dropped to 20%. “Teacher” lacked expertise, but some still used this nonexpert as a guide.

Question 63

Other Reasons Why We Obey

Answer 63

Conform to wrong norm Fast-paced nature of experiment No time to reflect Self-justification Shock levels increased in small increments Internal pressure to continue to obey Loss of a personal responsibility

Question 64

The Obedience Studies, Then and Now (1 of 4)

Answer 64

Despite the contributions of the Milgram’s study, many consider its procedures unethical. Research considered unethical for several reasons Involved deception Lacked fully informed consent

Question 65

Despite the contributions of the Milgram’s study, many consider its procedures unethical. Research considered unethical for several reasons Involved deception Lacked fully informed consent

Answer 65

Research considered unethical for several reasons Role as teacher caused psychological distress Not made clear that the participants could withdraw from study Participants experienced inflicted insight. Learned unpleasant things about themselves.

Question 66

The Obedience Studies, Then and Now (3 of 4)

Answer 66

Burger (2009) replicated Milgram’s study Changed procedures Reduced psychological distress by stopping the study after 150 volts Disobedience was most likely to occur at this point Participants were prescreened by a clinical psychologist

Question 67

The Obedience Studies, Then and Now (4 of 4)

Answer 67

Changed procedures Burger explicitly and repeatedly told the participants and the learner that they could leave at any time. Results? 70% obeyed at 150 volts (compared to 82.5% that continued up until that point in Milgram’s original study). Difference not statistically significant