Lecture 6: Conformity

Question 1

What is Social influence?

Answer 1

The ways that people are affected by the real and imagined pressures of others
* Conformity, compliance, obedience

Question 2

As social animals, humans are vulnerable to subtle
influences….How and why?

Answer 2

• Humans unwittingly mimic each other all the time
• E.g., yawn, grimace, laugh, clap
• Animals exhibit rudimentary forms of automatic imitation
• E.g., mimicking hunting techniques
• Why?
• Mimicry smoothens interaction/communication by
  influencing behaviours, emotions, and language/speech
  styles

Question 3

What is Conformity?

Answer 3

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

Question 4

How do people un north America view conformity?

Answer 4

People in North America often identify themselves as
nonconformists and think they conform less than other
people in North America

• Adhering to social norms is necessary for community
  peace

Question 5

What was The Early Classics: Sherif (1936) Study?

Answer 5

• Participant in dark room shown
  a single point of light, asked to
  estimate distance that light
  moves
• Difficult & ambiguous task
• Light is stationary but
  appears to move (autokinetic
  effect)
• Do task alone first, then with 3
  other participants in the room

Sherif (1936) found that in ambiguous situations, people tend to conform to group norms.

Question 6

What is Informational influence?

Answer 6

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

• Sherif’s autokinetic study
• Want to make accurate judgements and assume if
  others agree, they must be right

Question 7

What was Asch’s (1951) Conformity Study?

Answer 7

• Went along with incorrect
  majority 37% of the time
• 25% refused to agree
  with incorrect group
  answers
• 50% went along on at
  least half of the incorrect
  answers
• Non-conformers said
  they felt “conspicuous,
  crazy, or like a misfit

Question 8

What is Normative influence?

Answer 8

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

• Asch’s line studies
• Want to avoid ostracism or rejection that follow deviance
• Rejection hurts
• Why does it hurt? We’ve evolved as social creatures who need others to survive – rejection could be deadly

Question 9

Why Do People Conform?

Answer 9

The Sherif and Asch studies demonstrate that people conform for two very different reasons: one informational, the other normative

Question 10

What are the two main types of conformity?

Answer 10

1. private
2. public

Question 11

What is private conformity?

Answer 11

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

Question 12

What is public conformity

Answer 12

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

Question 13

What are the 4 factors of Majority Influence in conformity?

Answer 13

• Group size: 3-4 individuals or 3-4 small groups exert greatest effect
• Norms: Lead to conformity if we know and focus on the norms
• Often misperceive what is normative (e.g., substance use)
• Allies: Dissent can reduce normative pressures to conform
• A single confederate who agreed with a participant
  reduced conformity by almost 80%
• Gender: Gender differences in conformity are small and
  unreliable, except that in public women conform more and
  men conform less than in private (gender norms)

Question 14

What Is Minority influence?

Answer 14

The process by which dissenters
produce change within a group
* Consistent dissent

Question 15

What is Idiosyncrasy credits?

Answer 15

Interpersonal “credits” that a
person earns by following group norms

• First conform, then dissent
• Dissent can spark innovation

Question 16

What is Individualism?

Answer 16

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

Question 17

What is Collectivism?

Answer 17

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

Question 18

What is Compliance?

Answer 18

Changes in behaviour that are elicited by direct requests

Question 19

What is the connection between Mindlessness and Compliance?

Answer 19

We respond mindlessly to words without fully processing the
information they are supposed to convey
* Disrupting mindlessness can also increase compliance

Question 20

What is The Norm of Reciprocity?

Answer 20

• We treat others as they have treated us
• Can increase compliance
• E.g., tip more when there’s a happy face on a check

Question 21

What is Creditors?

Answer 21

Keep others in reciprocity debt to cash in at will

Question 22

What is non-creditors?

Answer 22

Avoid being in reciprocity debt

Question 23

What was the Cultural Differences: Hao et al., 2011 study?

Answer 23

• Asked White Canadians and
  Chinese Hong Kongers if they
  would accept a favour
• Soup sample, free drink
• Chinese participants less likely
  to accept favour
• Follow-up questions revealed
  this was because they
  perceived favour as self-
  serving

Question 24

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

Answer 24

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.

E.g., Agreeing to sample something and then
purchasing it

Question 25

What is Lowballing?

Answer 25

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 E.g., Phone plan is a great deal! You agree to purchase and then the salesperson tells you it’s more expensive. You still purchase the plan.

Question 26

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

Answer 26

A two-step compliance technique in which an influencer prefaces the real request with one that is so large that it is rejected. E.g., Volunteer daily at the library vs. once a month

Question 27

What is the That’s-not-all technique?

Answer 27

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 E.g., You can buy the set for $50, and we’ll throw in a bonus item!

Question 28

What is Obedience?

Answer 28

Behavior change produced by the commands of authority * E.g., Holocaust * E.g., Mass suicides in cults

Question 29

What is Milgram’s Obedience Studies?

Answer 29

Milgram’s Obedience Studies, conducted in the 1960s by Stanley Milgram, explored how far people would go in obeying authority figures, even when asked to perform morally questionable actions. Participants believed they were administering increasingly severe electric shocks to another person (actually an actor) under the instruction of an experimenter. Despite hearing protests from the actor, many participants continued to deliver shocks when prompted by authority.

Question 30

What are the findings of Milgrams obedience study ?

Answer 30

Milgram’s studies found that 65% of participants were willing to administer the highest level of electric shocks (450 volts) when instructed by an authority figure

Question 31

What Factors Influence Obedience?

Answer 31

Participant, Authority, Victim, Procedure

Question 32

What is Milgram’s Obedience Studies: 4 elements that contributed to obedience...

Answer 32

1. Participants relieved of personal responsibility for victim 2. Gradual escalation in small increments 3. The situation was novel with unknown norms 4. The task was quickly paced, preventing careful thought

Question 33

What was the Milgram study in the Twenty-First Century?

Answer 33

Dutch researchers Wim Meeus and Quinten Raaijmakers (1995) created a different but analogous situation. They constructed a moral dilemma much like Milgram’s. Rather than order participants to inflict physical pain on someone, however, they ordered them to cause psychological harm. When the applicant pleaded with the participant to stop: * Control group: 0% obedience * Experimental group: 92% complete obedience

Question 34

What was the burger 2009 study?

Answer 34

* C1: Replicated Milgram * C2: Added defiant teacher * Some differences... * % at 450 volts estimated * Exclusionary criteria * Withdrawal 3x These results show that obedience to authority may have declined a bit over the years, but it has by no means extinguished. Burger, 2009

Question 35

Why did Milgram’s participants follow orders?

Answer 35

* Obedience * Engaged followship: Identified with scientific process and wanted to help contribute to it

Question 36

What are the moral implications of Milgrams research?

Answer 36

* Do situational forces provide an excuse? * Do social psychologists unwittingly excuse the perpetrators? * Does focusing on situational forces let them off the hook of responsibility?

Question 37

What is the Social impact theory?

Answer 37

The theory that social influence depends on the strength, immediacy, and number of source persons relative to target persons (Latané, 1981)

Question 38

Social influence depends on three factors...

Answer 38

1. The strength of the source person 2. The immediacy of the source person to the target in time and space 3. The number of source people

Question 39

What is the Strength of social impact theory?

Answer 39

* Determined by status, ability, or relationship to target * E.g., competent source, more likely to conform

Question 40

Revisit....

Answer 40

What is conformity? Why does it occur? * Change our perceptions, opinions, or behavior in ways that are consistent with social or group norms What is compliance and how to we make people comply? * Changes in behavior that are elicited by direct requests What is obedience and the effects of obedience? * Behavior change produced by the commands of authority How do we resist social influence? * Identify tactics, find an ally, distance yourself from sources