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Pluralistic Ignorance

Pluralistic Ignorance. February 9, 2006. Class Overview. Continue discussion of norms to address 2 key questions. 1. Do norms influence behavior? If so, how? 2. How do people perceive norms and are their perceptions accurate? Present results from the in-class survey.

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Pluralistic Ignorance

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  1. Pluralistic Ignorance February 9, 2006

  2. Class Overview • Continue discussion of norms to address 2 key questions. 1. Do norms influence behavior? If so, how? 2. How do people perceive norms and are their perceptions accurate? • Present results from the in-class survey. • Take brief survey for class on Tuesday.

  3. 1. Do Norms ACTUALLY influence behavior? • Many studies have shown that people do not always follow norms (e.g. littering). • Therefore, norms might be a weak predictor of actual behavior. • Question: Do norms exert more of an influence on behavior when they are activated or brought to attention?

  4. Study of Littering Behavior • Norm Salience (Study 1): • Confederate carried a large handbill and threw it on the ground (High norm salience). • Handbill thrown into clean environment highlights the descriptive norm: PEOPLE DO NOT LITTER HERE • Handbill thrown into littered environment highlights the descriptive norm: PEOPLE USUALLY LITTER HERE

  5. Two Important Predictions • Prediction 1: • Subjects who saw the confederate litter into the fully littered environment would litter more than those who did not see such littering. • Prediction 2: • Subjects who saw the confederate litter into the clean environment would be less likely to litter than those who did not see such littering. • Key Point: Contrary to conformity prediction.

  6. Results • Confederate threw the handbill into the littered environment, thus calling attention to the descriptive norm: • IT IS OK TO LITTER HERE! • When littering norm was salient: • 54% of the subjects actually littered. • When littering norm was not salient: • Only 32% of the subjects of the subjects littered.

  7. Results (continued) • Confederate threw the handbill into the clean environment, thus calling attention to the descriptive norm: • IT IS NOT OK TO LITTER HERE! • When anti-littering norm was salient: • Only 6% of the subjects littered. • When anti-littering norm was not salient: • 14% of the subjects littered.

  8. More Littering Into Clean Environment • From Cialdini, Reno & Kallgren, 1990

  9. Implications • Norms can often be very subtle. • Are you always aware the you are following a norm? Are there situations in which you are more aware than others? (E.g. Picnic vs. Funeral) • Norms have a powerful influence on behavior when people are focused on the norms in a given situation. • Think about different strategies for calling attention to norms (E.g. Shoes in someone’s entry hall during a party instead of the closet).

  10. 2. How are norms perceived and are these perceptions accurate? • Gambling in Elm Hollow (Shank, 1932) • Members of the community nearly unanimous in their support of the church’s restrictions on gambling, smoking and drinking. • Yet, the author often gambled, drank and smoked in the privacy of people’s homes. • Private attitudes did not reflect the public norm.

  11. Pluralistic Ignorance • Definition: Individuals make systematic errors in their perceptions of the other members of a collective and their relation to those members. • In other words, • No one believes, but everyone thinks that everyone else believes.

  12. Pluralistic Ignorance at ILR? Question: Do people see themselves as being more conservative than the average ILR student? • Survey of political attitudes • Scores above 3 represent a “Liberal” viewpoint. • Scores below 3 represent a “Conservative” viewpoint.

  13. Self vs. ILR

  14. Points of Divergence • You thought that the norm was more liberal than it actually is on the following questions. #1: “Too much power is concentrated in the hands of a few large companies.” #13: “This country should do whatever it takes to protect the environment.” #14: “We should pay less attention to problems overseas and concentrate on problems here at home.” #15: “I consistently vote for Democrats in most elections.”

  15. Origins of Pluralistic Ignorance • Minority-enforced social norms • Powerful, elite group can keep the majority in line (e.g. Methodist Church in Elm Hollow) • Prototypical social norms • Idealized behavior that differentiates one’s own group from another. (e.g. We are a party school) • Conservative lag • Private attitudes have shifted, but the public norm has remained the same (People change more quickly than groups).

  16. Consequences of Pluralistic Ignorance • Mistaken feelings of alienation and deviance. • Gamblers felt estranged from the town without knowing that they were actually typical. • Students who felt deviant because of their views on alcohol were less likely to attend their college reunion. • Male students conformed to the misperceived norm by drinking more.

  17. Questions to Consider • How can anyone know whether pluralistic ignorance exists? • Are there any beliefs at ILR that might not be as widely shared as everyone believes? • What would it take to identify pluralistic ignorance and bring the public norm back in line with private attitudes?

  18. Individual versus the Group • The “group” has a reality above and beyond the individuals that compose it. • A college campus can be more pro-alcohol than its students. • Two campuses can differ on their attitudes toward alcohol even if their students do not. • Norms on campus can change even if the attitudes of its students have not.

  19. Before you go… • Complete brief survey about controversial issues for class on Tuesday.

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