Conformity

1. Conformity

2. Social Influence • How behavior is influenced by the social environment and the presence of other people. Three things are influences by this: • Conformity • Obedience • Helping Behaviors

3. Conformity • Adopting attitudes or behaviors of others because of pressure to do so; the pressure can be real or imagined • People bring their attitudes or behaviors in line with that of a group.

4. Social Norms • Social Norms – typically we join groups that share our social norms. These are the standards that you share with your group. • Social Norms are broken into 2 categories: • Explicit Norms – Spoken or Written Rules • School dress code, traffic rules • Implicit Norms – Unspoken or unwritten rules • How to dress so you fit in • Social Norms can be good or bad: • Good – Not talking during a movie, taking regular baths. • Bad – Smoking, binge drinking

5. 1907-1996 Solomon Asch (1907-1996) • Social psychologist who researched the circumstances under which people conform

6. Asch’s Experiments on Conformity • Previous research had shown people will conform to others’ judgments more often when they were unsure of what the right answer was. • Asch wanted to see how often would someone conform with a group even when they knew the group was wrong.

7. 1 3 2 Standard lines Comparison lines Asch’s Experiments on Conformity • All but 1 in group was confederate • Seating was rigged • Asked to rate which line matched a “standard” line • Confederates were instructed to pick the wrong line 12/18 times

8. Asch’s Conformity Study

9. Asch’s Conformity Study

10. Asch’s Experiments on Conformity • Results • Asch found that 2/3 participants conformed to at least one wrong choice during multiple trials. • 1/3 went along with the group at least half the time • ¼ went along with the group almost all the time. • Most admitted they knew the answer was wrong but went with the group anyways. • Control group that responded alone (no group present) chose correctly 99%.

11. Why do we conform? 2 general reasons for conformity • Informational social influence - Our the desire to be correct • Normative social influence— Our desire to gain social acceptance and approval.

12. Why did so many of the participants in Asch’s study conform to clearly wrong choices? • Subjects reported having doubted their own perceptual abilities which led to their conformance – didn’t report seeing the lines the way the confederates had • Is this Normative or Informational Social Influence? • Informational because they wanted to be correct.

13. Factors Increasing Conformity • The person feels incompetent or insecure. • The group has three or more people (8 is ideal). • The rest of the group is unanimous. • The person is impressed by the status of the group. • No prior commitments were made. • The group is observing the person respond. • One’s culture encourages conformity. • Collectivists are more likely to conform.

14. Factors Decreasing Conformity • When we have an ally in our dissent from majority opinion, even if the dissenter’s competence is questionable.

15. Effects of a Nonconformist • If everyone agrees, you are less likely to disagree HOWEVER… • If one person disagrees, even if they give the wrong answer, you are more likely to express your nonconforming view • Asch tested this hypothesis • one confederate gave different answer from others • conformity dropped significantly

16. Culture & Conformity • In general, levels of conformity have steadily declined since Asch’s original study of U.S. college students in the 1950s • Individualistic cultures tend to emphasize independence, self-expression, and standing out from the crowd; thus the whole notion of conformity tends to carry a negative connotation • Collectivistic cultures, however, publicly conforming while privately disagreeing is regarded as socially appropriate tact or sensitivity