Class 18: Conformity and Compliance

1. Class 18: Conformity and Compliance http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sno1TpCLj6A&feature=player_detailpage

2. https://sakai.rutgers.edu/portal/site/sirs Course Evaluation: SIRS Survey https://sakai.rutgers.edu/portal/site/sirs

3. Solomon Asch Swarthmore (1947-1966): Trained in Gestalt Psych under W. Kohler Rutgers (1966-1972): Inst. Cog. Studies U. Penn (1972-1979) Impression formation: Order effects and critical attributes Group A. intelligent-industrious-impulsive-critical-stubborn-envious Group B. envious-stubborn-critical-impulsive-industrious-intelligent Group A: intelligent-skillful-industrious-warm-determined-practical-cautious Group B: intelligent-skillful-industrious-cold-determined-practical-cautious

4. Asch Compliance Study Purpose: To demonstrate the force of social pressure on public judgment. Method: Ss are in study supposedly about spatial judgment One of 6-8 other subjects (in fact confeds) On certain trials, all other Ss give clearly wrong answers Critical outcome: will S answer in same way as others. Result: 76% comply at least once vs. 5% wrong answer in control group.

5. Results of Standard Conformity Study Number of Subjects Erroneous Responses

6. Character of Non-Conformers 1. Confident in own perception: Most vigorous dissenters. Emotionally-driven. 2. Withdrawn: Non-emotional, non-spontaneous; principled and deliberate. 3. Conflicted: Torn and anxious, but stuck to demands of task not demands of group.

7. Character of Conformers 1. Distorted perception: Actually see lines in distorted manner 2. Distorted judgment: Do not trust own perceptions 3. Distorted action: Don't want to defy the group

8. The Power of Numbers--To Harm and to Help How large a majority to produce conformity? Just three unanimous others Effect of one ally among bizarre majority? Drops from 74% to 10% What happens when ally joins majority? Conformity totally restored Late arrival of ally? Reduced conformity, but not totally reduced. Why? Compromise partner--wrong, but not as wrong as majority Reduced degree, but not number, of errors

9. Asch Study and Invisible Rope Asch Study http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sno1TpCLj6A&feature=player_detailpage Invis ble R pe http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AMLd4ohAffQ&feature=fvwp&NR=1

10. Reasons for Compliance Situational Factors Group unanimity Group cohesiveness Opportunity to answer privately vs. publicly Dispositional (Person) Factors Desire to be liked (Normative Social Influence) Desire to behave adaptively

11. Non-Compliance and the Power of Minorities Reasons for non-compliance Need for individuation Desire to maintain personal control Desire to maintain personal integrity Power of Minorities Requires that minority: be consistent be non-rigid, non-dogmatic hold views consistent with circumstances People comply with minority because: Minority motivated to think systematically Minority gets others to think systematically

12. Bystander Intervention Daniel Batson John Darley Bibb Latane Kitty Genovese

13. Intervention Study Design Ss told study involves personal disclosures. Anonymity important. All Ss in separate rooms. Only 1 naive S, rest are confeds. One confed fakes an epileptic seizure IV: How many other "subjects" witness distressed subject: 0, 1, or 4 DV: Does naive subject help? How long until subject helps?

14. Bystander Study Results

15. Reasons for Not Helping Non-helpers in state of conflict: Avoidance/Avoidance Why we dispositionalize: a. Provides reason, meaning for bad events b. Provide ego-buffer from thoughts of own possible failure to help.