Strategic Business Program

1. Strategic Business Program Business, Government, Society: Insights from Experiments Day 3

2. Experiment 4 • Each person starts with $3 • Each person can donate $2 or $0 to a good that is shared by everyone • Each person who donates $2 will lead to a $0.10 gain in the payout to everyone in the class

3. Experiment 5 • One side is A and the other is B • Role A: You can split $5 any way you want between you and the person in Role B • Once you have made your offer, someone in Role B will see your offer. • The Role B person can either accept or reject the offer. • If the offer is accepted, then each person will received the offer made by Role A. • If the offer is rejected, each person receives $0.

4. Discussion • Discuss experiment 4 and 5 • Why did you make these choices? • Were they optimal? • Social pressure?

5. Social Conformity • Conformity has a simple definition: It is the process of matching your beliefs, behavior, habits, and disposition to group norms.

6. Conformity to Group Norms • Norms are expectations governing group member’s behavior. • Norms may be formal, explicit • no cheating on tests • Norms may be informal, implicit • no picking your nose during class • Norms may not be apparent until violated • Is texting during class okay?

7. What If We Don’t Conform? Conformity is a particularly important behaviour Without conformity, social life simply would not exist There would be no churches, families, universities or governments Essentially there would be no culture or social structure because we would never interact or get along

8. But Why Do People Conform? People have a natural tendency to want to ‘fit in’ (aka conform) Humans are social beings We seek comfort in others for safety People act in a similar manner

9. Solomon Asch Experiment (1958) – A Study of Conformity and Group Pressure • http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TYIh4MkcfJA

10. The “Asch” Experiment 7 subjects were selected to participate Subjects were shown one standard line on a card and then told to compare it to a line on a card with three lines on it Task was to determine which comparison line (line on card B) was equal to the standard line (line on card A) All subjects except one were coached to answer incorrectly The purpose of the study was to determine whether the uncoached person would give the incorrect answer in an effort to conform to the responses of the other participants

11. The “Asch” Experiment Results Approximately 1/3 of the uncoached subjects agreed with the incorrect answer Most subjects who gave the incorrect answer concluded that their own perceptions must be incorrect since the majority of the group saw things differently

12. Asch found that three different kinds of reactions had contributed to the conformity: The “Asch” Experiment • 1. Distortion of perception: A number of subjects said they were not aware their responses had been distorted by the majority. They came to see the majority responses as correct.

13. The “Asch” Experiment • 2. Distortion of judgment: Most of the subjects who conformed to the majority concluded their own perceptions were inaccurate. Lacking confidence in their own observations, they reported not what they saw but what they felt must be correct.

14. The “Asch” Experiment 3. Distortion of action: A number of subjects admitted that they had not reported what they had in fact seen. They said they had conformed so as not to appear different or stupid in the eyes of other group members.

15. Why Makes People Conform Studies conducted by sociologists have identified the following conditions in which people are more likely to conform. Factors of Conformity…

16. Groups and Conformity • When the group is like them. If the group has the same values and interests and comes from a similar background, people are more likely to conform. • When the person or group is popular or has high status. Researchers found subjects were less likely to jaywalk when a respectably dressed model did not jaywalk. But the subjects didn’t hesitate to jaywalk when a poorly dressed (apparently low-status) model did not jaywalk.

17. Groups and Conformity • When the person or group is trustworthy or an expert. When individuals are uncertain they often follow the lead of someone they trust or who is an expert on the subject. • When the person is able to offer rewards or punishments. Often people in authority offer rewards or hand out punishments to make others conform to their wishes. Social psychologists call this type of conformity compliance.

18. Groups and Conformity When the person or group is attractive. People like to identify with those people who are physically more attractive or admired. By conforming, they hope people will identify themselves as being attractive too.

19. The Zimbardo Prison Experiment Psychologist Philip Zimbardo was interested in testing the limits of human conformity Zimbardo set-up a 2-week experiment involving fake prisoners and guards Zimbardo had to terminate the experiment after 6 days

20. Obedience • The act or an instance of obeying; dutiful or submissive behaviour – to be compliant • Why do people obey? • Fear • Less power • Out of duty

21. Types of Conformity • Compliance – Publically acting in agreement with social pressures, but internally disagreeing. This best describes a person who is motivated to get a reward or avoid punishment. In this example researchers found little difference between animals and humans. (Asch’s Experiment)

22. Resisting Pressure to Conform • It is difficult for a lone dissenter to resist unanimous group pressure. • A holdout with even one ally can resist more easily. • A second dissenter decreases conformity by 80%.

23. Field Trip! Aka Experiment 6 • Directions given on site. • Need 3-5 volunteers.