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Social Influence Research. Conformity. Muzafer Sherif 1902-1988. 1935 Muzafer Sherif. The Autokinetic Effect Individuals develop unique personal norms Groups converge on unique group norms Group norms persist in later individual judgements.
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Social Influence Research Conformity
Muzafer Sherif 1902-1988 1935 Muzafer Sherif The Autokinetic Effect • Individuals develop unique personal norms • Groups converge on unique group norms • Group norms persist in later individual judgements
Conformity: Sherif’s Autokinetic experiment (P.159 Text book) • Sherif showed subjects a single pinpoint of light in a dark room • Subjects asked to estimate how far the light moved from its original position
After the initial individual attempt subjects were then asked to communicate their estimates until they reached consensus The diversity of estimates diminished and consensus was reached quite easily In reality, the light was not moving at all Video Clip
Sherif (1936) The establishment of group norms
Informational Social Influence • When Will People Conform to Informational Social Influence? When the situation is ambiguous. When the situation is a crisis. When other people are experts.
Solomon Asch: Compliance in an Unambiguous Situation Text Book page 161
Asch Line Judgment Experiments Stimulus A B C
Procedures: One subject, six or more confederates Which line is the same length as the standard? People reported answers out loud, one at a time Subject always last On 12 of 18 trials, confederates answered incorrectly Results: Asch's (1955) Conformity Studies
Asch • Results: • 33% went along with the group on a majority of the trials • 25% remained completely independent • 75% conformed at least once • When tested alone (no confederates), subjects got more than 98% of the judgments correct
Debrief – Why Conform? • Demand Characteristics – they thought it was a perception experiment • Embarrassment • Social pressure • Video Clip
Normative Social Influence • The Consequences of Resisting Normative Social Influence When people manage to resist normative group influence other group members try to convince the deviant group member to conform; if s/he doesn’t, eventually the deviant will be rejected.
Cultural effects in conformityPage 163 Text book • Collectivistic group culture • Collectivistic societies: where membership of a group is more important than individuality. • Americans – Individualistic • Japanese – Collectivistic – more conforming.
Zimbardo • Simulated prison experiment • Conformity in Role Playing • Video Clip