(L4) 20.10.2021 Conformity Conformity is change in beliefs, opinions, and behaviours as a result of explicit or implicit pressure from others. Social influence is how people affect one another. Obedience is an unequal power relationship, submitting to the demands of the person in authority. Compliance is responding favourably to an explicit request by another person. 1. Different types of conformity Automatic mimicry: sometimes beliefs/behaviours become similar to those of others around us in a spontaneous and automatic sense, with any obvious intent of one person to change the other. The evidence: participants - two 10 minute sessions with a confederate. Confederate rubbed his/her face. Findings Participants mimicked the behaviour of the confederate. (Unconsciously) Ideomotor action: phenomenon whereby merely thinking about behaviour makes performing it more likely. Example: thinking about typing the wrong letter on keyboard increases the tendency to type that letter. (Wegner, 1994) Mimicry: why? · Establishing a good interaction · Prefer those who mimic actions. · We expect people to mimic, and can deplete self-regulatory resources when they do not. · People who have been mimicked are more prosocial. Sherif's (1935) auto-kinetic effect experiment
Aim: demonstrate that people conform to group norms when they are put in an ambiguous situation. Method: auto kinetic effect - visual illusion whereby the absence of reference points makes a stationary light appear to move. Number of trials, and estimated how much the light moved. Tested alone, as well as in a group across several days. Findings: Individual-to-group - participants started with a personal norm, but in groups converged on a group norm. Group-to-individual - participants converged on a group norm, and alone used group norm as personal guide. Informational social influence - change in opinions/behaviour when we conform to people who we believe have accurate info. Descriptive norm - perception of what most people do in a given situation. Misperceived norms Sometimes we may misperceive norms when deciding how to behave. Example: drinking. Asch's (1951) conformity experiment Method: male college students. Match up a single line to another line of the same length. Confederated instructed on some trials to all provide the same incorrect answer. Findings: · 75% gave at least one incorrect response when it was their turn. · fl7% of the overall responses were conforming. . large variation: 25% never conformed; 5% conformed on all trials. Why did they conform? · Experiencing uncertainty and self-doubt.
. Some believed that the majority were wrong, but went along. . Some believed that the majority must be right. Why did they not conform? · Some people felt entirely confident. Normative social influence A process where people conform to avoid disapproval and other social rejection. Where a person conforms to fit in with the group because they don't want to appear foolish or be left out. Informational versus Normative Sherif: informational social influence · difficult task; unsure of answer. · ambiguous · use others' responses to form an opinion. · believe what others say and internalise it. · involves real opinion change. Asch: normative