PSYC6 lecture 8: Conformity (1) & Pluralistic Ignorance (2)

Classic study of nirmative social influence (Asch, 1956/57)

- Don't want to feel peculiar outcast (even in front of complete strangers) - Belief that what others think is important, even if they are strangers - However, a sizable number of participants conformed to the group's incorrect response nearly every single time (see the two bars on the right) --> Personality vs Situation - introvert may confirm less

Reason why people conform

- don't know what to do in a confusing or ambiguous situation. - do not wish to be rejected or punished for being different from everybody else.

Variation: When one has allies in the group

- when participant had an "ally" -> conformity dropped to 6% of the trials vs. 32% when the person was the only dissenter - US Supreme Court: -- most common decision ratio: unanimous, 9-0 vote; 35% of all decisions -- least common decision ratio: 8-1 (single dissenter); 10% decision since '53

Pluralistic ignorance: Normative C

1989 Fall of Communism: if a government makes a norm or behavior illegal, the one that is visible will be perceived as popular (invisible one as unpopular) - Communism was thought to be popularly supported - The government would show people who supported them & suppress those opposed so the media got a one-sided picture

Effect of group size on conformity

Asch verified the size of the unanimous majority in his study and found that once the majority numbered four, adding more people had little influence on conformity

Private Acceptance

Conforming to other people's behavior out of a genuine belief that what they are doing or saying is right

Public Compliance

Conforming to other people's behavior publicly without necessarily believing in what we are doing or saying

Generation conformity (Jacob & Campbell)

Explains how culture works where we have norms/traditions that can be passed on each generation. Social norms that we obey may be 100-500 years old. - Anachronistic (inherited) norms ...

Variation: Gender and conformity

Gender of the person conducting conformity studies makes a difference - Gender differences very small: on average, men are somewhat less prone to being influenced than women

First modern lab study of conformity is ... by ...

Moderation Effect (1920), Floyd Allport

Pluralistic Ignorance

No one believes but everyone thinks that everyone believes - When a norm is privately unpopular but publicly accepted by a majority, because they mistakenly think that the view is popularity help by a majority

Conformity

Tendency of individuals to change/match their expressed views & attitudes to those of others, even at the expense of our own preferences.

Informational Social Influence

The influence of other people that leads us to conform because we see them as a source of information to guide our behavior. - Ambiguity is most crucial factor for informational influence (e.g., Sherif study) - Usually results in Private Acceptance because we believe that others' interpretation of an ...

Normative social influence

The influence of other people that leads us to conform in order to be liked and accepted (e.g., Asch line judgments) - Usually results in Public Compliance - The need to be accepted

Summary of Asch's study of conformity

Unambiguous stimuli - Stronger effect for public compliance

Moderation Effect study shows that people make less extreme judgements when ...

in a group vs. when alone

Polarization Effect (Myers & Bishop, 1970)

normative social influence leads to greater polarization between groups(also private acceptance) - informational social influence as reinforcement of shared information

Moderation effect is (private acceptance/public compliance)

public compliance

Autokinetic Effect (by Sherif, 1936)

tendency to not be very good at holding fixed points of light steady in our vision against an all black background

Contagion

the rapid spread of emotions or behaviors through a crowd - in a truly ambiguous and confusing situation, other people may be no more knowledgeable or accurate than we are. We may adopt their mistakes & misinterpreations - Depending on others to help us define the situation can lead...

Does privacy reduce informational influence?

yes

Sherif's study: public compliance or private acceptance?

- Individually, we establish a range of opinions/beliefs. In groups, we adjust based on the group average. - One study even found that people still conformed to the group estimate when they participated individually a year later - This suggests that people ...

Privacy Variation

- Variation of original Asch study: Participants wrote answers privately on paper instead of publicly saying them out loud - Conformity dropped dramatically (ave: 1.5 of the 12 trials)

Conclusion from Sherif's study

- when uncertainty is high, conformity to the group is high as well - private acceptance - group that starts by themselves before becoming a part of the group begins with very diverse idea - people that start as a group from the very beginning stick to the idea of the group

Summary of Shrif's study of conformity

Ambiguous stimuli - stronger effect for private acceptance: "need to know what's right"