Social Roles/Social Norms/Social Influence

What is obedience?

changing one's behavior at the command of an authority figure

-How do social norms affect behavior? -What is conformity? -Group norms & autokinetic effect (Sherif, 1936), -Majority rules/line study (Asch, 1951) & factors that affect conformity

-Conformity: to change our behaviors, feelings and thoughts so that they are in line with the norms -social contagion: scary when it comes to dangerous things -autokinetic effect (Sherif, 1936) -when you are in a dark space and there is a ray of laser, then people start to see the movement when it's not moved. (dark, no reference) -IV1: Alone vs. Groups -IV2: Day1 vs. Day2 vs. Day3 -DV: how far did the light move? -results: alone-vary in answers; groups-answer getting more similar -What affects conformity? -the more unanimity一致同意 the group has, the more conformity happens -Line study/Majority rules (Asch, 1951) -75% conformed at least 1 trial -50% conformed at least 6 trials

What is nonconscious mimicry? Ideomotor action?

-It occurs when a person unwittingly imitates the behaviors of another person. it means that when we see others behave in a particular way, the idea of that behavior is brought to mind (consciously or otherwise) and makes us more likely to behave that way ourselves. -The phenomenon whereby merely thinking about a behavior makes performing it more likely.

x-Why do we have social norms?

x-1. we want to predict our world 2. smoother societal functioning (wait in line) 3. easier, don't have to think about each situ. (we are under cognitive miser) 4. guide our behavior 5. avoid individual consequences

What is compliance?

getting someone to do sth when you don't have power over them.

-What is a social role? (Zimbardo-Stanford Prison Study) -What is the relationship between the power of the situation & the power of the individual? -What social cues contributed to what was seen in the Stanford Prison Study? -What does this research tell us about role playing?

-Prescriptions of ways that we are supposed to act in particular situations. -come in pairs, e.g. parents & child; teacher & students -Zimbardo-Stanford Prison Study -to test the strength of social roles/social norms (prisoner and guard) -cues of roles: uniforms, change names to numbers (de-individual), chains, police station, -If you give people role, they come to act in those roles; people embody to much of the roles -*power of situation* over the *power of the individuals*--situation can make people do what they normally wouldn't do

How can dehumanization be used to increase obedience?

-The attribution of nonhuman characteristics and denial of human qualities to groups other than one's own. -

What is social influence? What is informational social influence? Normative social influence?

-change in behavior that one person causes in another, intentionally or unintentionally, as a result of the way the changed person perceives themselves in relationship to the influencer, other people and society in general. -informational social influence: The influence of other people that results from taking their comments or actions as a source of information about what is correct, proper, or effective. -normative social influence: The influence of other people that comes from the desire to avoid their disapproval and other social sanctions (ridicule, barbs, ostracism).

-Milgram (1969) obedience studies include the additional variations to test the bounds of obedience to authority--Did individual differences matter?

-experimenter less salient (not in the same room): 23% -"ordinary person variation" 3 participants (2 confederates), randomly assigned to be teacher, learner, experimenter: 20% -learner in the same room: 40% -place learner's hand on shock-plate: 30% -social norms to obey (the confederates encourage to go on): > 2/3 -social norms to disobey (that "participant" won't continue, you-real participants need to go on--sb. established the norm to disobey): 15% -did experiment in a non-academic/professional area (change cues of authority-no coats): < 50%

defiance: when do people rebel? (incl. reactance)

-opposite to obedience -not easy to rebel -collective action increases defiance, it's hard for one person to stand up and disobey, but if there's a group of people, it's far easier to stand up and disobey

Compliance techniques

1. Foot in the Door (FITD) -start by asking sth small; agree, then ask sth slightly bigger; then bigger; then your request. -Freedman & Fraser, 1966, petition/sign study a) IV: phone call + asked question abt household products vs. phone call + no question vs. no phone call b) IV: previous request same topic 76% vs. previous request not same 48% vs. no request 2. Door in the Face (DITF) -start big request that you don't expect they will agree to, others think u have to compromise; then slightly smaller, then your request 3. Reciprocity: request, then say you'll give sth back in return; you own me/ I own you 4. Ingratiation: 讨好, flatter; you are the best xxx, then request 5. Good Mood: make people in good mood, will agree more likely 6. That's not all: "you can get another set for xxx." 7. limited supply: put a limit on it (time, amount), make you feel pressure 8. guilt: fear appeal, 别人都有, 就我没有! -Negative state relief hypothesis: The idea that people engage in certain actions, such as agreeing to a request, to relieve their negative feelings and feel better about themselves. 9. 99 cents 10. Lowballing -take advantage of cognitive dissonance -get sb. to agree a deal, then change the deal, people will tend to agree w the new deal -Cialdini et al, 1978, Study Participation Study -IV: control vs. lowballing (tell you the study, will you participate? follow up with time-very early -DV: verbal compliance, behavioral compliance

-Why did Milgram get obedience (incl. foot in the door, agentic shift, cues of authority)?

1. agentic shift (who's responsible for the result): participants think they are not responsible for the injury 2. FITD (started w 15v): so how can you justify stopping, not a big difference 3. cog. dissonance: if I want to be balanced and consistent, i can't justify why I can't do this where I just did sth similar 4. salience of authority cues: people tend to believe people w authority bc they must know more 5. offer a justification: people think they're doing study at Yale, so they think they are help out w science, for higher benefits, so they will do sth different from daily

Why do we conform? -what are 2 types of norms? What factors influence the degree to which people conform?

1. to avoid judgements & censure &social sanctions处罚, make sure we are belonged 2. hard to stand up 3. 2 types of norms: ??? 4. satisfy the motivation to belong 1. group size (5 people causes you to conform) 2. similarity (similarity high-> more conform; peer pressure) 3. gender (masculine domain, women tend to conform; feminine domain: men tend to conform) 4. objective feedback to know if you are right (if 有, then will have less conformity) 5. extremity of response (if the answer is too extreme, so wrong, then less conformity pressure) 6. cultural difference

Has the world changed? Did Burger's (2009)'s replication of the Milgram study show a change in the obedience levels found?

Burger's replication of Milgram study, 2009 -identify a point of no return, if they continue, then they are likely to go to the end -70% -the data didn't change, the world has not changed -people who have more desire to control, if they want to have control in their life, they are more likely to stop

-What is a social norm? (including norm of reciprocity) -Are there cultural differences in norms?

Generally accepted ways of thinking, feeling and behaviors. -There are cultural differences in norms.

Why was obedience such a popular area of study in soc. psych?

Milgram was surprised to see the Nazi's holocaust

What is pluralistic ignorance?

a situation in which a majority of group members privately reject a norm, but incorrectly assume that most others accept it, and therefore go along with it e.g. you don't understand a lecture. when the lecturer asks "if there's any question," and you look around, nobody raises hands. So you erroneously think others all understood the lecture, so you are afraid that you look stupid, so you don't raise your hand either.