Chapter 7 Conformity Conformity Conformity the tendency to change our perceptions opinions or behavior in ways that are consistent with group norms as a result of real or imagined group pressure ex Prejudices the way you socialize with someone you don t want to Resistance to conformity is particularly characteristic of individuals who have high status and seniority within a group People judge others by their overt behavior and tend to judge themselves by focusing inward and introspecting about their thought processes blinding them to their own conformity Social pressure is more powerful than individual differences Conformity is also at times inconsequential ex Having to wear a uniform for a job Conformity can be good AND bad mostly negative in Western cultures In Japan conformity is not a sign of weakness it is a sign of self control tolerance and maturity Muzafer Sherif visual illusion study ambiguous autokinetic effect Participants saw dots of light had to estimate how far they traveled in the dark Singularly they had completely different answers but in groups they converged on common perceptions Informational influence private conformity Soloman Asch s line conformity study Participant walks into a room with five other confederates Have to show which line is the same length as a given model All confederates say the wrong line 50 went along with at least half of the wrong assumptions 25 did not conform Normative influence public conformity Informational influence produces conformity when a person believes others are correct in their judgments If others are agreeing they must be right In a state of uncertainty it makes sense to follow the collective wisdom of others Normative influence produces conformity when a person fears the negative social consequences of appearing deviant Private conformity change of beliefs that occurs when a person privately accepts the position taken by others truly persuaded that others in a group are correct TRUE CONVERSION Public conformity superficial change in overt behavior without a corresponding change of opinion that is produced by real or imagined group pressure pretend to agree but privately disagreeing politician s approach People tend to conform when the social pressure is high and they are insecure about how to behave in a situation Conformity Factors Group size conformity increases with group size until it reaches 4 where additional influence is negligible more important is the number of independent minds Social norms Presence of an ally reduces conformity by 80 o Difficult for people to stand alone for their convictions than to be part of even a tiny minority o Any dissent can reduce normative pressures to conform Gender o Females conform more on masculine issues o Males conform more on feminine issues o Gender differences are weak and unreliable o When participants think they are being watched women conform more Minority Influence the process by which dissenters produce change within a group Although people who assert their beliefs against the majority are generally seen as competent and honest they are also disliked and rejected Compliance Compliance changes in behavior that are elicited by direct requests Langer found that we can be tricked into complying based off the wording of the requests The norm of reciprocity states that we treat others as they have treated us People feel compelled to reciprocate but that feeling at least for small acts of kindness is relatively short lived Sequential Request Strategies various compliance techniques based on a sequence of two related requests The first request sets the trap and the second captures the prey Foot in the Door o Two stage compliance technique in which the influencer sets the stage for the real request by first getting a person to comply with a much smaller request o Works by altering self perceptions leading people who agree without any compensation to see themselves as helpful o Ex Having someone help you move the living room then basement garage Lowballing o Two stage compliance technique in which the influencer secures agreement with a request but then increases the size of that request by revealing hidden costs Feel a nagging sense of unfulfilled obligation to the person with whom they negotiated o Ex Car salesman get a cheap price for a car but have to pay extra for add ons at the end of the sale Door in the Face o A two step compliance technique in which the influencer prefaces the real request with one that is so large that it is rejected Involves the principle of perceptual contrast smaller request feels small o Also involves reciprocal concessions or pressure to respond to changes in a bargaining position o Ex Lawyers will ask for way more money than they expect to actually o o get That s not all o A two step compliance technique in which the influencer begins with an inflated request then decreases its apparent size by offering a discount or bonus o Ex Real estate telemarketer paid programming Feeling manipulated typically leads us to react with anger psychological reactance and stubborn noncompliance unless the request is a command and the requester is a figure of authority Obedience Uniforms signify the power of authority Obedience acting in accord with a direct order behavior change produced by the commands of authority Stanley Milgram s Study of Destructive Obedience Participants were told it was a learning study and paired with a confederate 1 teacher and 1 learner rigged so confederate was always the learner Teacher had to follow commands given by an authority figure Involved a fake shock generator and every wrong answer the learner gave sent a shock that the teacher had to deliver to them Encouraged to continue by the authority figure but could walk away at any point 50 went all the way to the deadliest shock level Although personality characteristics may make someone vulnerable or resistant to destructive obedience what seems to matter the most is the situation in which people find themselves The physical presence and apparent legitimacy of the authority figure played major roles in drawing obedience Destructive obedience requires the physical presence of a prestigious authority figure Evidence shows that Milgram s participants were able to distance themselves emotionally from the learner and from the consequences of their actions When participants were led to believe that they were the ones responsible for the pain instead of the authority figure levels of