Conformity

Conformity is a change in behavior as a result of the real or imagined influence of other people.

Examples of situations where conformity can occur include cults, violence, dictatorships, and everyday behavior.

People conform because they rely on social cues when in confusing or ambiguous circumstances, and may feel fear, heavy social pressure, be influenced by group size, or influenced by culture.

Informational social influence is the act of conforming because individuals believe that others' interpretation of an ambiguous situation is more correct than their own.

Normative social influence is the act of conforming to fit in with a group and be accepted, even if one's own beliefs or opinions differ.

Minority influence is the phenomenon where a small group or individual can influence the beliefs or behaviors of a larger group.

Compliance is the act of conforming to a request or demand from someone, often due to perceived authority or social norms.

Obedience to authority refers to the act of following orders or commands from a person perceived as having higher authority, even if it goes against one's own beliefs or values.

People rely on social cues when they are in confusing or ambiguous situations.

Factors that can influence conformity include fear, heavy social pressure, group size, and culture.

The foot-in-the-door technique is a strategy to get people to comply with a request. It involves presenting a small request first, which the person is expected to agree to, followed by a larger request, which it is hoped they will also agree to.

Lowballing is an unscrupulous sales strategy where a customer is induced to agree to purchase a product at a very low cost, and then the price is raised. Despite the inflated price, the customer often still makes the purchase.

Reciprocity is the tendency of people to feel obliged to repay others when they have been given something. It influences behavior by creating a sense of indebtedness, leading individuals to reciprocate the kindness or favor they have received.

Obedience to authority refers to conforming to the commands or instructions of an authority figure.

The Norm of Obedience is the social norm that suggests people should comply with the commands or requests of authority figures.

The purpose of Stanley Milgram's study was to investigate the extent to which people would obey an authority figure, even when it required administering potentially harmful electric shocks to another person.

In Milgram's study, it was found that a significant portion of participants obeyed the authority figure and administered shocks up to the maximum level, despite the potential harm inflicted on the learner.

No, Burger's (2009) replication of Milgram's study found similar results across different demographics, including ethnicity, gender, age, education, and personality.

Normative social influence occurs when individuals conform to the norm of obedience due to the influence of an authority figure.

Informational social influence occurs when individuals look to an authority figure for guidance or direction in a confusing or ambiguous situation.

Private acceptance refers to conforming to other people's behavior out of a genuine belief that what they are doing or saying is right. Public compliance, on the other hand, refers to conforming to other people's behavior publicly without necessarily believing in what they are doing or saying.

Normative social influence is the influence of other people that leads us to conform in order to be liked and accepted by them. It often results in public compliance without necessarily resulting in private acceptance.

Social norms are the implicit or explicit rules that a group has for behavior. They are the expectations that groups have for how their members should behave.

The social impact theory states that conforming to social influence depends on the strength of the group, its immediacy, and the number of other people in the group.

Some other influences on conformity include unanimity, gender, and culture.

The consequences of normative social influence can be both positive and negative. It can be exploited for good or bad depending on the context. Examples include promoting healthy behaviors or pro-environmental behaviors, but it can also lead to peer pressure, bullying, and body image issues. People who deviate from social norms may be pressured, disliked, and ostracized.

Individuals can resist normative social influences by being aware that the process is operating, taking action, and recognizing that regular conformity allows for some deviance.

Minority influence occurs when a minority of group members influences the behavior or beliefs of the majority. It has been studied in various contexts, such as color perception, gender norms, stereotyping/discrimination, immigration, and juries.

Minority influence works through informational social influence, where the consistent message and behavior of the minority group members influence the majority to change their behavior or beliefs.

The door-in-the-face technique is a compliance strategy that involves presenting people with a large request which they are expected to refuse, followed by a smaller, more reasonable request that they are more likely to comply with.