#6 2700

• Conformity refers to a change in behavior resulting from real or imagined influence of other people.
• Two main reasons for conforming include informational and normative social influence.
• Conformity is not inherently "good" or "bad."

Informational Social Influence

• When conforming due to informational social influence, we believe others' interpretation of a situation provides important information we may lack.
• Informational social influence is based on a need to know what is true.
• It can be dangerous if others are misinformed but not always a bad thing.
• It can yield private acceptance, not just public compliance.
• Private acceptance (or conversion) occurs when we conform to others' behavior because we truly believe what they're doing or saying is right.
• Public compliance occurs when we conform to others' behavior publicly but don't necessarily believe in what they're doing or saying.
• People are most likely to conform because of informational social influence when engaging in an important task.
• People are more likely to conform in ambiguous or confusing situations, crisis situations, and when other people are (perceived as) experts.
• Resisting informational social influence involves asking yourself questions.
• To resist, carefully consider if another person's interpretation of a situation is more legitimate than your own.
• To resist, seek out your own information.

Normative Social Influence

• When we conform due to normative social influence, we do so because we want to be liked by others.
• Normative social influence is based on a need to be accepted and avoids rejection, ridicule, and/or punishment.
• It can be dangerous when we have to take risks or act immorally or cruelly to be liked.
• It tends to yield public compliance but not necessarily private acceptance.
• It can involve conforming to social norms, which are implicit or explicit rules a group has for the acceptable behaviors, values, and beliefs of its members.
• Social groups will bring non-conformists into line with poor treatment and/or punishment.
• Simply being reminded of this can induce conformity: “Jeer-Pressure".
• People are afraid of social disapproval, even from complete strangers or when there are no risks for punishment or ostracism.
• According to social impact theory, normative social influence depends on strength, immediacy, and number.
• Strength refers to how important the group of people is to you.
• Immediacy refers to how close the group is to you in space and time during the moment of influence.
• Number refers to how many people are in the group.
• Social impact theory predicts conformity increases when strength and/or immediacy increase.
• Conformity will increase as number does, but only up to a certain point.
• People are most likely to conform because of normative social influence when the group is unanimous.
• Women are slightly more likely to conform than men, likely a function of socialized gender roles.
• This is more pronounced in terms of public compliance than personal acceptance.
• Conformity is also more common in collectivist cultures, acting as an act of tact and sensitivity that promotes harmony.
• Collectivist cultures are more likely to conform with in-groups but less likely to conform with out-groups.
• There may be a partly a function of food production, since agrarians conform more than hunter-gatherers.
• It may also be partly a function of pathogen load, such as through sanitation practices.
• Negative consequences of normative social influence include influence of our a group's norms that effect our behavior, even if the behavior is dangerous or unhealthy.
• And if we don't conform, we often get cajoled, mistreated, and eventually rejected.
• Normative social influence can be used to encourage prosocial behavior.
• Resisting normative social influence involves becoming aware of what social norms are operating.
• It also involves finding an ally who thinks the way you do.
• Gather idiosyncrasy credits by conforming to normative influence most of the time: people are more accepting of occasional deviations.

Minority Influence

• Occurs when a minority of group members influences the behavior or beliefs of the majority.
• These members must present their views logically and consistently.
• Different members of the minority group must be in agreement with one another.

Compliance

• Compliance refers to a change in behavior in response to a direct request.
• Compliance is not about responding to demands.
• Compliance is often studied in the context of marketing but can be applied much more broadly.
• Three interesting compliance techniques include door-in-the-face, foot-in-the-door, and lowball.

Door-in-the-Face Technique

• Large request followed by a smaller one.
• Utilizes the reciprocity norm.
• Effects tend to be short-lived.

Foot-in-the-Door Technique

• Small request followed by a larger one.
• Changes in self-perception.
• Good for long term compliance.

Lowball Technique

• Getting someone to commit to an attractive proposition before its hidden costs are revealed.
• Illusion of irrevocability.
• Excitement.
• Convenience.

Obedience to Authority

• Obedience is conformity in response to the commands of an authority figure.
• Under strong social pressure, individuals will conform to the authority, even when this means doing something immoral or cruel.
• Milgram's classic studies (1963) of obedience showed 62.5% of participants fully obeyed the experimenter (450 volts shock).
• Even when the learner reported a heart condition, his cries did little to reduce the obedience.
• Normative social influence & Informational social influence made it difficult for people to refuse to continue with the study.
• Participants were afraid that the experimenter would be disappointed, hurt, or even angry if they quit.
• The situation was ambiguous & unfamiliar, so participants look to the experimenter (expert) for guidance.
• The incremental approach and self-justification: once the participants delivered the first shock, and every time they increased it, they would have had to reduce dissonance, making it more difficult to say no to the next step-up in shock level.
• Most humans are innately aggressive versus participants obeyed because of the social situation, not because they were aggressive or inhuman
• Disobedience was most likely to occur at 150 volts, the first time the learner asked to be let out.
• Exposure to Milgram's research enhances moral reasoning!

Summary

• Conformity is a common aspect of everyday life.
• Conformity is often the joint result of two separate processes.
• Compliance can be gained in a variety of ways, many of which are actively employed by salespeople.
• Most of us are susceptible to commands of an authority figure but knowing this may help to reduce the effects.