Questions and Answers
What does conformity mean?
Conformity is when you go along with a group, a change in behaviour or belief as a result of real or imagined group pressure.
What is informational social influence?
Informational social influence is when we go along with the majority because we want to be right and do the right thing.
What factor increases social influences in an unclear situation?
In an unclear situation, we are more likely to look around and make a decision based on what everyone else is doing.
How does a new situation affect social influence?
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What happens when we copy others' behavior in social situations?
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What is the impact of an emergency on social influences?
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What was the focus of the Asch 1951 study?
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What did Sherif's 1935 study reveal about social influence?
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Study Notes
Conformity
- Conformity involves changing behavior or belief to align with a group due to real or imagined pressure.
Informational Social Influence
- This type of influence occurs when individuals conform to the majority because they seek to be correct and make appropriate decisions.
Factors of Informational Social Influence
- Unclear Situations: Individuals are more likely to observe others when faced with uncertainties to guide their decisions.
- New Situations: People adopt specific behaviors when entering unfamiliar environments, such as starting a new job.
- Copying Behavior: In scenarios where individuals feel other group members are knowledgeable, they are likely to mimic those behaviors.
- Emergencies: In crises, individuals tend to look to others for cues on how to react, greatly increasing conformity rates; this phenomenon can lead to tragic outcomes, such as in emergency evacuations.
Asch Study (1951)
- Conducted with 50 male college students participating alongside 6 confederates; aimed to test conformity with regard to line comparison tasks.
- Included 18 trials, with actors instructed to give incorrect answers in 12, examining the real participant's likelihood to conform.
- Results indicated that about one-third of participants conformed during critical trials, with around 75% conforming at least once, while 25% remained independent.
- Post-study interviews revealed reluctance to stand out among peers as a reason for conformity.
- Strengths: Controlled and standardized methodology; conducted replications with varying results.
- Limitations: Concerns about temporal and ecological validity; contemporary studies may yield different conformity levels.
Sherif Study (1935)
- Examined the Autokinetic Effect, where participants observed an unmoving light in darkness and reported its perceived movement speed.
- Initial individual estimates varied widely; participants were grouped to include two similar estimates and one divergent estimate.
- The differing participant's estimate began to align with group norms due to informational social influences.
- Strengths: Highly controlled experimental design.
- Limitations: Ambiguous task conditions with the light remaining still; lack of ecological validity.
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Description
This quiz focuses on the concept of informational social influence and showcases key terms and definitions related to conformity. Learn how group dynamics can impact individual behavior and belief systems. Perfect for psychology students or anyone interested in social behavior.
