Questions and Answers
What is social influence?
The many ways people affect one another (changes in attitudes, beliefs, and behavior) resulting from the comments, actions, or mere presence of others.
What are the three main types of social influence?
What is conformity?
Changing one's behavior in response to implicit pressure.
What are the differences between conformity, compliance, and obedience?
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What are the two types of conformity?
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What is automatic conformity?
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How does mimicry help prepare people for social interaction?
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When do you change your behavior due to informative social influence?
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When do you change your behavior due to normative social influence?
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What major lesson can be learned from Sheriff's Autokinetic Effect study?
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What was observed in Asch's Line Test?
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What are the two classes of social influence?
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What factors affect conformity pressure?
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Study Notes
Social Influence Overview
- Social influence encompasses how individuals impact each other, leading to changes in attitudes, beliefs, and behaviors from the presence or actions of others.
Types of Social Influence
- Three main types:
- Conformity: Implicit pressure to change behavior.
- Obedience: Compliance with requests from someone in a position of power.
- Compliance: Adhering to explicit requests from others.
Defining Conformity
- Conformity involves altering behavior due to implicit social pressure, commonly referred to as peer pressure.
Differentiating Social Influence Types
- Conformity is influenced by implicit factors, while compliance involves clear requests, and obedience is a reaction to authority.
Categories of Conformity
- Two key forms of conformity:
- Automatic Conformity: Involves behavioral mimicry, such as yawning when others yawn.
- Intentional Conformity: Divided into:
- Informational Social Influence: Seeking accurate information via others' behaviors.
- Normative Social Influence: Altering behavior to fit in and avoid rejection.
Automatic Conformity
- Behavioral mimicry occurs without conscious intent, influenced by the presence of social cues.
- Ideomotor Action describes how merely thinking about a behavior increases the likelihood of performing it.
Social Interaction Preparation
- Mimicry facilitates rapport, easing social interactions.
- Individuals with high affiliation needs and empathy tend to mimic more during interactions.
Impact of Mimicry on Social Interactions
- Mimicry improves interpersonal relations; individuals seeking acceptance are more likely to imitate others' behaviors.
Intentional Conformity Variations
- Informational Social Influence relies on others for guidance in uncertain situations.
- Normative Social Influence is about adhering to social norms to avoid disapproval.
Contexts for Social Influences
- Informational influence predominates in ambiguous scenarios; normative influence is applied when the correct response is known but individuals conform to avoid social penalties.
Key Studies
-
Sherif's Autokinetic Effect: Demonstrated reliance on social judgment under ambiguous circumstances; individuals conformed more in groups.
- Findings indicate social influence arises from the desire for correctness in unclear situations.
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Asch's Line Test: Showed participants could identify correct line matching alone but conformed to group opinions in social settings.
- Emphasizes adherence to group opinions despite knowing the correct answer to avoid social repercussions.
Classes of Social Influence
- Informational and normative influences often occur simultaneously:
- Informational influence leads to genuine attitude changes (internalization).
- Normative influence results in temporary behavior change without an underlying attitude shift.
Conformity Pressure Factors
- Conformity is influenced by factors such as group size, with a threshold of around 3-4 members being significant for increased conformity.
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Description
Explore the key concepts of social influence in this quiz. Learn about the definitions, types, and effects of social interaction on behavior, attitudes, and beliefs. Perfect for reinforcing your understanding of Chapter 9 in psychology.
