Social Psychology: Conformity and Obedience

Social Influence

Conformity

• The tendency to change one's behavior or attitude to match the majority's opinion or behavior
• Can occur due to:
  • Normative influence (desire to be accepted and liked by others)
  • Informational influence (believing others have more accurate information)
• Examples:
  • Asch's line judgment experiment (1951)
  • Solomon Asch's findings: 37% of participants conformed to the incorrect majority answer

Obedience

• The act of following orders or instructions from an authority figure
• Factors that influence obedience:
  • Legitimacy of the authority figure
  • Proximity to the authority figure
  • Sense of responsibility
• Examples:
  • Milgram's obedience experiment (1961)
  • Milgram's findings: 65% of participants delivered the maximum 450-volt shock

Minority Influence

• The process by which a minority group or individual influences the majority's opinions or behaviors
• Characteristics of minority influence:
  • Consistency and persistence
  • Flexibility and adaptability
  • Commitment to the minority view
• Examples:
  • Moscovici's blue-eyed/brown-eyed experiment (1969)
  • Moscovici's findings: minority influence can lead to significant changes in majority opinion

Peer Pressure

• The influence of individuals of similar age, status, or background on one's behavior or attitudes
• Types of peer pressure:
  • Spoken (direct encouragement or persuasion)
  • Unspoken (indirect influence through social cues)
• Examples:
  • Teenage smoking and drug use
  • Gang behavior and delinquency

Social Norms

• Unwritten rules that govern behavior in a particular group or society
• Types of social norms:
  • Descriptive norms (what most people do)
  • Injunctive norms (what most people think should be done)
• Examples:
  • Tipping customs in different countries
  • Dress codes in specific social settings

Social Influence

Conformity

• Conformity is the tendency to change one's behavior or attitude to match the majority's opinion or behavior, often due to normative influence (desire to be accepted and liked by others) or informational influence (believing others have more accurate information).
• Asch's line judgment experiment (1951) demonstrated conformity, where 37% of participants conformed to the incorrect majority answer.

Obedience

• Obedience is the act of following orders or instructions from an authority figure, influenced by factors such as legitimacy of the authority figure, proximity to the authority figure, and sense of responsibility.
• Milgram's obedience experiment (1961) showed that 65% of participants delivered the maximum 450-volt shock, highlighting the power of obedience.

Minority Influence

• Minority influence occurs when a minority group or individual influences the majority's opinions or behaviors, often characterized by consistency and persistence, flexibility and adaptability, and commitment to the minority view.
• Moscovici's blue-eyed/brown-eyed experiment (1969) demonstrated that minority influence can lead to significant changes in majority opinion.

Peer Pressure

• Peer pressure is the influence of individuals of similar age, status, or background on one's behavior or attitudes, which can be either spoken (direct encouragement or persuasion) or unspoken (indirect influence through social cues).
• Examples of peer pressure include teenage smoking and drug use, as well as gang behavior and delinquency.

Social Norms

• Social norms are unwritten rules that govern behavior in a particular group or society, which can be descriptive (what most people do) or injunctive (what most people think should be done).
• Examples of social norms include tipping customs in different countries and dress codes in specific social settings.