Social Psychology Lecture 3 PDF

Social Influence I: Conformity Lecture 3  Learning Outcomes At the end of this lecture you will be able to: ▪ compare social norms with social roles ▪ distinguish among three forms of social influence: compliance, conformity, and obedience ▪ contrast informational soc...

Social Influence I: Conformity Lecture 3  Learning Outcomes At the end of this lecture you will be able to: ▪ compare social norms with social roles ▪ distinguish among three forms of social influence: compliance, conformity, and obedience ▪ contrast informational social influence with normative social influence ▪ describe and evaluate laboratory and field research on informational and normative social influence ▪ discuss factors affecting conformity  Outline ▪ Social Influences Definitions ▪ Conformity Informational Social Influence Normative Social Influence Factors Affecting Conformity Cultural Differences Social Influence in the Real World  Social and Situational Influences ▪ Social norms: The expectation a group has for its members regarding acceptable and appropriate attitudes and behaviours ▪ Social roles: ▪ A socially defined pattern of behaviour that is expected of a person who is functioning in a given setting or group  Social Influence ▪ Compliance: A change in behaviour or expressed attitudes consistent with a direct request ▪ Conformity: The tendency for people to adopt the behaviours, attitudes, and values of other members of a reference group ▪ Obedience: Compliance with an authority figure/leader in which the request is perceived as an order or command  Definition ▪ Conformity: The tendency for people to adopt the behaviours, attitudes, and values of other members of a reference group Group pressure Long-lasting  Types of Influence ▪ Informational influence occurs when: Individuals desire to be correct Individuals desire to be right Individuals want to understand the right way to act in a given situation ▪ Normative influence occurs when: Individuals desire to be liked Individuals desire to be accepted Individuals seek the approval of others  Informational Social Influence ▪ Uncertain about the correct response Look to others for information Believe others’ interpretation is more correct than your own interpretation  Informational Social Influence cont’d. ▪ Sherif’s (1935) conformity experiment: ▪ Autokinetic effect Muzafer Sherif  Informational Social Influence cont’d. ▪ Autokinetic effect study Ps asked to judge how far a light moved Light did not actually move o Optical illusion Ps make their estimate in a group setting (first trial alone, then in a group setting) Over time, the estimates of the group converged Informational Social Influence cont’d.  Explanation for these results? ▪ Private acceptance? ▪ Public compliance? ▪ Sherif’s research casts doubt on public-compliance explanation  Normative Social Influence ▪ Need to fit in; need to be liked Look to others for appropriate norms of behaviour  Normative Social Influence cont’d. ▪ Asch’s (1956) conformity experiments: ▪ Line studies Solomon Asch Normative Social Influence cont’d.  Explanation for these results? ▪ Private acceptance? ▪ Public compliance? ▪ Consequences of dissent, or breaking the norm?  Factors Affecting Conformity ▪ Ambiguity ▪ Need to be accurate ▪ Crisis/emergency ▪ Unanimity ▪ Gender With traditional stimuli for the other gender ▪ Expertise But…do they really know the answer? ▪ Status and attractiveness of the group Admire the status of the group  Culture ▪ The set of cognitions and practices that identify a specific social group and distinguish it from others (Vaughan & Hogg, 2018, p.606) ▪ The collective programming of the mind that distinguishes one group or category of people from another (Hofstede, 2001, p.9) ▪ Expression of group norms This content is not assessable  Individualism Scores ▪ Australia 90 ▪ Chile 23 ▪ Canada 80 ▪ China 20 ▪ Denmark 74 ▪ Colombia 13 ▪ France 71 ▪ Costa Rica 15 ▪ Italy 76 ▪ Hong Kong 25 ▪ Netherlands 80 ▪ Indonesia 14 ▪ New Zealand 79 ▪ Japan 46 ▪ Sweden 71 ▪ Pakistan 14 ▪ U.K. 89 ▪ South Korea 18 ▪ U.S.A. 91 ▪ Taiwan 17 This content is not assessable http://www.geert-hofstede.com/  Cultural Differences ▪ Conformity is higher in collectivist cultures Individualist cultures: 25% Collectivist cultures: 37% BUT ▪ Conformity varies within cultures as well  Conformity Field Experiment ▪ Milgram, Bickman & Berkowitz (1969): 1, 2, 3, 5, 10, or 15 people stopped and stared up at a 6th-floor window for 60s on a NYC street Stopping: 4% copied a single person; 40% copied 15 people Staring: 42% copied a single person; 86% copied 15 people  Next lecture Social Influence II