Conformity and Obedience PDF

Wondershare PDFelement Conformity is defined as a change in behavior due to other people's influence, real or imagined. It is conformity when the act or behavior is done out of pressure, not because you deci...

Wondershare PDFelement Conformity is defined as a change in behavior due to other people's influence, real or imagined. It is conformity when the act or behavior is done out of pressure, not because you decide to do it. There are two types of conformity: acceptance and compliance. Acceptance - "conforming to other people's behavior out of a genuine belief that what they are doing or saying is right" (p. 244). With acceptance, you understand and sincerely believe that the behavior is right or beneficial for you, so you follow the group's behavior. An example of acceptance is getting the COVID-19 vaccine because you believe it is right. Compliance - "conforming to other people's behavior publicly without necessarily believing in what other people are doing or saying" (p. 245). With compliance, you simply do or say what everyone else does or says without sincerely believing in the act. There is also an element of punishment or reward in compliance. One may comply to avoid getting punished or reap a reward. For example, you may comply with the school's dress code to avoid penalties. Obedience - This is a type of compliance whereby one behaves according to a direct command. In obedience, one follows a direct order; without the order, there would not be a change in behavior. For example, you come home early because your parents ordered you to do so. What influences obedience? Milgram conducted an experiment on obedience to authorities. His objective for setting up the experiment was to find out what the implications would be if there were conflicts between the demands of authorities and the followers' consciences. Milgram assigned a teacher (the subject of the experiment) as the person of authority and a learner (an accomplice) in his experiment. The teacher and the learner were asked to move to another room where the experiment took place. The teacher was seated in front of a shock generator with shocks ranging from 15 to 450 volts, with a 15-volt increment each time there would be an increase in the strength of the shock. These shock ranges were labeled: "slight shock," "very strong shock," "danger: severe shock"... "XXX." Each time that the learner made a mistake, the experimenter would command the teacher to shock the learner. For every mistake made, the teacher was commanded to also increase the strength of shock. The nonresponses of the learner were also considered a mistake; hence, a shock should be elicited. Throughout the experiment, as the strength of the shock increased, the learner pleaded with the teacher to stop the experiment. The teacher, being torn between the plea of the learner and the orders. of the experiment, still continued to shock the learner, even reaching the "XXX" (abeled on the shock panel. The experiment was conducted on 40 subjects (all men). The findings were surprising as Milgram had thought that no one subject would reach the "XXX" point on the shock panel. However, 65% progressed all the way up to 450 volts despite the plea of the learner.  Wondershare PDFelement According to Myers & Twenge (2021, p. 137), "Four factors determined obedience: the victim's. emotional distance, the authority's closeness and legitimacy, whether the authority was part of a respected institution, and the liberating effects of a disobedient fellow participant." Victim's Emotional Distance: Milgram's experiment showed that the distance of the victim or the "learner" to the teacher mattered. When the victim was nearby, there was a drop in obedience rate. Authority's Closeness and Legitimacy: Similarly, the authority's presence and legitimacy influenced the obedience of the teachers. Otherwise, there was again a drop in obedience of the teachers-if the experimenter gave the command through phone or if someone else on behalf fof the experimenter gave the command. Institutional Authority: The prestige of the authority was evident also in the experiment. Milgram initially conducted the experiment at Yale University, a well-known and respected academic institution. After the experiment, the participants reported that they partly obeyed Ithe experimenter because of Yale's prestige. The Liberating Effects of Group Influence: The three studies mentioned above portrayed the negative effects of conformity. However, in some cases, conformity can be helpful too. During the 9/11 World Trade Center tragedy, the firefighters rushed to the scene partly because they were conforming to their authorities and orders and partly because of group loyalty. What predicts conformity? Group size A group of three (3) to five (5) people will be able to prompt conformity compared to just one (1) to two (2). Beyond five will decrease the returns. of producing conformity. An example would be a having a group of four (4) or five (5) stand outside and look up at the sky. Noticeably, a lot of passers-by would probably do the same. This is also evident online. More people commenting on how untrue a news headline is would most likely cause more people to believe that the news. is fake. Unanimity Conformity diminishes if someone from the group opposes, "Several experiments reveal that someone who punctures a group's unanimity deflates its: s social power.  Wondershare PDFelement Cohesion/Cohesiveness Aronson et al. (2021) define cohesiveness as "qualities of a group that bind members together and promote liking between them" (p. 288). It is the "we" feeling of the group. You are likely to be influenced more by the people you are closest to than by those who are just your acquaintances. - On Facebook, you are more likely to like a post when it is liked also by someone you are close to. - People are likely to develop a fondness for music that is enjoyed by those similar to them. - Students' attitudes become more similar when they are in the same dormitory. Status Those who are higher in status are more likely to elicit conformity. People who are higher in status can produce more impact. - Women who just moved to a higher-status neighborhood are more likely to purchase the shoes. in trend in their area. - In Milgram's (1974 in Myers & Twenge, 2022) study, those who were lower in rank were more likely to follow those who had higher rank. Public Response Studies already prove that people are more likely to conform when answering in public or in front of others. - In a study in China, adolescents, more than children, are more likely to change their answers when displayed in front of their peer group. This also suggests that adolescents feel the need to conform to their peers. Prior Commitment If commitments have already been made, people are likely to stick to those commitments, therefore reducing the possibility of conformity. For instance, when judges. of competitions make their decisions, they have committed to that decision and are less likely to be influenced by social pressures.  Wondershare PDFelement Why do people conform? There are two possible reasons for conformity: Normative Influence This is described as going along with others in order to gain liking and avoid rejection. Normative influence tells us that people conform in order to meet certain social expectations and ultimately gain approval. - Northern Illinois University successfully cut in half students' binge drinking by disseminating Information about the norm that the majority of students drink moderately. Compared to the technique of warning students about the dangers of binge drinking, this spreading of the norm was more successful (Myers & Twenge, 2022). - Smoking among teenagers happens because they see that this is the norm among their age group (Myers & Twenge, 2022). ey see ti Informational influence With informational influence, conformity takes place because people accept the evidence about reality presented to them by other people. They are influenced because of the information provided by them. - Hotel and restaurant reviews. - Following a diet It is important to know that in our everyday lives, normative and informational influences can go together. Who conforms? (Myers & Twenge, 2022) Conformity also varies with people. There are those who are more prone to conforming. Personality Those who are more likely to conform are the people who are high in agreeableness and conscientiousness. Meanwhile, the people who are less likely to conform are those who are high in openness to experience and those who seek thrill or stimulation. Culture Conformity is higher in countries that are collectivist.  Wondershare PDFelement Social Roles To an extent, social roles have the power to make people conform because of the responsibilities entailed in the role. For instance, you, as a student, must conform to the rules of the school or to the instructor's requirements. STI Resisting conformity: Do we always want to conform? Our sense of freedom and self-efficacy matter to us. Therefore, if these are threatened, we are likely to be pushed away, learning toward anti-conformity. We call this reactance. Reactance may explain why people do not exercise and eat healthily. People feel that exercising and eating healthy are something they must do. Because they feel that they are being forced to do so, they tend to do the opposite. Asserting Uniqueness - People do not want to look extremely different in a social setting, yet do not also wish to look similar to each other. Generally, people want to assert their individuality without looking too different. Persuasion Was there a time in your life when you tried to convince a friend to buy something? Or did you ever buy something from an online shop because you got swayed by the promoter? Persuasion has the power to make people promote health or addiction, spread correct or false information, or advocate for hate or love. There are a lot of aspects of our lives that entail persuasion. It can be evident in marketing ads, politics, dating, selling, and courtroom decision-making. Persuasion happens when a message that is being conveyed elicits a change in belief, attitude, or behavior. When people try to make a persuasion, there are a lot of obstacles that need to be cleared. Routes to Persuasion There are two routes that lead to persuasion: Central Route to Persuasion "The case in which people have both the ability and the motivation to elaborate on a persuasive communication, listening carefully to and thinking about the arguments presented" (Aronson et al., 2021, р. 217). On the central route to persuasion, people are presented with arguments that, if they find compelling, they would believe or be convinced.  Wondershare PDFelement Peripheral Route to Persuasion "The case in which people do not elaborate on the arguments in a persuasive communication but are instead swayed by more superficial cues" (Aronson et al., 2021, p. 217). With this route, people are convinced by "cues that trigger automatic acceptance without much thinking" (Myers & Twenge, 2022, p. 169). This is the route to persuasion that ads typically take. For instance, instead of presenting a strong argument as to why consumers should smoke cigarettes, the campaigns make use of visual Images that portray beauty and feeling good. The central route is more likely to influence our explicit attitude and the peripheral route to our implicit attitude. The goal of persuasion is not just to let people hear about the message but to evoke change in the behavior. For instance, when preachers share the message, they just do not want people to hear. the message but also try to convince them to apply it in their lives. The same is true for advertisements. Marketers do not just want the consumers to learn about the product; they want people to buy the product. So, do the two routes have equally the same power? It was shown central routes can result in more stable change. Because people are presented with arguments that they have to think about carefully, they get to test not only the strength of the cues presented by the perpetrator of the persuasion but also the strength of their thoughts. The best way, then, to persuade involves the use of arguments that target people's moral convictions. moral Elements of Persuasion In this section, the elements that lead to either the peripheral route or the central route will be discussed. The Communicator: Who? The one giving the message matters. What makes a person conveying the message believable? Someone who is credible and likable. ne mess Credibility: This is the extent to which the communicator is believable. Often, someone who is credible would be taken as an expert and reliable source of information. So, how does one become credible? Expertise - One aspect of credibility is their expertise on the topic being talked about. For instance, a message about toothbrushing would be more believable if it is relayed by a dentist from a dental association. Speaking Style - People who do not stumble in their speech and are confident and fluent as they speak are perceived to be more credible.  Wondershare PDFelement Perceived Trustworthiness - It is easier to believe someone if we trust them. On Facebook, people are more willing to believe something if it is shared by a friend or someone they trust (Insight Project, 2017 in Myers & Twenge, 2021). This is also true when people are evaluating products. People are more likely to choose a product if the product description comes from consumer board protection than when it is released by the company itself (Smith et al., 2013 in Myers & Twenge, 2022). People also trust more when the conveyor of the message does not appear to be persuading them. Attractiveness and Liking: This is the extent to which the communicator has qualities that people perceive as attractive. People may not think that they are swayed by attractiveness but there is enough research that supports otherwise. So, how does one appear to be attractive? Physical Attractiveness - People are more likely to believe messages, especially those that are emotional, when relayed by someone who is perceived as beautiful. Similarity - People are Inclined to like others that they perceive as similar to them. As an example, the most effective campaigns to discourage teenagers from smoking are those that include teens relaying the message. Acting similarly - Those who behave similarly to us are seen to be attractive. This is a reason why salespeople mirror or mimic the people they are trying to persuade to buy a product. The Message: What is being said? On top of the communicator, the message also matters in persuasion. Reason vs emotion - Depending on who the audience is, the message can be presented either emotionally or rationally. Those who are well-educated and analytical are likely to be persuaded by the use of reason (Cacioppo et al., 1983, 1996; Hovland et al., 1949 in Myers & Twenge, 2022) as well as those who have more time to think through (Petty & Brinol, 2015 in Myers & Twenge, 2022). Those who seem uninterested may be convinced using emotions or are more likely to take the peripheral route (Chaiken, 1980; Petty et al., 1981 in Myers & Twenge, 2022). - Messages can also be effective if associated with either good feelings or fear, depending on the context. - Those who are in a good mood are likely to perceive the world with rose-colored glasses. Happier people also rely more on peripheral routes and are more likely to make haste and more impulsive decisions. Equally, evoking fear has been proven to be effective. As an example, when trying to convince people to limit smoking, drive carefully, and get a tetanus vaccine, campaigns that elicit terror are proven powerful. to be  Wondershare PDFelement Message context - The setting in which the message is being delivered is important to persuasion, especially the event that comes before it. Foot-in-the-door - This is a strategy to make people agree to a second and even larger request by having them agree first to an initial and smaller request. Door-in-the-face: This is a social technique to gain concession by asking people a smaller request that is preceded by a turned- down larger request. One-Sided Vs. Two-Sided Appeals - A message can be more persuasive if it offers a counterargument because it makes the communicator look more honest. Salespeople who also share the negative features of the product appear to be more believable to the customer, leading to higher chances of closing a sale. Primacy Vs. Recency - The Primacy effect is when the information that is presented first has the most impact. On the other hand, the recency effect is when the information that is presented last gives the power. So, which is true? If there is a gap between when the two messages are delivered, the one that is most recent would have an effect (recency effect). However, if there is no gap between the messages, then a primacy effect would be ensued. The Channel of Communication: How is the message delivered? Persuasion can only happen if there is communication, and how communication has taken place is also crucial. The channel of communication is how the message is sent to the receiver. Is it face- to face? Is it written? Active Experience or Passive Reception - One might presume that spoken messages are the ones that are most powerful, but this is not often the case. Students may even forget the most notable lectures they attended. Even the written or visual messages can be ineffective. So, what makes an ideal channel of communication? Repetition - It was shown that adults and children tend to believe a message when they hear it twice (Myers & Twenge, 2022). When something becomes familiar and identifiable, people will develop a liking for it. This is often done by politicians and advertisers. Actively experiencing - The attitudes that people develop from experience are more lasting. especially when we have accountability over it. As opposed to passively receiving a message, those who participate will have a lasting impact and will result in enduring attitudes. On Facebook, those who share the videos are more likely to remember the message as compared to those who just watch the video. Personal Versus Media Influence - There are studies that support that if the message is communicated by someone we personally know, it is more powerful compared to when it is delivered by the media. Kids recommended Harry Potter to other kids, and that eventually  Wondershare PDFelement facilitated the book's becoming a best-seller. Just think of the time when you decided to watch a movie because it was recommended to you by a friend. Still, we cannot underestimate the power of media influence. Those who give personal recommendations would have gotten their information from another source, and it is probably the media. There are studies that show that the media's effect operates successfully on a two- step flow of communication. They would usually target the leaders or trendsetters or the most influential people of a group, who then would relay the information to the others. The Audience: The receiver of the message The age of the receiver of the message matters in persuasion, with the younger generation being more prone to changing their attitudes. At the time the message is being sent to the receiver, it is crucial to discern what the audience could be thinking. - In the earlier section, it was discussed that knowing that you are about to be persuaded also has an effect. When people have a forewarning about being persuaded by the communicator, they are more likely to formulate a counterargument. - When people are distracted from doing other things, persuasion is likely because they are too preoccupied to think of a counterargument or think thoroughly about what the communicator is saying. People are less likely to counter-argue when they read a message while watching a video. - As discussed in the earlier part of this handout, the uninvolved audience will most probably use the peripheral route to persuasion. Resisting Persuasion Attitude inoculation is a strategy to reduce that people's likelihood of being persuaded by exposing them to weaker arguments so when they encounter stronger arguments, they are "immune" to them. One way attitude inoculation happens is through counterargument presenting reasons why a persuasive argument could be wrong. Bryan and colleagues thought of ways to encourage teens to eat healthier snacks. In one group, they simply gave children healthy snacks (Myers & Twenge, 2022). The other group was presented with a strong argument as to why they should not eat junk food. Later, when the second group was given a choice between junk and healthy snacks, the children opted for the latter. There have been efforts to inoculate children and teens against the peer pressure of smoking. One of the newest efforts stresses the refusal of peer pressure. In a study involving sixth- to eighth-graders, anti-smoking films and role plays of students resisting cigarettes were presented. A year and a half later, 31% of those who had just seen films had tried smoking, while there was only 19% that tried smoking from those who saw the role play.  Wondershare PDFelement Today, false information is rampant. The advertisers have upgraded their strategies to convince the consumers. The politicians bank on persuasive techniques during the election. It is, therefore, important that we develop some sort of protective barrier against unwanted persuasion.