Pluralistic Ignorance

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Pluralistic Ignorance

• February 9, 2006

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Class Overview

• Continue discussion of norms to address 2 key
  questions.
• 1. Do norms influence behavior? If so, how?
• 2. How do people perceive norms and are their
  perceptions accurate?
• Present results from the in-class survey.
• Take brief survey for class on Tuesday.

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1. Do Norms ACTUALLY influence behavior?

• Many studies have shown that people do not always
  follow norms (e.g. littering).
• Therefore, norms might be a weak predictor of
  actual behavior.
• Question Do norms exert more of an influence on
  behavior when they are activated or brought to
  attention?

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Study of Littering Behavior

• Norm Salience (Study 1)
• Confederate carried a large handbill and threw it
  on the ground (High norm salience).
• Handbill thrown into clean environment highlights
  the descriptive norm
• PEOPLE DO NOT LITTER HERE
• Handbill thrown into littered environment
  highlights the descriptive norm
• PEOPLE USUALLY LITTER HERE

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Two Important Predictions

• Prediction 1
• Subjects who saw the confederate litter into the
  fully littered environment would litter more than
  those who did not see such littering.
• Prediction 2
• Subjects who saw the confederate litter into the
  clean environment would be less likely to litter
  than those who did not see such littering.
• Key Point Contrary to conformity prediction.

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Results

• Confederate threw the handbill into the littered
  environment, thus calling attention to the
  descriptive norm
• IT IS OK TO LITTER HERE!
• When littering norm was salient
• 54 of the subjects actually littered.
• When littering norm was not salient
• Only 32 of the subjects of the subjects
  littered.

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Results (continued)

• Confederate threw the handbill into the clean
  environment, thus calling attention to the
  descriptive norm
• IT IS NOT OK TO LITTER HERE!
• When anti-littering norm was salient
• Only 6 of the subjects littered.
• When anti-littering norm was not salient
• 14 of the subjects littered.

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More Littering Into Clean Environment

• From Cialdini, Reno Kallgren, 1990

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Implications

• Norms can often be very subtle.
• Are you always aware the you are following a
  norm? Are there situations in which you are more
  aware than others? (E.g. Picnic vs. Funeral)
• Norms have a powerful influence on behavior when
  people are focused on the norms in a given
  situation.
• Think about different strategies for calling
  attention to norms (E.g. Shoes in someones entry
  hall during a party instead of the closet).

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2. How are norms perceived and are these
perceptions accurate?

• Gambling in Elm Hollow (Shank, 1932)
• Members of the community nearly unanimous in
  their support of the churchs restrictions on
  gambling, smoking and drinking.
• Yet, the author often gambled, drank and smoked
  in the privacy of peoples homes.
• Private attitudes did not reflect the public norm.

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Pluralistic Ignorance

• Definition Individuals make systematic errors
  in their perceptions of the other members of a
  collective and their relation to those members.
• In other words,
• No one believes, but everyone thinks that
  everyone else believes.

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Pluralistic Ignorance at ILR?

• Question Do people see themselves as being more
  conservative than the average ILR student?
• Survey of political attitudes
• Scores above 3 represent a Liberal viewpoint.
• Scores below 3 represent a Conservative
  viewpoint.

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Self vs. ILR
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Points of Divergence

• You thought that the norm was more liberal than
  it actually is on the following questions.
• 1 Too much power is concentrated in the hands
  of a few
• large companies.
• 13 This country should do whatever it takes to
  protect the
• environment.
• 14 We should pay less attention to problems
  overseas
• and concentrate on problems here at home.
• 15 I consistently vote for Democrats in most
  elections.

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Origins of Pluralistic Ignorance

• Minority-enforced social norms
• Powerful, elite group can keep the majority in
  line (e.g. Methodist Church in Elm Hollow)
• Prototypical social norms
• Idealized behavior that differentiates ones own
  group from another. (e.g. We are a party school)
• Conservative lag
• Private attitudes have shifted, but the public
  norm has remained the same (People change more
  quickly than groups).

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Consequences of Pluralistic Ignorance

• Mistaken feelings of alienation and deviance.
• Gamblers felt estranged from the town without
  knowing that they were actually typical.
• Students who felt deviant because of their views
  on alcohol were less likely to attend their
  college reunion.
• Male students conformed to the misperceived norm
  by drinking more.

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Questions to Consider

• How can anyone know whether pluralistic ignorance
  exists?
• Are there any beliefs at ILR that might not be as
  widely shared as everyone believes?
• What would it take to identify pluralistic
  ignorance and bring the public norm back in line
  with private attitudes?

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Individual versus the Group

• The group has a reality above and beyond the
  individuals that compose it.
• A college campus can be more pro-alcohol than its
  students.
• Two campuses can differ on their attitudes toward
  alcohol even if their students do not.
• Norms on campus can change even if the attitudes
  of its students have not.

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Before you go

• Complete brief survey about controversial issues
  for class on Tuesday.