CONFORMITY

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CONFORMITY

• CHAPTER 6

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DEFINITION CONFORMITY
A CHANGE IN BEHAVIOR OR BELIEF TO ACCORD
WITH OTHERS
Sure I follow the school Not out of obedience,
mind you, But out of a deep respect For the
concept of community
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COMPLIANCE OUTWARD CONFORMITY OBEDIENCE
COMPLIANCE WITH AN EXPLICIT COMMAND ACCEPTANCE
INWARD COMPLIANCE EXAMPLES?
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SHERIF NORM FORMATION (1935, 1937)DARK ROOM ,
SMALL LIGHT AUTOKINETIC ILLUSION(appearance of
movement when there is none)Subjects reported
norm movement by day four.
2 inches
Day four
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(Sherif with Confederate) CONFEDERATE Ss
reported even greater movement to comply with
the confederate estimates Totterdell et al (
1998) Mood Linkage
Use of laugh track Being around
happy people makes you happy Chartrand Bragh
(1999) Social Contagion Ss rubbed their
face or shook their foot to comply with a
confederate Medalia Larson (1958)
Suggestion Reported windshield damage was
followed by a large increase of windshield
damage in Seattle, Washington. Damage was
usual, the attention to windshields was not.
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Asch Group Pressure( 1955)
37 of Ss agreed with the Group even when they
Had very different personal Opinions.
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To get along, you go along John Kennedy ( about
Congress)
Senator Kerry is attacked by President Bush for
voting for war against Iraq, but against funding
for the continued war effort. Former Congressman
Bob Bar (extreme fundamentalist Republican)
states that he regrets voting for the Homeland
Security Act because he knew that it would
violate our Constitutional right to privacy.
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MILGRAM OBEDIENCE(1965,1974)
65 of Ss went to 650volts (extreme pain.XXX)
to follow Instructor expectations. Four
Factors Emotional Distance distance/ no contact
with victim increases obedience Closeness/Legitim
acy of Authority more Immediate/legitimate the
authority, more obedience Institutional
Authority institutional legitimacy Increases
obedience Liberating Group Influence Ss
express a liberating view when joined by
others
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BEHAVIOR ATTITUDES

• Responding alone Ss give the correct answer
• Responding in a group Ss respond with the group
  answer, even if they know it to be wrong
• Social Context very strong influence
• Ex standing during class, singing in a
  restaurant, playing golf in a suit

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The Fundamental Attribution Error
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Attribution Error

• Bad things are done by Bad People

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Why Do We Make The Attribution Error?

• Perspective and situational awareness

Horror of 9/11 done by madmen , evil cowards,
demonic monsters
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Why Do We Make The Attribution Error?

• Culture
• - Eastern versus Western worldview

Eastern Contextual Paradoxical Realistic
Western Ideological Dualistic Ideal
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Ideal Values
Contextual Realism
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Conformity Prediction

• Group Size size of group does not have to be
  large to have a
• Large effect
• 2. Unanimity difficult to be a minority of one
• 3. Cohesion more cohesion in a group, more
  control ( obedience)
• 4.Status lower social status, more
  obedience
• 5. Public Response more conformity in a public
  than private situation
• Prior Commitment prior commitments influence
  obedience
• especially if done in public
• 7. Personality poor predictor in social
  context
• 8. Culture has little influence over basic
  human nature

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RESISTANCE to CONFORMITYSOCIAL PRESSURE

• REACTANCE
• MOTIVE TO PROTECT OR RESTORE ONES SENSE OF
  FREEDOM
• ASSERTING UNIQUENESS
• Conformity increases as our sense of uniqueness
  is
• de-valued and social pressure is great

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STOP WRITING DAMN IT!
THE END