LECTURE 8 Conformity

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LECTURE 8 Conformity

1. Administration
2. Chameleon Effect
3. Sherifs Autokinetic Effect Study
4. Asches Conformity Studies
5. Milgrams Obedience Studies
6. Break
7. Zimbardos Stanford Prison Study
8. Video on Conformity
9. Resisting Conformity
10. Next Class

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Conformity

• Definition A change in behaviour or beliefs due
  to the real or imagined influence of other
  people.
• Social Norms The implicit or explicit rules a
  group has for the acceptable behaviours, values,
  and beliefs of its members.

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Chameleon Effect

• Definition The nonconscious mimicry of the
  postures, mannerisms, and facial expressions of
  ones interaction partner.
• The mere perception of anothers behaviour can
  automatically increase the likelihood of engaging
  in that behaviour oneself.

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Chameleon EffectChartrand Bargh, 1999
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Chameleon Effect

• Does this behaviour occur automatically?
  Consciously?
• Why do we mimic others?

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Social Influence
Informational Social Influencevs. Normative
Social Influence
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Autokinetic Study (Sherif, 1936)
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When do we conform to informational social
influence?

• When the situation is ambiguous
• Fire alarms
• When there is a crisis
• When others are experts

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Normative Social Influence

• Conforming in order to be liked and accepted or
  to fulfil others expectations. This type of
  conformity results in public compliance (but not
  private acceptance) of the groups beliefs and
  behaviours.
• Public Compliance Conformity that involves
  publicly acting in accordance with social
  pressure while privately disagreeing.

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Social Pressure Study (Asch, 1951)
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Social Pressure Study (Asch, 1951)
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Social Pressure Study (Asch, 1951)
75 of the participants conformed at least
once giving an answer they knew to be wrong.
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Types of Conformity

• Conformity A change in behaviour or beliefs due
  to the real or imagined influence of other
  people.
• This can occur for informational reasons in
  which we use the other person as a cue to know
  how to respond correctly. However, we also
  conform because we want others to like/respect
  us.
• Compliance Conformity that involves publicly
  acting in accord with social pressure while
  privately disagreeing.
• Obedience Conformity that is related to a direct
  order from other people.

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Milgrams (1963) Obedience Study

• Teachers believe they are delivering shocks to
  a learner (appear to be randomly assigned to
  the roles).
• Every time the learner gets an answer wrong, he
  gets a shock that increases in intensity.
• Strongly encouraged by the experimenter to
  continue, even when the learner protests.

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Milgrams (1963) Obedience Study
Ouwwww, this really hurts!
This hurts!
I want to quit!
Stops responding
Makes noise
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Milgrams (1963) Obedience Study

• Normative social influence He says It is
  absolutely essential that you continue (You
  think I did commit to doing this studywhat
  will he think of me if I mess up his study now?)
• Informational social influence Because the
  situation is ambiguous/novel, we are unsure, and
  so we look to the expert/the experimenter (You
  think he must know what he is doing)

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Milgrams (1963) Obedience Study
Learner says he wants to stop.
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Obedience Across Studies
Percentage fully obedient

Experimental Version
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Milgrams (1963) Obedience Study

• Explanations (other than normative and
  informational influences) for why people obeyed
• On automatic pilot to obey the experimenter. We
  may adhere to norms in mindless ways. Fast-pace
  doesnt allow for much thought.
• Increased in small increments (like the
  foot-in-the-door technique). Self-justification.
• Not evil people but bad situation.

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Stanford Prison Study Zimbardo (1971)

• Personality versus Situation
• - Results of the Milgram Study
• - Goals of the Stanford Prison Study
• Whether the situation defined guards and
  prisoners brutality and behaviours or whether it
  was related to the personality of people who took
  on those roles?
• - Bad apples or bad barrel?
• Social Role
• Shared expectations by group members about how
  particular people in the group ought to behave.

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Stanford Prison StudyZimbardo (1971)

• Zimbardo randomly assigned university students to
  role-play being either guards or prisoners.
• Guards were given uniforms, whistles, and clubs
  and were told to enforce the rules.
• Prisoners were given uniforms and locked in
  cells.
• What do you think happened?

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Stanford Prison StudyZimbardo (1971)

• Although this study was originally planned for 2
  weeks after only 6 days they had to stop the
  study because of the hostility of the prison
  guards and the mental and physical deterioration
  of the prisoners.

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Video on Milgram Studies and Stanford Prison Study
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Resisting Social Pressure

• Reactance (Brehm Brehm, 1981)
• An attempt to restore ones sense of freedom.
• Flexible Correction Model (Wegener Petty, 1997)
• Based on our naïve theories of influence,
• we correct for
• The direction of perceived influence
• The extent of perceived influence

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Flexible Correction Model (Wegener Petty, 1997)

• Example of flexible correction processes
• Please write an essay about Stephen Harper.
• But first I want to tell you all the positive
  things I know about Stephen Harper.
• How do you think these initial contexts will
  influence your essays? How much do you think
  these initial contexts will influence your
  essays?
• or
• But first I want to tell you all the negative
  things I know about Stephen Harper.
• How do you think these initial contexts will
  influence your essays? How much do you think
  these initial contexts will influence your essays?

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Mood and Life SatisfactionSchwarz Clore, 1983
Procedure Telephone survey 2 Independent
Variables Mood Sunny vs. Rainy Spring
days Priming Direct vs. Indirect - Indirect
How is the weather there? - Direct This study is
about measuring the effects of weather on
mood Dependent Variable Judgment How satisfied
are you with your life? How might your mood
(i.e., sunny vs. rainy days) influence your
ratings of life satisfaction in general?
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Mood and Life SatisfactionSchwarz Clore, 1983
(Assimilation Effect)
(Corrected Effect)
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Context and Evaluations of KansasPetty Wegner,
1993

• 2 Independent Variables
• Location Rate how much you like the following
  locations your dream vacation place vs. neutral
  vacation place
• Dream Hawaii
• Neutral Minneapolis
• Instructions No Instructions vs. Correction
  Instructions
• - No Instructions
• - Correction Instructions Try not to let your
  ratings be influenced by initial location
• Dependent Variable
• Judgment How would you like to spend 2 weeks
  vacation in Kansas?
• How might thinking about an initial vacation
  destination influence your ratings of Kansas City
  in general?

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Context and Evaluations of KansasPetty Wegner,
1993
(Contrast Effect)
(Corrected Effect)
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Flexible Correction Model (Wegener Petty, 1997)

• Based on our naïve theories of influence,
• we correct for
• The direction of perceived influence
• (either assimilation or contrast effects)
• Extent of perceived influence
• To correct we need
• - Motivation and Ability

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Resisting Social Pressure
Video on My Lai Massacre http//www.metacafe.com/w
atch/1382236/hugh_thompson_talks_about_the_my_lai_
massacre/
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Summary

• Chameleon Effect
• Sherifs Autokinetic Effect Study
• Asches Conformity Studies
• Milgrams Obedience Studies
• Zimbardos Stanford Prison Study
• Resisting Conformity

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Next Class

• Class 9 Group Dynamics
• Reading material
• Chapter 8 Group Processes
• Influence in Social Groups,
• pp. 230-263.