Conformity

1
Conformity
2
Conformity (majority influence)

• Form of social influence
• Zimbardo
• a tendency for people to adopt the behaviour,
  attitudes and values of other members of a
  reference group

3
Social norms

• Provide order, prevent chaos
• Help us understand others motivates
• Make life more predictable
• Guides and directs our behaviour

4
Asch 56
5
Results

• 32 of trials when confederates lied gave
  majority view
• 74 of participants conformed at least once

6
Why conform?

• Distortion of PERCEPTION
• Distortion of JUDGEMENT
• Distortion of ACTION

7
Conclusion

• Size of majority
• Non-unanimous majority (confederates gave
  different answers)
• Mode of response
• Difficulty of the task

8
Evaluation

• Lab experiment not real situation
• (not ecologically valid)
• 2. USA 1960s same here and now?
• Nicholson 85
• 3. Cultural differences (collectivist/individualis
  t)
• Conform collectivist
• 4. Is it really a majority influence study? 32

9
Zimbardo 73

• Cut short after 6days (intended to last 2wks)

10

• Evaluation
• Did the end justify the means?
• Opened our eyes to human capabilities
• So realistic it led to extreme distress
• Could never be replicated today!!!

11
Why do we conform?

• 2 main reasons
• Normative influence
  Informational influence
• So others will approve We
  look to others to
• accept us
  provide info
• What happens when we Happens
  in novel
• not accepted?
  Situations
• Alter behaviour to fit
  example
• expectations of others

12
Turner 91

• 2 types of social influence
• Public compliance
  Private acceptance
• Going along with it Internalisation/Convers
  ion
• even though you
• secretly dont approve
• of their behaviour or
  Act in the same way as
• attitudes
  others because you
  
• believe they are right
• 
  Longer lasting powerful

13
Other factors that affect conformity

• Social support
• Group identification
• Personality
• Gender