LECTURE 8 Conformity

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LECTURE 8 Conformity

• Administration
• Chameleon Effect
• Sherifs Autokinetic Effect Study
• Asches Conformity Studies
• Milgrams Obedience Studies
• Zimbardos Stanford Prison Study
• Break
• Video on Conformity
• Resisting Conformity
• Next Class

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Questions?
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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 Effect

• Chartrand and Bargh (1999)

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Informational Social Influence

• Conforming because we believe that others
  interpretation of an ambiguous situation is more
  correct than ours and will help us choose an
  appropriate course of action.
• Acceptance Conformity that involves both acting
  and believing in accord with social pressure.
• We conform because we think this is the right
  way to act in this situation.

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Autokinetic Study (Sherif, 1936)
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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 (e.g., mimicry).
• This type of conformity results in public
  compliance (but not necessarily 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)
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Social Pressure Study (Asch, 1951)
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Compliance

• Conformity Definition A change in behaviour or
  beliefs due to the real or imagined influence of
  other people.
• Compliance Definition 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 Obedience Study

• Normative social influence It is absolutely
  essential that you continue (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) for
  advice.

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Milgrams (1963) Obedience Study
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Obedience Across Studies
Percentage fully obedient

Experimental Version
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Milgrams Obedience Study

• Explanations for why they obeyed
• In automatic pilot to the obey experimenter
  norm - mindlessness
• Fast-pace doesnt allow for much thought
• Increased in small increments (like
  foot-in-the-door).

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Stanford Prison StudyZimbardo (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?
• Role
• A set of norms that define how people in a given
  social position 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.
• 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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Resisting Social Pressure

• Reactance (Brehm Brehm, 1981)
• An attempt to restore ones sense of freedom.
• Correction Theory (Wegener Petty, 1997)
• We correct for
• Direction of perceived influence
• Extent of perceived influence
• To correct we need
• Motivation and Ability

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Training and Correction StudyKawakami, Dovidio,
van Kamp (2002)

• Female Stereotypes
• Friendly
• Submissive
• Dependent
• Caring
• Male Stereotypes
• Dominant
• Independent
• Ambitious
• Competitive

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NEW ASSOCIATION TRAINING
PHOTO
TRAIT
FEMALE STEREO
FEMALE PHOTO
MALE STEREO
FEMALE STEREO
MALE PHOTO
MALE STEREO
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• General Procedure
• Nonstereotype Association Training
• Job Ad, CVs, and Cover Letters
• - 2 men and 2 women only identified by name
• Choose Best Candidate

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• Conditions
• Just Training Possible Correction Processes
• Nonstereotype Association Training
• Job Ad, CVs, and Cover Letters
• Choose Best Candidate
• Training Filler Task Reduce Motivation No
  Correction
• Nonstereotype Association Training
• 10 Minute Break
• Job Ad, CVs, and Cover Letters
• Choose Best Candidate
• Training Probe Task Reduce Ability No
  Correction
• Nonstereotype Association Training
• Job Ad , CVs, and Cover Letters Probe Reaction
  Task
• Choose Best Candidate Probe Reaction Task

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Percentage of Candidates Chosen
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Questions?
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Next Class

• Class 9 Wednesday, March 12th
• Second In-class Exam
• Class 10 Wednesday, March 19th
• Group Influence
• Reading material
• Chapter 8 Group Influence, pp. 239-275.