-Got subjects to act as "teachers" who shocked a "learner" (who was actually an actor) when they got the wrong answer Some people will exert a great amount of effort, while others will exert little effort. These differences are less apparent when the conformity occurs in private. Brewer, M. B. In addition to the public versus private nature of the situation, the topic being discussed also is important, such that both men and women are less likely to conform on topics that they know a lot about, in comparison with topics on which they feel less knowledgeable (Eagly & Chravala, 1986). As individuals, we both contribute to the group's consensus, and to a greater extent than most of us realize, are influenced by it. *ESSAY*, -Superficial processing that involves the use of simple decision rules (tend to appeal to emotions) To demonstrate this phenomenon, we review another classic social psychology experiment. People least likely to conform have: In addition to gender differences, there is also evidence that conformity is greater in some cultures than others. Gender and leadership style: A meta-analysis. What is this phenomenon called? It is when you change your behavior (consciously or unconsciously) not based on a request, but based on a perceived need to fit in with those around you. However, there are many criticisms of this experiment and its results. 4. Innovation must conform to the market. People often conform to groups. StanleyMilgramwas a social psychology professor at Yale who was influenced by the trial of Adolf Eichmann, a Nazi war criminal. Similarly, when the authority of the experimenter decreased, so did obedience. Effects of inadmissible evidence and level of judicial admonishment to disregard on the judgments of mock jurors. In some cases, this social influence might involve agreeing with or acting like the majority of people in a specific group, or it might involve behaving in a particular way in order to be perceived as "normal" by the group. Men are, on average, more concerned about appearing to have high status and may be able to demonstrate this status by acting independently from the opinions of others. Think of attending your first class at a new yoga studio. When asked individually, participants would choose the correct line. c. Jennifer went to the mall with her friends so that they could help her choose a gown for the upcoming prom. However sometimes the status quo needs to be challenged to make way for change and the evolution of society and mankind. -Need for cognition The volunteer participants were led to believe that they were participating in a study to improve learning and memory. Effects of dispositional dominance and sex role expectations on leadership behaviors. In the Broadway musical The Fantasticks, neighboring fathers set up to make ones daughter and the others son fall in love with each other by building a fence between their properties. They want to be right: informational influence. Which researcher asked participants to offer judgments of line lengths to test conformity? Check out a sample Q&A here See Solution star_border They then categorized each of the countries in terms of the degree to which it could be considered collectivist versus individualist in orientation. In R. D. Ashmore & F. K. Del Boca (Eds. Sex of authority role models and achievement by men and women: Leadership performance and recognition, Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 49, 636653. Rudman, L. A., & Glick, P. (1999). Essentially individual group members loaf and let other group members pick up the slack. The norms for what constitutes success in corporate life are usually defined in masculine terms, including assertiveness or aggressiveness, self-promotion, and perhaps even macho behavior. Normative and informational influences are two important types of conformity, but there are also a number of other reasons why we conform. Derived originally from Greek, "democracy" means either the rule of the people (even indirectly) or at least the rule by the majority of the people (again, even indirectly). Conversely, if the group was initially opposed to a viewpoint, group discussion would likely lead to stronger opposition or a more extreme viewpoint in the opposite direction. Effects of group pressure upon the modification and distortion of judgments. If group members modify their opinions to align with a perceived group consensus, then ________ has occurred. From state to trait and back again: Reactance theory goes clinical. In each pair there was one highly dominant and one low dominant individual, as assessed by previous personality measures. This typically occurs when people are performing a task for which they are skilled. Bushman, B. J., & Stack, A. D. (1996). -Presentation order (primacy and recency effects), -If your audience agrees with you, just present one side 3. When people are made to feel too similar to others, they tend to express their individuality, but when they are made to feel too different from others, they attempt to increase their acceptance by others. This puts you in a relaxed state in which you can perform your best, if you choose (Zajonc, 1965). Types of conformity A. Reactance is aroused when our ability to choose which behaviors to engage in is eliminated or threatened with elimination. Sex differences in conformity: Status and gender-role interpretations. Bond, R., & Smith, P. B. What are the two routes to attitude change in the Dual Process Models of Persuasion? There have been several instances of groupthink in the U.S. government. Obedience and Milgram's experiment People often comply with the request because they are concerned about a consequence if they do not comply. Journal of Experimental Psychology: Applied, 2, 207226. Eagly, A. H., & Carli, L. L. (2007). A more widely relevant example is a groups discussion of how attractive someone is. The impact of our actions on our attitudes is best illustrated by the. There are several strategies that can improve group decision making including seeking outside opinions, voting in private, having the leader withhold position statements until all group members have voiced their views, conducting research on all viewpoints, weighing the costs and benefits of all options, and developing a contingency plan (Janis, 1972; Mitchell & Eckstein, 2009). Research suggests that overall rates of conformity may have reduced since the time of Aschs research. Yet, when the researcher told the participant-teachers to continue the shock, 65% of the participants continued the shock to the maximum voltage and to the point that the learner became unresponsive (figure below). doi:10.1016/j.concog.2018.08.009, Morgan TJ, Laland KN. In some cases the influence of the others is more obvious; in other cases less so. Are Authentic People Less Likely to Conform? In response to a string of incorrect answers from the learners, the participants obediently and repeatedly shocked them. It later came to light that Iraq did not have weapons of mass destruction, but not until the invasion was well underway. In this controversial experiment, conducted in 1971, Philip Zimbardo simulated a prison setting to see how people's behavior would change according to the role they were given (prisoner or prison guard). In another relevant study, Kray, Reb, Galinsky, and Thompson (2004) found that when women were told that they were poor negotiators and would be unable to succeed on a negotiation task, this information led them to work even harder and to be more successful at the task. We begin this section with a discussion of a famous social psychology experiment that demonstrated how susceptible humans are to outside social pressures. If the group is isolated from hearing alternative or new viewpoints, groupthink may be more likely. Summarize the social psychological literature concerning differences in conformity between men and women. From those people we spoke to, it seemed unrealistic. Furthermore, the differences that were found tended to occur primarily when a group was first forming but dissipated over time as the group members got to know one another individually. ~Teacher with an assistant: 93% (tests delegation of authority) Psychology: An International Perspective. Conscious Cogn. 1935(187):60. They found a significant relationship, such that conformity was greater in more collectivist than in individualist countries. 480491). If we feel that we have the choice to conform or not conform, we may well choose to do so in order to be accepted or to obtain valid knowledge. Several reviews and meta-analyses of the existing research on conformity and leadership in men and women have now been conducted, and so it is possible to draw some strong conclusions in this regard. Conformity is good for society because it enables the maintenance of order. Societal norms establish . Another reason why people conform is to simply look good in front of other people. Culturecultures that are collectivist exhibit a higher degree of conformity than individualistic cultures. In more individualistic cultures, people are less likely to conform. This may happen when a professor assigns a group grade instead of individual grades. (1966). Social Influence Attempts on the part of one or more persons to change the behavior, feelings, or thoughts of others Compliance Change in a behavior in accordance with a direct request Reason for Compliance: Mindlessness Tendency to comply without stopping to think (more stress leads to more mindlessness) Good=expensive principle -Similarity (arguably most important), What: The nature of the persuasion; the message (list factors), -One sided vs. Two sided argument Eagly, A. H. (1983). Have you ever had to contribute more than your fair share because your fellow group members werent putting in the work? Similarly, Patel and Gordon (1960) . This experiment is a good example of normative influence. When self-esteem is low Informational Social Influence, Tendency to conform to positive expectations of the group (usually as a means of gaining approval), Tendency to employ other people as a source of information, When are people most likely to conform? Furthermore, efforts to replicate Aschs study have made it clear that many factors determine how likely it is that someone will demonstrate conformity to the group. Social loafingis the exertion of less effort by a person working together with a group. Our website is not intended to be a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. The table belowsummarizes the types of social influence you have learned about in this chapter. This type of conformity involves changing one's behavior in order to fit in with a group. Explain the concept of psychological reactance and describe how and when it might occur. Strength of identification and intergroup differentiation: The influence of group norms. Terry, D., & Hogg, M. (1996). d. When you visit the site, Dotdash Meredith and its partners may store or retrieve information on your browser, mostly in the form of cookies. This happens when you perform a difficult task and your individual performance can be evaluated. Carnegie Press. Since human beings are group animals, there is a natural tendency to school like fish to think as a group. In public situations, men are somewhat more likely to hold their ground, act independently, and refuse to conform, whereas women are more likely to conform to the opinions of others in order to prevent social disagreement.