Conformity and Social Norms EVALUATE RESEARCH ON CONFORMITY TO GROUP NORMS. DISCUSS FACTORS INFLUENCING CONFORMITY

How Do I Best Address These LOCs? Provide a definition of conformity:  One Definition: A type of social influence in which individuals change their attitudes or behavior to adhere to existing social norms. - OR-  Crane’s Definition: The tendency to adjust one’s thoughts, feelings, or behavior in ways that are in agreement with those of a particular individual or group, or with social norms.

Crane’s Definition of Conformity Definition: The tendency to adjust one’s thoughts, feelings, or behavior in ways that are in agreement with those of a particular individual or group, or with social norms.

Set of rules based on socially or culturally shared beliefs of how individuals ought to behave. Provide a definition or understanding of Social Norms EXAMPLES ?

What are the two stated types of conformity?  Private – a private acceptance of social norms  Public – overt behavior consistent with social norms that are not privately accepted. We wear clothes I’m emo, but am not

Jennes 1932 Jar of beans Experiment About those marbles…

Jennes (1932) Jennes was the first person to study conformity, his experiment involved a glass bottle filled with beans. He asked people individually to estimate how many beans the bottle contained, then put the group in a room with the bottle, and asked them to provide a group estimate. He then interviewed the subjects individually again, and asked if they would like to change their original estimates, or stay with the group's estimate. Results Almost all changed their individual guesses to be closer to the group estimate.

Jennes (1932) results Jennes found that when participants were asked separately after the group estimate, the estimates of the participants had come closer together around the central/group figure. When we are unsure of the answer, we will look to others in the group – assuming that a group guess must be more correct than an individual guess. We conform to the group norm. Jennes (1932) conclusion

Evaluation Methodology- Complex social situation reduced to a Lab experiment Lacks ecological validity – In real-life situations conformity usually takes place when people are in groups with whom they have long- lasting ties; groups of friend, colleagues or family members rather than artificial groups of strangers.

Evaluation Ethics - no informed consent – real aim of the study was not given to Ps. Ethics - Problem being that participants might have behaved differently if they were made aware that they were being tested on conformity. Ethics – Argued to be ok because it was a minor and justifiable deception.

Group Size Unanimity Confidence Culture SOME Factors that affect conformity

Factors that affect conformity FactorMoreLessStudy Group Size More people =Less people =??? Unanimity Unanimous =Non-unanimous =??? Confidence More confidence = Less confidence =??? Culture More Collectivist = More Individualistic = ??? SIT & in- group In-Group = ?Out-group = ?Abrams (1990)

Abrams et al. (1990) Pearson – p.128/Moodle pdf Using SIT

Referent informational influence You want to adhere to a person’s in-group You conform in order to stay in the in-group (maintain your social identity) More likely to conform if you believe you are part of that group Using SIT

Different from informational influence: People conform because they are group members  NOT to avoid social disproval People conform to the norm  NOT to other people (use others as an indicator of the norm) Referent informational influence According to Hogg (2010)

B.B.B – BONUS Information  Other Concepts –  Authority: ‘The Wave’, Milgram…soooo many examples that you already have!  Ambiguity: Sheriff (1935)  Cognitive Dissonance: (Festinger et al) – Crane 123  Group Think: (Janis, 1972 & Baron, 2005)Pearson & Crane 122  Risky Shift: (Wallach et al, previous SIT material) Pearson pgs