Groupthink and Conformity Wallach, Kogan & Bem (1962) Asch (1951)

Groupthink Groupthink refers to a group decision making process where group members convince each other how right they are Often insulated and out of touch with dissenting opinions Often wrong Wallach, Kogan & Bem (1962) studied risky shifts and conservative shifts in groupthink decisions

Group-Induced Polarization: 12 Choice Dilemmas (Wallach, Kogan, & Bem, 1962) Mr. E. is president of a metals corporation in the U.S. The corporation is quite prosperous and Mr. E. has considered the possibility of expansion by building an additional plant in a new location. His choice is between building another plant in the U.S., where there would be a moderate return on the initial investment, or building a plant in a foreign country, where lower labor costs and easy access to raw materials would mean a much higher return on the initial investment. However, there is a history of political instability and revolution in the foreign country under consideration. In fact, the leader of a small minority party is committed to nationalizing, that is, taking over all foreign investments.

Group-Induced Polarization (Wallach, Kogan, & Bem, 1962) Imagine that you are advising Mr. E. Listed below are several probabilities of continued political stability in the foreign country under consideration. Please check the lowest probability that you could consider acceptable in order for Mr. E.’s corporation to build in that country. ___ The chances are 1 in 10 that the foreign country will remain politically stable. ___ The chances are 3 in 10 that the foreign country will remain politically stable. ___ The chances are 5 in 10 that the foreign country will remain politically stable. ___ The chances are 7in 10 that the foreign country will remain politically stable. ___ The chances are 9 in 10 that the foreign country will remain politically stable. ___ Place a check mark here if you think Mr. E.’s corporation should not build a plant in the foreign country, no matter what the probabilities.

Group-Induced Polarization (Wallach, Kogan, & Bem, 1962) Ss decided alone first, then in groups Results: On 10 of the 12 choice dilemmas, the group was more risky than individuals. On 2 dilemmas, groups were less risky.

Possible Explanations of Group-Induced Shifts in Decisions Riskier people are more persuasive. Under most circumstances, cultural values favor risk taking. Persuasive argumentation.

Pressure Toward Unanimity: Self-Censorship

Group Think (Janis, 1971; 1982) Groups can adopt policies with disastrous consequences because of the dynamics of group decision making. Examples 1950 invasion of North Korea (Truman) 1961 invasion of Cuba at the Bay of Pigs (Kennedy) 1964-65 escalation of the Vietnam War (Kennedy, Johnson) 2003 invasion of Iraq (Bush)

Conformity Conformity is the tendency to adjust thoughts, feelings, or behavior to those of a group. How is conformity similar/different from compliance? How might conformity relate to other social psychology concepts (Bandura, Tajfel) How might conformity relate to cultural norms? To Hofstede?

Effect of Ambiguity on Social Influence (Latané & Darley, 1968) While waiting for expt to begin, smoke began to fill the room. The 2 confederates did not react.

Asch (1951) Aim? To investigate whether people will be influenced by a group to give an answer they know is incorrect Procedure? 7 Confederates gave the wrong answer on 12 of 18 trials Real answer was obvious Mild deception Criticisms include ecological validity, culture (only 1 culture studied), ethical (deception, anxiety)

Conformity – The Asch Paradigm 13

Findings? (75%? 25%? 1/3? 98%?) Conclusions? Criticisms? Overall, all subjects together ended up conforming on 1/3 of target trials. Conclusions? They knowingly gave incorrect answers They may have doubted their own eyes Criticisms? Sample of male college students Low ecological validity Possible time validity

Asch (1951) Debriefing All subjects (Ss) reported doubt about their answers Ss who conformed said they knew they were wrong, explained that they were either: doing what the researcher wanted Demand characteristics going along with the group Conformity

4 factors in Conformity Group Size (Asch 1955) 1 confederate, 3% of Ss conformed; 2 confederates, 14% of Ss conformed; 4 confederates, 32% of Ss conformed With 7 or more, conformity began to decline slightly

Conformity With Incorrect Majority (Asch (1951) 17

4 factors in Conformity Unanimity (Asch 1956) If 1 confederate gives a different incorrect answer, Ss still less likely to conform to majority view If 1 confederate answers correctly, 5% of Ss conform to the majority

Percent Conformity With Majority (Allen & Levine, 1971) One extreme incorrect: One confederate disagreed w/ incorrect majority in the even more extreme direction. 19

4 factors in Conformity Confidence (Perrin and Spencer, 1980) Study replicated with science/math students as Ss; had only 1 conformity out of 396 trials (external validity of Asch) Conclusion: higher confidence equals less likely to conform Self-esteem (Stang (1973) Higher self-esteem equals less pressure to conform

Effect of Commitment to Own Opinion: Asch Paradigm (Deutsch & Gerard, 1955) None: Standard Asch paradigm. Magic Pad: First write judgment on magic pad; hear others; erase magic pad; make public judgment. Written: First write judgment on paper in private – not to be collected; hear others; make public judgment. Public: First write judgment on paper and sign it – to be collected; hear others; make public judgment. 21