Conformity Chapter Two

Individuality vs. Conformity One consequence of the fact that we are social animals is that we live in a state of tension between values associated with individuality and values associated with conformity.

Individuality vs. Conformity Is conformity good or bad? To be called an individualist or a nonconformist is to be designated, by connotation, as a “good” person. BUT, can also substitute the term “deviate” To be called a conformist, in our culture, is somehow to be designated as an “inadequate” person. BUT, can also substitute “team player”

Individuality vs. Conformity There is an inconsistency in the way our society seems to feel about conformity and nonconformity. Nonconformists may be praised by historians long after the fact of their nonconformity, but they are usually not held in high esteem at the time!

Individuality vs. Conformity Strong support of this observation from social psychology studies: Schachter study of “Johnny Rocco” Kruglanski & Webster

Anticonformity There is a difference between nonconformity (independence) and “anticonformity.” Not thinking for oneself but automatically acting contrary to the desires and expectations of others

Conformity Hitler’s inner circle Nixon’s “palace guard” Conformity is not always adaptive and nonconformity is not always maladaptive. Examples: Hitler’s inner circle Nixon’s “palace guard” NASA Challenger administrators Issue of “groupthink”…

Groupthink Defined as the mode of thinking that persons engage in when concurrence seeking becomes so dominant in a cohesive in-group that it tends to override realistic appraisal of alternative courses of action.

Groupthink Consensus seeking is so important that certain members of the group sometimes become “mindguards” - people who censor troublesome incoming information.

What is Conformity? Can be defined as a change in a person’s behavior or opinions as a result of real or imagined pressure from a person or group of people.

What is Conformity? What causes people to conform to group pressure? Questions to ponder: What causes people to conform to group pressure? What is the nature of the group pressure? If there is a conformity to the opinion of others, is there a change in actual opinion or only in reported opinion? If there is an actual change in opinion, is it permanent or transitory?

What is Conformity? Asch study

What is Conformity? Especially in the amygdala Asch study Replicated many times with nearly identical results Resisting group pressure also has been found to impact neurological activity Especially in the amygdala

What is Conformity? No explicit rewards for conformity Why did Asch’s study participants conform? No explicit rewards for conformity No explicit punishment for deviance

What is Conformity? They became convinced their opinions were wrong. Why did Asch’s study participants conform? TWO POSSIBILITIES: They became convinced their opinions were wrong. They “went along with the crowd” while inwardly believing their judgments were correct.

What is Conformity? Goal of being correct Why did Asch’s study participants conform? Simultaneously had TWO goals IN CONFLICT: Goal of being correct Goals of staying in the good graces of other people by living up to their expectations

What is Conformity? THEY are motivated by a desire to be correct. Most people believe that: THEY are motivated by a desire to be correct. OTHERS are motivated by a desire to stay in the good graces of other people. We know other people conform, but we underestimate the extent to which we can be induced to follow the group.

What is Conformity? Why did Asch’s study participants conform? When interviewed, data suggested that they were going along to get along.

Factors that Influence Conformity Unanimity Commitment Accountability The Person and the Culture The Group Exerting Power

Factors that Influence Conformity Unanimity Even one alternate view will increase nonconformity. Commitment Prior commitment to initial judgment reduces later conformity. Accountability If held accountable for decisions, conformity is reduced.

Factors that Influence Conformity The Person and the Culture Individuals with low self-esteem are more likely to conform. Task-specific self-esteem is particularly influential. Strong sense of security in a particular group reduces conformity.

Factors that Influence Conformity The Person and the Culture Conformity is higher in collectivistic societies (e.g., Japan, Norway, China) than in individualistic societies (e.g., USA, France). Women tend to conform more than men, especially when the researcher is male and/or the task is male-oriented.

Factors that Influence Conformity The Group Exerting Power There is greater conformity if the group: Consists of experts Has members of high social status Has members comparable to the individual The appearance of authority can increase rates of compliance. Example: Wearing a uniform

Factors that Influence Conformity The Group Exerting Power Gladwell’s: “The Tipping Point” Conformity influenced by “connectors”

Belonging vs. Getting Information People have a powerful need to belong. Most of us will go to extreme lengths to avoid social exclusion. We often rely on other people as a means of determining reality. When physical reality becomes increasingly uncertain, people rely more and more on “social reality.” This is especially true when we have faith in the expertise and trustworthiness of the model.

Belonging vs. Getting Information In an ambiguous situation, other people can induce conformity by providing us with information suggestive of what people generally do in a given situation. Example: Wasting water (O’Leary & Aronson) Example: Littering (Cialdini, et al.)

Belonging vs. Getting Information It is not always easy to distinguish between conformity induced by information and conformity induced by social fear. Often, the behavior is identical. The key element is the presence or absence of a punitive agent.

Belonging vs. Getting Information Conformity resulting from the observation of others for the purpose of gaining information about proper behavior tends to have more powerful ramifications than conformity in the interest of being accepted or avoiding punishment.

Belonging vs. Getting Information People conform to others even in assessing something as personal and idiosyncratic as the quality of their own emotions.

Belonging vs. Getting Information According to William James, an emotion has both a “feeling” content and a cognitive content. Requires both physiological arousal and a label

Belonging vs. Getting Information Research by Schachter & Singer found that when physical reality was clear and explainable, participants’ emotions were not influenced by the behavior of other people. However, when participants were experiencing a strong physiological response of unknown origin, they interpreted their own feelings depending on the behavior of other people.

Belonging vs. Getting Information Haney further examined the influence of other people by looking at the death qualification procedure.

Responses to Social Influence The concept of conformity can be expanded to distinguish among three kinds of responses to social influence: Compliance Identification Internalization

Responses to Social Influence Compliance Describes the behavior of a person who is motivated by a desire to gain reward or avoid punishment. Typically, behavior is only as long-lived as the promise of reward or the threat of punishment.

Responses to Social Influence Identification Describes a response to social influence brought about by an individual’s liking for or desire to be the influencer. Differs from compliance in that we do come to believe in the opinions and values we adopt, although we do not believe in them very strongly. This phenomenon occurs often when we encounter the opinions of people we like or admire – even relative strangers.

Responses to Social Influence Internalization Most permanent, most deeply rooted response to social influence The motivation to internalize a particular belief is the desire to be right. The reward for the belief is intrinsic.

Responses to Social Influence Some distinguishing characteristics: Compliance is the least enduring and has the least effect on the individual because people comply merely to gain reward or to avoid punishment. Rewards and punishments must be ever present to be effective.

Responses to Social Influence Some distinguishing characteristics: Continuous reward or punishment is not necessary for identification. The person with whom the individual identifies need not be present at all, as long as: The individual remains important to you The individual still holds the same beliefs These beliefs are not challenged by counter-opinions that are more convincing.

Responses to Social Influence Some distinguishing characteristics: Internalization is the most permanent response to social influence because your motivation to be right is a powerful and self-sustaining force that does not depend on constant surveillance in the form of agents of reward or punishment, as does compliance, or on your continued esteem for another person or group, as does identification.

Responses to Social Influence Any specific action may be due to either compliance, identification, or internalization. Example: Obeying speed laws

Responses to Social Influence Major component in each response: Compliance = Power Identification = Attractiveness Internalization = Credibility

Responses to Social Influence There are areas of overlap among the three categories Some circumstances can increase the permanence of compliance and identification (e.g., secondary gain).

Obedience As a Form of Compliance Milgram study on obedience

Obedience As a Form of Compliance Milgram study Replicated many times with similar results

Obedience As a Form of Compliance What are the implications of Milgram’s study? An astonishingly large proportion of people will cause pain to other people in obedience to authority. This research also may have important counterparts in the world outside of the experimental laboratory. Examples: Nazi Germany, My Lai, Abu Ghraib

Obedience As a Form of Compliance Yet, we should be cautious about over-interpreting Milgram’s results. There are significant differences between the lab and real-world cases. Other important factors: Prestige of researcher Perceived authority of researcher Presence of authority figure Witnessing the suffering of others

Obedience As a Form of Compliance Disobedience in the Milgram Experiments Several people chose to defy the experimenter and refused to continue with the experiment. Human history also contains examples of such courage. However encouraging, acts of humanity and bravery should not blind us to the pervasiveness of our tendency to obey authority. We harbor a myth of our personal invulnerability to obedience pressures.

The Uninvolved Bystander as Conformist Not only do we find it difficult to resist pressures to hurt people, we often avoid taking action when presented with opportunities to help people.

The Uninvolved Bystander as Conformist The Kitty Genovese Case Eleanor Brady’s experience

The Uninvolved Bystander as Conformist Why did bystanders fail to help? One possible explanation concerns the existence of different norms for helping in large cities as opposed to smaller towns.

The Uninvolved Bystander as Conformist Why did bystanders fail to help? Experiments by Darley, Latane, et al suggest that nonintervention can be viewed as an act of conformity. The fact that there are a lot of other people around, rather than increasing the likelihood that someone will help, actually decreases the likelihood that any one of them will help. Dubbed “the bystander effect”

The Uninvolved Bystander as Conformist Why did bystanders fail to help? Additionally, if people are aware that an event is being witnessed by others, the responsibility felt by any individual is diffused.

The Uninvolved Bystander as Conformist Conversely, why do bystanders help at other times? Examples: Camping trip, subway car Two additional factors at work: Feeling of “common fate” or mutuality Restricted environment

The Uninvolved Bystander as Conformist How can the tendency to help be increased? Define the situation as an emergency Assume personal responsibility for intervening Reduce “costs” of assistance Increase usefulness of intervention Strengthen the connection with the victim

A Note on the Ethics of Experiments The procedures in several studies discussed raise serious ethical problems. Two important points: It is the responsibility of all experimenters in this field to protect the experimental participant from all harm. Social psychologists have an ethical responsibility to society as a whole – they are obligated to use their research kills to advance knowledge and understanding of human behavior for the ultimate aim of human betterment.

By Feb. 20th http://bcs.worthpublishers.com/aronson10e/default.asp You should have read chapter two by this time. Now that you have completed these power points, please go to the Social Animal website. http://bcs.worthpublishers.com/aronson10e/default.asp Log in and take the quiz for chapter two, submit answers to my email.