The Socio-cultural Level of Analysis

Objective 3.4 Discuss factors influencing conform.

What are you being asked to do? (page 36 and 37 of your IB syllabus) Begin by overviewing conformity and general factors that can influence conformity. Narrow your discussion to two or more specific factors that influence conformity. Present and explain research on the aforementioned factors influencing conformity. Discuss these factors by analyzing research implications, providing relevant examples, and presenting personal interpretations.

What we have learned from Asch et. al. Conformity is such a strong influence in society that it's impossible to understand human behavior without it. Research findings, like those of Asch, show that people will deny the evidence of their own eyes in order to conform with other people.

What we have learned from Asch Conformity is such a strong influence in society that it's impossible to understand human behavior without it. Research findings, like those of Asch, show that people will deny the evidence of their own eyes in order to conform with other people.

The shift in conformity research Research has changed from the times of primitive conformity research in regards to research is concerned. The question has moved from “if people conform to what factors influence conformity”.

What we have learned from Asch Even Asch changed his approach to better understand factors that influence conformity. In further trials, Asch (1955) changed the procedure in order to investigate which factors influenced the level of conformity. His results and conclusions have given us a foundation for better understandingthese factors.

What we have learned from Asch Even Asch changed his approach to better understand factors that influence conformity. In further trials, Asch (1955) changed the procedure in order to investigate which factors influenced the level of conformity. His results and conclusions have given us a foundation for better understanding these factors.

General factors that influence conformity Group size/Majority Lack of group unanimity /Minority influence Culture General factors that influence conformity

Group size as a conformity influence Conformity tends to increase as the size of the group increases. However, there is little change in conformity once the group size reaches 4-5. With one other person (i.e. confederate) in the group conformity was 3%, with two others it increased to 13% and with three or more it was 32% (or 1/3).

Group size as a conformity influence Is majority the only influence? Although Asch’s findings suggested majority influence as an important factor in conformity, he also noticed the power of the minority.

Minority influence How would history play out if majority influence were the only social influence?

Minority influence Can you think of an example from history where the majority have conformed to the minority? How about in your own life? Now read page 188 of cat book.

Imagine that you are in the minority and you want the majority to conform to your ideas. How could you go about doing that?

Serge Moscovici & Minority influence Moscovici claimed that majority influence in many ways was misleading – if the majority was indeed all-powerful, we would all end up thinking the same.

The trend of Majority Influence Moscovici was faced with a field that was completely focused on majority influence on conformity. Most research on conformity polarized to the following trends: Influence flowed from the majority to the minority and not the other way. Groups become more and more similar over time. Peoples’ primary motivation is to be liked and accepted and their greatest fear is to be different and alienated.

Serge Moscovici & Minority influence The term minority influence refers to a form of social influence that is attributed to exposure to a consistent minority position in a group. Minority influence is generally felt only after a period of time, and tends to produce private acceptance of the views expressed by the minority.

The rise of Minority Influence Moscovici hypothesized that Conformity does not account for the full range of human behavior. People sometimes resist the group to tell the truth as they see it (e.g. protests). Groups change over time. New ideas always reflect a minority viewpoint, but the group may eventually come to accept them. Influence must flow from the minority to the majority or else groups would never change. Majority does not always rule: Some conflicts are never resolved.

Impact of the minority view An example of a minority influencing a majority was the civil rights movement in the 1960s. A relatively small group of activists argued strongly for the initially unpopular view of racial equality. The hard work of the activist, combined with the justice of their case, finally led the majority to accept their point of view.

Moscovici’s critique of Asch’s studies In 1969 Moscovici conducted a partial replication of Asch’s experiment, but in reverse. Instead of one subject amongst a majority of confederates, he placed two confederates together with four genuine participants. The participants were first given eye tests to ensure they were not color-blind.

Moscovici’s critique of Asch’s studies Aim: To investigate the effects of a consistent minority on a majority. Method: Moscovici used an experimental method in which female participants were shown blue slides of different intensity and asked to report the colors. In one condition the two confederates said the slides were green on every slide. On another condition the two confederates gave different answers. A control was used consisting of participants only – no confederates. Would the minority influence the majority? Why?

Moscovici’s critique of Asch’s studies Results: In condition one it was found that the consistent minority had an affect on the majority (8.42%) compared to an inconsistent minority (only 1.25% said green). A third (32%) of all participants judged the slide to be green at least once.

How does the minority change the view of the majority? Moscovici argues that majority influence tends to be based on public compliance. It is likely to be a case of normative social influence. In this respect, power of numbers is important - the majority have the power to reward and punish with approval and disapproval. And because of this there is pressure on minorities to conform.

How does the minority change the view of the majority? Moscovici also suggests that minority influence is usually based on informational social influence - providing the majority with new ideas, new information which leads them to re-examine their views. In this respect, minority influence involves private acceptance (i.e. internalisation)- converting the majority by convincing them that the minority's views are right.

When Do Minorities Have Influence? Minorities have the most influence when they are consistent and maintain their viewpoint over time. Consistency triggers an attribution of confidence. Result: Maybe they know something I don’t? Gains legitimacy and the potential to have influence. Bottom Line: One need NOT win friends to influence people. Does this theory fit with your personal experiences? Have you ever witnessed a minority view come to be accepted within a group?

Evaluation of Minority influence Most of the research on minority influence is based on experiments conducted in laboratories. This raises the question of ecological validity. Is it possible to generalize from the findings of laboratory research to other settings? Edward Sampson (1991) is particularly critical of laboratory research on minority influence. He makes the following points…

Sampson’s critique of minority influence research The participants in laboratory experiments are rarely real groups. More often than not they are a collection of students who do not know each other and will probably never meet again.