1. Social Psychology: How individuals are influenced by others

2. Outline for Social Influence Conformity –what causes us to conform? –Helping behavior Compliance Obedience

3. Three Forms of Social Influence Type of Influence DescriptionAmount of Pressure Conformity Behavior change in response to real or imagined social pressure. No pressure Extreme Pressure Compliance Behavior change in response to an explicit request. Obedience Behavior change in response to a demand.

4. Social Norms

5. Conformity A change in a person’s behavior or beliefs in response to others Adjustment of one’s behavior or beliefs to a group standard

6. Asch (1951) Comparison lines Standard lines 1 2 3

7. Why do we conform? The Three “To-Be”s Normative Influence = We want to fit in/be liked. Informational Influence = We want to be right. Identity Influence = We want to be ‘like’ someone else.

10. When are we less likely to conform? when we have an ally when we can be anonymous when our opinion is strong or morally based

11. When can conforming get us in trouble? Group decision making –groupthink Cults When the majority is wrong Helping/prosocial behavior?

12. Helping Behavior Bystander Effect: –The Kitty Genovese Murder –Darley and Latane (1968) Number of bystanders = 1 3 6

13. Darley and Latané (1968) - the "seizure" study Percentage of Participants Who Attempted to Help Victim

14. The decrease in an individual's sense of responsibility to help in an emergency when other bystanders are present. Diffusion of Responsibility

16. Helping Behavior Darley & Batson (1973): The Good Samaritan Study –Not in a hurry: –In a hurry:

17. When do people help? alone conforming to others feel responsible not in a hurry in a good mood feel connected to victim rural areas

18. Compliance: Request Strategies foot-in-the-door door-in-the-face lowballing ‘that’s not all!’ technique norms: –reciprocity –scarcity –consistency

19. Obedience the Milgram experiments The Power of the Situation –Proximity of Authority –Proximity of Victim

20. Other Obedience Studies Sheridan and King (1972 n.p.) Hofling et al (1966)