1. Giving in to social pressure
conformity
Giving in to social pressure

2. definitions
Conformity - acting or believing because of social pressure
compliance - doing what someone asks you to do

3. conformity Everyone else is doing it Deliberate social pressure
not necessarily because you think it is right

4. Sherif’s study point of light in dark room appears to move
Autokinetic effect
impossible to judge distance
someone says 2 inches
subject agrees

5. Asch
Judgments of lines
easy to make

6. 10 of 15

7. First few trials everyone gives right answer
then everyone gives wrong answer
what does the subject do?
many give the wrong answer

8. 13 of 15

9. 15 of 15

10. Why do people conform?
Two main reasons
Information
Normative

11. Informational Sherif situation ambiguous, no experience
others provide information
rational response

12. Normative pressure Asch situation – clear, unambiguous
just because other do
not want to be deviant

13. Obedience and compliance
compliance - doing what someone asks you to do
Obedience – similar but less choice

14. Milgram Study
Not conformity - no group pressure
Obedience
but why?

15. Does it mean people are terrible. That they will do anything
Does it mean people are terrible? That they will do anything? That it explains Nazi behavior?
Or Bosnia, Cambodia etc.?

16. NO! Given the right situation people will comply or be obedient
not necessarily bad or weak people

17. Situational pressure Authority figure strange situation
told there was no choice
trust experimenter
also - psychology experiment
very powerful
contract

18. The power of the experiment
Orne - hypnosis study
hypnotized
pretend to be hypnotized
neither

19. Ask each person to: Reach into cage with snake
pick dime out of nitric acid
throw acid in person’s face

20. results

21. results Controls did quite a lot hypnotized did more than controls
pretend did even more than hypnotized

22. Compliance - other factors

23. the Hawthorne effect Move to special room
pay depended on groups of sex
two 5 minute rest periods
two 10 minute rest periods
six 5 minute rest periods
light lunch provided

24. Work stopped half-hour early
work stopped an hour early
work stopped an hour and half early
five day workweek (from six)
all original conditions reinstated

25. Work increased with every change
results
Work increased with every change

26. Why? Special treatment felt good assumed changes were for the better
were happy and wanted to please
were compliant

27. Foot-in-the-door Small request first vs. no small request
large request later

28. No first contact
agree only
agree and 8 questions
3 days later - large request

29. results

30. huge sign for safe driving
Safe driving study
Petition for environment
petition for safe driving
Small sign for environment
small sign for safe driving
huge sign for safe driving

31. results

32. door-in-the-face
huge request first
small request second

33. results

34. Obligation - favors Pleasant or unpleasant person person brings a coke
experimenter brings a coke
no coke
person asks a favor - selling raffle tickets

35. results

36. reactance Jack Brehm too much pressure or too obvious
resist threats to freedom of action
opposite effect