CONFORMity - SP Moodle
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Transcript CONFORMity - SP Moodle
Conformity and Social Norms
• EVALUATE RESEARCH ON
CONFORMITY TO GROUP
NORMS.
• DISCUSS FACTORS
INFLUENCING CONFORMITY
How Do I Best Address These LOCs?
Provide a definition of conformity:
One
Definition: A type of social
influence in which individuals change
their attitudes or behavior to adhere to
existing social norms.
• - ORCrane’s Definition: The tendency to
adjust one’s thoughts, feelings, or
behavior in ways that are in agreement
with those of a particular individual or
group, or with social norms.
Crane’s Definition of Conformity
Definition: The tendency to adjust one’s
thoughts, feelings, or behavior in ways that
are in agreement with those of a particular
individual or group, or with social norms.
Provide a definition or understanding of
Social Norms
Set of rules based on socially or culturally shared
beliefs of how individuals ought to behave.
EXAMPLES ?
We wear clothes
What are the two stated types of
conformity?
Private
– a private acceptance of
social norms
Public
– overt behavior
consistent with social norms that
are not privately accepted.
I’m emo, but am not
About those marbles…
Jennes 1932
Jar of beans
Experiment
Jennes was the first person to study conformity, his
experiment involved a glass bottle filled with beans. He
asked people individually to estimate how many beans the
bottle contained, then put the group in a room with the
bottle, and asked them to provide a group estimate.
He then interviewed the subjects individually again, and
asked if they would like to change their original estimates,
or stay with the group's estimate.
Results
Almost all changed their individual guesses to be closer
to the group estimate.
Jennes (1932)
Jennes (1932) results
Jennes found that when participants were asked
separately after the group estimate, the estimates
of the participants had come closer together
around the central/group figure.
Jennes (1932) conclusion
• When we are unsure of the answer, we will look
to others in the group – assuming that a group
guess must be more correct than an individual
guess. We conform to the group norm.
Methodology- Complex social situation
reduced to a Lab experiment
Lacks ecological validity – In real-life situations
conformity usually takes place when people
are in groups with whom they have longlasting ties; groups of friend, colleagues or
family members rather than artificial groups of
strangers.
Evaluation
Ethics - no informed consent – real aim of the study was
not given to Ps.
Ethics - Problem being that participants might have
behaved differently if they were made aware that they
were being tested on conformity.
Ethics – Argued to be ok because it was a minor and
justifiable deception.
Evaluation
SOME Factors that affect conformity
Group Size
Unanimity
Confidence
Culture
Factor
More
Less
Study
Group Size
More people =
Less people =
???
Unanimity
Unanimous =
Non-unanimous =
???
Confidence
More confidence
=
Less confidence =
???
Culture
More
Collectivist =
More
Individualistic =
???
SIT & ingroup
In-Group = ?
Out-group = ?
Abrams
(1990)
Factors that affect conformity
Abrams et al. (1990)
Pearson – p.128/Moodle pdf
Using SIT
Referent informational influence
You want to adhere to a person’s in-group
You conform in order to stay in the in-group
(maintain your social identity)
More likely to conform if you believe you are part of
that group
Using SIT
According to Hogg (2010)
Different from informational influence:
People conform because they are group members
NOT to avoid social disproval
People conform to the norm
NOT to other people (use others as an indicator of the
norm)
Referent informational
influence
B.B.B – BONUS Information
Other Concepts –
Authority: ‘The Wave’, Milgram…soooo many examples that you
already have!
Ambiguity: Sheriff (1935)
Cognitive Dissonance: (Festinger et al) – Crane 123
Group Think: (Janis, 1972 & Baron, 2005)Pearson 131-132 &
Crane 122
Risky Shift: (Wallach et al, 1962 + previous SIT material) Pearson
pgs 130-131