[Social Psychology Course Note] Ch 8

Posted on 2019-06-17 Edited on 2020-02-25 Views: Word count in article: 4.8k Reading time ≈ 4 mins.

Conformity: Influencing Behavior 從眾: 影響行為

It were not best that we should all think alike; it is difference of opinion that makes horse races.
- Mark Twain

What is conformity, and why does it occur ?

American culture
- Stresses the importance of not conforming
- Celebrates the rugged individualist
Conformity 從眾
- A change in one’s behavior due to the real or imagined influence of other people

Informational social influence
- The influence of other people that leads us to conform because we see them as a source of information to guide our behavior
- We conform because we believe that others’ interpretation of an ambiguous situation is more correct than ours and will help us choose an appropriate course of action

Private acceptance 私下接納

Conforming to other people’s behavior out of a genuine belief that what they are doing or saying is right
Informational social influence often results in private acceptance

Public compliance 公開順從

Conforming to other people’s behavior publicly without necessarily believing in what we are doing or saying

Conformity and task importance

Eyewitness conformity when picking “perpetrators” 犯罪者 out of police lineups
Manipulate importance of task
- High importance: expect to receive $20 for accurate identification, used to develop real task
- Low importance: just another PSYC experiment
- Confederates gave incorrect answers
More conformity when important

When informational conformity backfires 當訊息性遵從引發逆火

Contagion 心理傳染
Mass psychogenic illness 集體心因性疾病
- The occurrence, in a group of people, of similar physical symptoms with no known physical cause

Mass psychogenic illness and other forms of conformity

Mass media
- Plays a powerful role in spreading psychogenic illness
- Has power to stop contagion

When the situation is
- ambiguous
  - Ambiguity is the most crucial variable
- a crisis
  - Need to act immediately
  - May be scared, panicked
When other people are experts

Emergency = crisis situation

Ask yourself critical questions

Humans are a social species
Other people are important to our well-being
Normative social influence
- The influence of other people that leads us to conform in order to be liked and accepted by them; this type of conformity results in public compliance with the group’s beliefs and behaviors but not necessarily private acceptance of those beliefs and behaviors
Social norms 社會規範

Asch’s line judgment studies
Classic normative reasons for conforming
- Don’t want to feel peculiar
- Don’t want to feel like a fool
- Belief that what others think is important, even if they are strangers

Usually results in public compliance without private acceptance
- One goes along with the group even if he or she do not believe in the group’s actions or think the group’s action are wrong

Sherif’s and Asch’s studies of conformity summary

Sherif
- Ambiguous stimuli
- Conformity occurred
  - Private acceptance
    - need to know what’s right
Asch
- Unambiguous stimuli
- Conformity occurred
  - Public compliance
    - need to be accepted

Conformity and brain imaging (fMRI)

When participants conformed to group (gave incorrect answer)
- Vision and perception areas active in brain
When participants disagreed (gave correct answer)
- Different brain areas active
  - Amygdala 扁桃腺
    - Negative emotions
  - Right caudate(尾狀) nucleus
    - Modulating social behavior

The importance of being accurate revisited

What happens when it is important to people to be accurate ?
- These people conform less to answers of the group that are obviously wrong
But they still conform sometimes
Conformity can occur
- Even when the group is wrong
- The correct answer is obvious
- There are strong incentives to be accurate
People find it difficult to risk social disapproval
- Even by strangers

Social impact theory 社會衝擊論
- The idea that conforming to social influence depends on
  - Strength
    - Importance of group to person
  - Immediacy 接近
    - Closeness in time and space
  - Number of people in the group

Gender differences in conformity

Gender of the person conducting conformity studies makes a difference
- Male researchers more likely than female researchers to find that men were less influenceable

Propaganda 宣傳(政治、宗教)
- Systematic attempts to manipulate thoughts and behavior of others
Informational social influence
- Incorrect information
  - But builds in pre-existing beliefs
- Normative social influence

Be aware that it exists
Take action
- Try to find an ally
Conforming most of the time, “earns” occasional deviation without consequences

Idiosyncrasy credits 個人風格存款 / 特立獨行信用

The tolerance a person earns, over time, by conforming to group norms; if enough idiosyncrasy credits are earned, the person can, on occasion behave defiantly(違抗) without retribution(懲罰) from the group

Minority influence when the few influence the many

Consistency is key
- People with minority views must express the same view over time
Members of the minority opinion must agree with one another

What have studies demonstrate people’s willingness to obey authority figures ?

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