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The Relationship of Conformity and Memory

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The Relationship of Conformity and Memory Journal of Educational, Health and Community Psychology 2015, Vol. 4, No. 2, ISSN: 2088-3129 Javanmard, Rogayeh The Relationship of Conformity and Memory Gholam Hossein Javanmard Department of Psychology, Payam Noor University, Po. Box 19395- 3697 Tehran, Iran, (Coressponding author) [email protected] Rogayeh Mohammadi Ph.D. Student in Psychology, Payam Noor University, Iran, Email: [email protected] Abstract Some theorists believe that the brain was evolved under the influence of the community and for the community. So it seems that social function has priority on pure cognitive in the brain. The purpose of this research was to study the relationship between conformity and general memory. The current study is a descriptive-correlational research by using prediction (regression) method. For doing this, 167 students were selected via the multistage cluster method from Bonab and Tabriz Payam Noor universities. For gathering data, the Conformity L-72 Test and general memory Questionnaire (PRMQ) were used. The data were analyzed by using 3earson‘s Correlation test and Liner Regression methods. According to the results, the predictive role of conformity for errors in the general memory was confirmed (P<0/01). So that conformity explained 46% of general memory errors variance. Based on these results, it seems that social and cognitive functions of the brain are linked together to meet common goals. Keywords: Conformity, General Memory, Social Brain, Cognition Introduction Herlong (2005) believes that conformity can be considered as a form of personal behavior Social influence is one of the topics studied in developed as a result of group pressure. social psychology which includes obedience and However this pressure and imposition is not as a conformity. Social influence refers to changes in direct request. attitudes, beliefs, values, and behavior due to the interaction with others (Schneider, Gruman, & Some researchers consider conformity as a Coutts, 2005, as cited in Alizadeh Fard, 2010). function of situational factors. In contrast, others Conformity is defined as an agreement with an consider individual and personality external data source (Berns et al., 2005). characteristics important and effective in Conformity takes a relatively large area and development of conformity. Pourafkari (2006) usually refers to a form of yielding to group stated that conformity has three distinct patterns influence (Aronson, 1999/2006). Conformity including: a) behavioral, willing to cope with sometimes seems in the form of efforts to limit the group and comply with the majority; b) the freedom of the individual and fading sense attitudinal, change in attitudes and beliefs of mastery over life (Salimi & Davari, 2007). affected by others that may lead to changes in 62 Journal of Educational, Health and Community Psychology 2015, Vol. 4, No. 2, ISSN: 2088-3129 Javanmard, Rogayeh behavior or not; and c) personality trait, when event that only obtained from other witnesses. implicitly reflects the personality trait of the Bonder et al. (2009) reevaluated the impact person who created the ability to accept one of power of memory conformity and how the above two cases. Among the effective witnesses may believe and report the details of situational factors in the studies of the first criminal event heard from other witnesses, as if group, we can point to the difficulty of the test they have seen it themselves. Error in (Bond & Smith, 1996), size of the group (Bond, eyewitness testimony can have serious 2005), face to face relation (Shiv, Loewenstein, consequences, especially for people who are Bechara, Damasio, & Damasio, 2005), and form wrongfully convicted. Therefore, identifying of test materials (Bond & Smith, 1996). characteristics of conformity in individuals and Although situational factors are important, in its effect on assessment, judgment, memory, fact, the effects of individual factors on the reasoning, etc. is essential. occurrence of conformity are very important and fundamental and the results of recent researches While, researches on conformity and its related show great individual differences in the factors show that few studies have examined the incidence of conformity. For example, the need basic cognitive correlates of conformity, such as for social approval (Lavine & Snyder, 1996), memory. Memory, as one of the most important having a sense of inferiority, severe self-control, cognitive component, is associated with many feelings of dependence, the desire to blame, and individual, personal, and situational low self-esteem (Cialdini & Goldstein, 2004), characteristics. Memory includes the process of the desire for uniqueness (Imhoff & Erb, 2009), acquiring, recording or coding, accumulation, commitment and ego, i.e., the attitudes linked to and finally, the information retrieval and it can self (Taylor, Paplau, & Sears, 2000), be classified in different ways (Nikdel, Karami agreeableness of personality (Litzky, Eddleston, Nouri, & Arabzadeh, 2009). Karami Nouri & Kidder, 2006), having female gender (Capra (2004) considers memory as the processes of & Li, 2006), the presence of incompatible acquiring, recording or coding, accumulation, person in the group (Fusedleech, 2008), high and finally, the information retrieval. So far, in self-awareness (Kurosawa, 2000), having severe the studied researches, the effects of conformity anxiety (Spohn, 2007), high confidence in the on recognition and recall memory are more group (Schneider & Watkins, 1996), belonging studied. While, these studies have been a person to a collectivist society (Bond & Smith, conducted in laboratory environments, but in the 1996), and high similarity of the person and real world, conformity features of individuals majority group (Abrmas et al., 1990) can determines their behavior. increase the rate of conformity. The aim of the present study, however, with Although conformity in individuals leads to regard to the lack of available studies on the better compatibility with environment and characteristics of conformity and its impact on group, this feature, in some cases, may cause different types of memory, was to examine the harm to oneself or others. For example, the correlation of conformity with general memory. researches indicated that memory conformity, in The previous studies about the relationship of some cases, may cause errors. For example, conformity and memory were based on memory according to Bonder, Musch, and Azad (2009), conformity, a concept that is about the impact of sometimes witnesses report the details of the others‘ memories on the memories of the 63 Journal of Educational, Health and Community Psychology 2015, Vol. 4, No. 2, ISSN: 2088-3129 Javanmard, Rogayeh person. But in this study the conformity and the rate of findings decidability. For example memory were consider as a two distinguish participants were asked to respond to questions abilities in the persons. such as —I always try my behavior be favorite for others“. In answering the questionnaire items, it is not necessary, as experimental Method conditions, the subject accept one of the opposite responses (acceptance or rejection of group influence), but s/he can choose own The method of the present study is descriptive- response in a continuum of four-option choices. correlational research by prediction (regression) But, it can be concluded that conformity is not method. The statistical population of the study the function of all-or-none law, so, we cannot consisted of all male and female students in MA consider someone as a completely conformable degree of two centers of Payam Noor University or non-conformable person. who studied in these universities in all available majors in 2014-15 academic years. The sample As the scale of answering to the Conformity L- of the study was selected via the multistage 72 Questionnaire (disagree, almost agree, agree, cluster method. In this regard, in the first step, and strongly agree) do not have neutral answer all majors of these universities were identified option (I don‘t know) and the opposite answer is and then, among these, some majors were given zero score, Therefore, the scores obtained randomly selected, finally, among selected from this test only shows the amount of majors, required number of classes were conformity, and unlike other scales such as identified and the questionnaires were among Likert scale, the scores of different subjects the students of the classes. After removing doesn‘t have different meaning and the subjects distortive questionnaires, the questionnaires of can be easily compared with each other and the 167 students (72 males, 95 females) were statistical indicators can be used in order to remained in order to study and analyze data. For analyze obtained data. The cutting line of 43/87 measuring the rate of conformity, the of the questionnaire means that the lower scores Conformity L-72 Questionnaire and for indicate the lack of conformity and high scores measuring general memory the Prospective show complete conformity. The cutting line in Retrospective Memory Questionnaire (PRMQ) the questionnaire was calculated by using were used. standard error of measurement and confidence intervals. So that the upper limit of the confidence interval is considered as the cut-off Conformity L-72 Questionnaire point (Lotfi, 2002, as cited in Shamsai, Karimi, Jadidi, & Nikkhah, 2009). In the study of This test can measure the amount of conformity Shamsai et al. (2009), the validity of the in real life. The cases
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