Unit XIV: Social Psychology

Module 75 Conformity & Obedience

Conformity 75-1 Automatic Mimicry 75-1

• Behavior is contagious. • We are natural mimics, unconsciously imitating others’ expressions, postures, voice tones, actions, etc. Conformity 75-1

Adjusting one’s behavior or thinking to coincide with a group standard Solomon Asch’s Conformity Study 75-1

Suggestibility is a subtle type of conformity, adjusting our behavior or thinking toward some group standard. Reasons for Conforming 75-1

• Normative Social Influence: Influence resulting from a person’s desire to gain approval or avoid rejection. • Informational Social Influence: Influence resulting from one’s willingness to accept others’ opinions about reality. Conditions that Strengthen 75-1 Conformity

1. One is made to feel incompetent or insecure. 2. The group has at least three people. 3. The group is unanimous. 4. One admires the group’s status and attractiveness. 5. One has no prior commitment to a response. 6. The group observes one’s behavior. 7. One’s culture strongly encourages respect for a social standard. Obedience 75-2 Obedience 75-2

• Stanley Milgram, a student of Asch, designed a study that investigated the effects of authority on obedience.

Stanley Milgram (1933-1984) Milgram’s Study 75-2

Authority figure (also a confederate ) – directing the participant to continue

participant – confederate – pretending asking questions, to be shocked delivering shocks for incorrect answers Milgram’s Study: Results 75-2 Individual Resistance 75-2

A third of the individuals in Milgram’s study resisted social coercion.

An unarmed individual single-handedly challenged a line of tanks at Tiananmen Square. Lessons from the Conformity and Obedience Studies 75-2

• In both Asch's and Milgram's studies, participants were pressured to choose between following their standards and being responsive to others. • In Milgram’s study, participants were torn between hearing the victims pleas and the experimenter’s orders. • Milgram also exploited the foot-in-the-door effect. • Such experiments demonstrate that strong social influences can make people conform to falsehoods or even capitulate to cruelty.