1. How do others influence the subject’s answer? (relationship,
appearance/attire)
Conformity
A change in one’s actions, emotions, opinions, judgments, etc. that reduces their discrepancy with
these same types of responses displayed by others.
A change in behaviour due to explicit or implicit social pressure
Study by Sherif (1937)
Participants seated in a dark room saw a point of light appear, move & disappear numerous times
Participants task: how far did the light move in each trial
The light never moved
o Perceptual illusion caused by receptor malfunction: autokinetic effect
Participants alone varied in their answers from trial to trial
Individuals established a mode & there was an individual median
→ When the participant viewed the light with other people, his answer converged with the
answer of the other people
→ When including a confederate, the group members adapted their answers according to his
Study by Solomon Asch
Motivation: explanation holocaust
One Participant& four confederates were shown lines of different length on two different cards
Task: pick the line on the one card who is equal in length to the single line on the other card
Answers were obvious, but confederates picked wrong first & then the right answer
Two trials
Sometimes participants chose the right answer, but most times he followed the group
Explanation
o doubted themselves & became self-conscious
o normative influence
o informational influence
Another trial
o Some confederates disagreed with the majority but still gave an incorrect answer
o Subject did not agree with these confederates, but still voiced their own viewpoint
→ individuals without an ally need to face the groups pressure completely alone & are more inclined to
conform
→ gaining a partner helps the individual to withstand the pressure to conform & takes the risk of
embarrassment upon himself
→ although only as long the partner’s support remains, if the partner reverts back to the majority’s
position, the subject does as well
The cause of conformity
“Sub-influences”
Implicit influence
o unnoticed & largely automatic cognitive, behavioural & emotional reactions to other people
Informational influence
o People’s desire to be right
o Altered Asch-type experiment to make distinguishing among the lines more difficult
, o People are confused about the correct answer & seek out other cues to respond & therefore
listen to other’s answers → social referencing
→ more difficult differences, more social conformity (Crutchfield)
o Denrell: Decisions of other people can shape the information we receive
Your neighbour’s car will influence your own car purchase
Normative influence
o People’s desire to be liked by others or not to appear foolish
o Not acting accordance with the group’s norms provokes a feeling similar to & as unpleasant
as cognitive dissonance
o Variant of Asch’s experiment: participant entered the room late & was told to write his
answers on paper
There was little conformity
Interpersonal: change promoting interpersonal processes based on group members selectively
encouraging conformity & discouraging or even punishing disconformity
Referent informational influence: pressure to conform to group norm – confirm just to be part of
group (informational influence does not apply as the subject already accepted groups thought pattern
beforehand)
Minority influence
o A variant of Asch experiment: one confederate acts as the participant’s ally
o Pressure to conform evaporated & participant yielded rarely
Social identity theory
People adapt to a category of the group because of the way they see themselves
Influence of culture on Conformity
Asch’s study: individualistic culture (U.S.)
Collectivistic cultures
o Bond & Smith: less distress about conforming
o Moghaddam: likelihood of conformity depends on the nature of the group
More likely to conform with people they know (family, friends, etc.)
Forsyth
Social influence Interpersonal process that change the thoughts, feelings or behaviour of another
person
Majority influence Social pressure exerted by the majority of a group, directed towards
individual members & the minority
Minority influence Social pressure exerted by the minority, directed towards members of the majority
Correlation Over time, the group members’ opinions on a variety of issues- even ones that are
not discussed in the group- converge, so that their opinions become correlated
Social Referencing General process of validating our reactions by checking on how others are behaving
Types of Conformity
Compliance / Acquiescence Members of the group privately disagree with the group but publicly
agree with the majority.
Conversion / private acceptance Members change their positions according to the group because they
believe the group is correct.
Congruence / uniformity Members already agree with the group without any influence needed.
appearance/attire)
Conformity
A change in one’s actions, emotions, opinions, judgments, etc. that reduces their discrepancy with
these same types of responses displayed by others.
A change in behaviour due to explicit or implicit social pressure
Study by Sherif (1937)
Participants seated in a dark room saw a point of light appear, move & disappear numerous times
Participants task: how far did the light move in each trial
The light never moved
o Perceptual illusion caused by receptor malfunction: autokinetic effect
Participants alone varied in their answers from trial to trial
Individuals established a mode & there was an individual median
→ When the participant viewed the light with other people, his answer converged with the
answer of the other people
→ When including a confederate, the group members adapted their answers according to his
Study by Solomon Asch
Motivation: explanation holocaust
One Participant& four confederates were shown lines of different length on two different cards
Task: pick the line on the one card who is equal in length to the single line on the other card
Answers were obvious, but confederates picked wrong first & then the right answer
Two trials
Sometimes participants chose the right answer, but most times he followed the group
Explanation
o doubted themselves & became self-conscious
o normative influence
o informational influence
Another trial
o Some confederates disagreed with the majority but still gave an incorrect answer
o Subject did not agree with these confederates, but still voiced their own viewpoint
→ individuals without an ally need to face the groups pressure completely alone & are more inclined to
conform
→ gaining a partner helps the individual to withstand the pressure to conform & takes the risk of
embarrassment upon himself
→ although only as long the partner’s support remains, if the partner reverts back to the majority’s
position, the subject does as well
The cause of conformity
“Sub-influences”
Implicit influence
o unnoticed & largely automatic cognitive, behavioural & emotional reactions to other people
Informational influence
o People’s desire to be right
o Altered Asch-type experiment to make distinguishing among the lines more difficult
, o People are confused about the correct answer & seek out other cues to respond & therefore
listen to other’s answers → social referencing
→ more difficult differences, more social conformity (Crutchfield)
o Denrell: Decisions of other people can shape the information we receive
Your neighbour’s car will influence your own car purchase
Normative influence
o People’s desire to be liked by others or not to appear foolish
o Not acting accordance with the group’s norms provokes a feeling similar to & as unpleasant
as cognitive dissonance
o Variant of Asch’s experiment: participant entered the room late & was told to write his
answers on paper
There was little conformity
Interpersonal: change promoting interpersonal processes based on group members selectively
encouraging conformity & discouraging or even punishing disconformity
Referent informational influence: pressure to conform to group norm – confirm just to be part of
group (informational influence does not apply as the subject already accepted groups thought pattern
beforehand)
Minority influence
o A variant of Asch experiment: one confederate acts as the participant’s ally
o Pressure to conform evaporated & participant yielded rarely
Social identity theory
People adapt to a category of the group because of the way they see themselves
Influence of culture on Conformity
Asch’s study: individualistic culture (U.S.)
Collectivistic cultures
o Bond & Smith: less distress about conforming
o Moghaddam: likelihood of conformity depends on the nature of the group
More likely to conform with people they know (family, friends, etc.)
Forsyth
Social influence Interpersonal process that change the thoughts, feelings or behaviour of another
person
Majority influence Social pressure exerted by the majority of a group, directed towards
individual members & the minority
Minority influence Social pressure exerted by the minority, directed towards members of the majority
Correlation Over time, the group members’ opinions on a variety of issues- even ones that are
not discussed in the group- converge, so that their opinions become correlated
Social Referencing General process of validating our reactions by checking on how others are behaving
Types of Conformity
Compliance / Acquiescence Members of the group privately disagree with the group but publicly
agree with the majority.
Conversion / private acceptance Members change their positions according to the group because they
believe the group is correct.
Congruence / uniformity Members already agree with the group without any influence needed.
