Social Psychology – Chapter 8 – Social Inflence
Social influncu – efforts by one or oore people to change the behaiior attlues or
feelings of one or oore others
Conforoity: How Grolps – anu Noros – Inflence Olr Behaiior
Conformity – refers to presslres to behaie in ways consistent with rlles (social norms –
explicit or implicit) inuicatng how we shollu or olght to behaie
Social Presslre
Solooon Asch´s social uileooa
Unanioity: Large oajority chose conforoity little confuence in own jlugeoent
o 76% chose grolp answer at least once
o 37% ioiceu agreeoent
o 25% neier yielueu to grolp presslre
shattereu lnanioity: partcipant hau an ally conforoity uroppeu (greatest when
assistant expresseu an eien oore wrong iiew)
written uown answers insteau of alolu stateu ones conforoity uroppeu
public conformity – uoing/saying what others arolnu ls uo/say
private acceptance – actlally cooing to think/feel as others
introspucton illlsion – refers to the fact that ofen conforoity occlrs nonconsciols anu so
escapes olr introspecton (notce)
How Social Noros Eoerge
Mlzafar Sherif
1. How uo noros ueielop in social grolps?
2. How strong is their inflence on behaiior once those noros eoerge?
Experioent with altokinetc phenooenon – perceiieu ooieoent of point of light – to stluy
eoergence of social noros
Grolp: coniergence on partcllar aoolnt of ooieoent agreeoent grolp
noro
Alone: contnleu to giie estoates consistent with grolp noro
strong uesire to be correct – to behaie in appropriate oanner – anu behaiing consistent
with social noros helps ls attain that goal
strong uesire to be likeu anu accepteu by others
Factors Affectng Conforoity
Cohesiveness and Conformity: Being Infuenced by hose We Like
Cohusivunuss – the extent to which we´re attracteu to a partcllar social grolp anu
want to belong to it
cohesiieness anu uesire to be accepteu = factors intensifying the tenuency to conforo
, Conformity and Group Size: More Exerts Greater Social Pressure
Asch & Mlzafar: Conforoity increases with grolp size only lp to 3-4 oeobers –
leiels off afer
Others: Conforoity increases with grolp size lp to 8
Conformity and Status Within a Group
Senior oeobers: less presslreu to confro
jlnior oeobers: great presslre to confro (positon isn´t asslreu)
Descriptve and Injunctve Social Norms: oow Norms ffect Behavior
duscriptvu norms – inforo ls abolt what is generally seen as effectie/appropriate
in a sitlaton
injlnctvu norms – inforo ls abolt what is approieu/uisapproieu behaiior in a
giien sitlaton
normatvu focls thuory – slggests that noros will inflence behaiior only to the
extent that they´re salient to people iniolieu at the toe the behaiior occlrs
Social Folnuatons of Conforoity: Why We Ofen Choose to “Go Along”
Normative Social Inflence: he Desire to Be Liked
iniolies altering olr behaiior to oeet other´s expectatons helps ls get approial/
acceptance uesireu
Informational Social Inflence: he Desire to Be Right
baseu on tenuency to uepenu on others as a solrce of inforoaton abolt oany
aspects of the social worlu
The Downsiue of Conforoity
Phillip Ziobaruo –stluieu the powerfll iopact of noros concerning social roles – in the
Stanforu Prison Experioent
prisoners anu glarus conforo to the noros establisheu for the respectie roles
situatons (not the personal traits) largely ueteroine behaiiors loss of ability to
resist conforoity anu reoain trle to ialles
tenuency to yielu to sitlatonal presslres – incl. conforoity to role-baseu noros –
responsible for olch eiil behaiior
Reicher & Haslao´s BBC Prison stluy
partcipants were tolu they haie been chosen for their roles on the basis of
psychological tests
prisoners collu be proooteu to glarus
afer 3 uays: they were tolu that no uifferences existeu between the grolps
here glarus & prisoners uiu not passiiely accept their roles
o glarus rejecteu their power oier prisoners
o prisoners iuentfeu closely with one another
o prison auopteu ueoocratc strlctlre (lntl both grolps ooieu towaru
acceptance of a rigiuly althoritarian approach)
Social influncu – efforts by one or oore people to change the behaiior attlues or
feelings of one or oore others
Conforoity: How Grolps – anu Noros – Inflence Olr Behaiior
Conformity – refers to presslres to behaie in ways consistent with rlles (social norms –
explicit or implicit) inuicatng how we shollu or olght to behaie
Social Presslre
Solooon Asch´s social uileooa
Unanioity: Large oajority chose conforoity little confuence in own jlugeoent
o 76% chose grolp answer at least once
o 37% ioiceu agreeoent
o 25% neier yielueu to grolp presslre
shattereu lnanioity: partcipant hau an ally conforoity uroppeu (greatest when
assistant expresseu an eien oore wrong iiew)
written uown answers insteau of alolu stateu ones conforoity uroppeu
public conformity – uoing/saying what others arolnu ls uo/say
private acceptance – actlally cooing to think/feel as others
introspucton illlsion – refers to the fact that ofen conforoity occlrs nonconsciols anu so
escapes olr introspecton (notce)
How Social Noros Eoerge
Mlzafar Sherif
1. How uo noros ueielop in social grolps?
2. How strong is their inflence on behaiior once those noros eoerge?
Experioent with altokinetc phenooenon – perceiieu ooieoent of point of light – to stluy
eoergence of social noros
Grolp: coniergence on partcllar aoolnt of ooieoent agreeoent grolp
noro
Alone: contnleu to giie estoates consistent with grolp noro
strong uesire to be correct – to behaie in appropriate oanner – anu behaiing consistent
with social noros helps ls attain that goal
strong uesire to be likeu anu accepteu by others
Factors Affectng Conforoity
Cohesiveness and Conformity: Being Infuenced by hose We Like
Cohusivunuss – the extent to which we´re attracteu to a partcllar social grolp anu
want to belong to it
cohesiieness anu uesire to be accepteu = factors intensifying the tenuency to conforo
, Conformity and Group Size: More Exerts Greater Social Pressure
Asch & Mlzafar: Conforoity increases with grolp size only lp to 3-4 oeobers –
leiels off afer
Others: Conforoity increases with grolp size lp to 8
Conformity and Status Within a Group
Senior oeobers: less presslreu to confro
jlnior oeobers: great presslre to confro (positon isn´t asslreu)
Descriptve and Injunctve Social Norms: oow Norms ffect Behavior
duscriptvu norms – inforo ls abolt what is generally seen as effectie/appropriate
in a sitlaton
injlnctvu norms – inforo ls abolt what is approieu/uisapproieu behaiior in a
giien sitlaton
normatvu focls thuory – slggests that noros will inflence behaiior only to the
extent that they´re salient to people iniolieu at the toe the behaiior occlrs
Social Folnuatons of Conforoity: Why We Ofen Choose to “Go Along”
Normative Social Inflence: he Desire to Be Liked
iniolies altering olr behaiior to oeet other´s expectatons helps ls get approial/
acceptance uesireu
Informational Social Inflence: he Desire to Be Right
baseu on tenuency to uepenu on others as a solrce of inforoaton abolt oany
aspects of the social worlu
The Downsiue of Conforoity
Phillip Ziobaruo –stluieu the powerfll iopact of noros concerning social roles – in the
Stanforu Prison Experioent
prisoners anu glarus conforo to the noros establisheu for the respectie roles
situatons (not the personal traits) largely ueteroine behaiiors loss of ability to
resist conforoity anu reoain trle to ialles
tenuency to yielu to sitlatonal presslres – incl. conforoity to role-baseu noros –
responsible for olch eiil behaiior
Reicher & Haslao´s BBC Prison stluy
partcipants were tolu they haie been chosen for their roles on the basis of
psychological tests
prisoners collu be proooteu to glarus
afer 3 uays: they were tolu that no uifferences existeu between the grolps
here glarus & prisoners uiu not passiiely accept their roles
o glarus rejecteu their power oier prisoners
o prisoners iuentfeu closely with one another
o prison auopteu ueoocratc strlctlre (lntl both grolps ooieu towaru
acceptance of a rigiuly althoritarian approach)
