1. SN 4: Discuss factors influencing conformity (for example, culture, groupthink, risky shift, minority influence). Alyssa R. & Sergio M.

2.  Offer a considered and balanced review that includes a range of arguments, factors or hypotheses.  Opinions or conclusions should be presented clearly and supported by appropriate evidence. Command Term: Discuss

3.  Conformity: tendency to adjust one’s thoughts, feelings, or behavior in ways that are in agreement with those of a particular individual or group, or with accepted standards about how a person should behave in specific situations.  Groupthink: characterized by group members having a unanimous opinion on an issue, and they do not seek out alternative or dissenting opinions. Definitions...

4. ...More Definitions  Risky Shift: The thought that people have the confidence to do things that involve more risk while they are in a group.  Minority Influence: Research has shown that minority opinions are essential in a group’s decision-making process. (Irving Janis named this)  Culture: Differences in culture may affect conformity. For example, individualistic cultures may react differently than collectivist cultures

5.  The study has been replicated many times.  Psychologists have found that a few factors influence the likelihood to conform to the group; they found this out from the numerous variations and replications.  Factors: ◦ Group size: Asch (1955) found that with only one confederate, just 3% of the participants conformed; with 2 confederates, the rate rose to 14%; and with 3 confederates, it rose to 32%.  Larger groups didn’t increase the rate of conformity. (Sometimes, very large groups decreased the level of conformity. Asch Paradigm

6. ◦ Unanimity: Ash (1956) Conformity was most likely when all the confederates agreed. If one of the confederates disagreed the participant was significantly less likely to conform, even if it was also an incorrect answer. ◦ Confidence: Perrin and Spencer (1988) When individuals feel that they are more competent to make decisions with regard to a field of expertise, they are less likely to conform. They found that when they replicated Asch’s study with medical students and engineers, conformity rates were almost zero. ◦ Self-esteem: Stang (1973) found that participants with high self-esteem were less likely to conform to incorrect responses. Asch Paradigm (cont.)

7. VIDEO! Of Asch Paradigm 1 st Video http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TYIh4MkcfJA 2 nd Video http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B738X- ibz2o&feature=related http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B738X- ibz2o&feature=related

8. Deutsch and Gerard (1955)  Deutsch and Gerard (1955) argue that conformity is a result of: Informational social influence:  based on perceived referent expertise (watching members of the group for social cues, and then copying them) Normative social influence:  motivated by social norms or rewards

9. Festinger (1954)  Believed that people evaluate their own opinions and ideas through: Social Comparison: looking at what others do.  When one notices that others are not behaving in the same way, or that they think differently is causes anxiety called Cognitive Dissonance.

10.  How do the results in the elevator video relate to Ache's original 1951 study and to Festinger (1954)?  What are the factors present in the Asch paradigm that influence conformity? POPQUIZ

11.  A study that involved 4 participants and 2 confederates (the minority of the confederates described a blue-green color as green).  They found out that the minority was able to influence about 32% of the participants to make at least one incorrect judgment about the color of slides they were shown.  The participants continued to give their incorrect responses, even after the 2 confederates had left the experiment.  Opposes Asch's conclusion Moscovici and Lage (1976)

12. Evaluation of Moscovici and Lage (1976)  PROS: – Research is well controlled, has been replicated (e.g. Moscovici 1980)  CONS: – Has generalization and ecological validity issues – Consistency is not the only influencing factor of minority influence. Other factors are important, such as flexibility

13.  Hogg and Vaughan argue that some of the reasons for the influence of a minority group could be: ◦ Dissenting opinions produce uncertainty and doubt. ◦ Such opinions show that alternatives exist. ◦ Consistency shows that there is a commitment to the alternative view. Hogg and Vaughan (1995)

14.  What does minority influence mean?  What did Moscovici and Lage discover in their 1976 study? QUIZ POP

15.  Stoner (1961) found that in considering moral dilemmas, a group's decision will be significantly more risky than the mean decision of the members of the group prior to the group interaction. Stoner found that the individuals' decisions after leaving the group tended towards greater risk than earlier decisions. Risky Shift

16. QUIZ  What is risky shift?

17. Janis (1982)  Study on groupthink  Group feels invulnerable and optimistic  The group comes to a decision without allowing members to express doubts about it  The group deny outside information that may undermine the decision  The group believes the decision is unanimous

18. Evaluation of Janis (1982)  PROS: – Valuable insights of historical incidents (Challenger fiasco, Bay of Pigs Invasion) – Some empirical support (Janis and Tetlock historical case studies) – Research high in validity (Content analysis of records of real political decisions)

19. Evaluation of Janis (1982)  CONS: – Limitations of research (generalization problem, content analysis – may be subjective)

20. POP QUIZ  What is groupthink?

21.  Carried out a review of 31 conformity studies and found that levels of conformity ranged from 14% among Belgian students to 58% among Indian teachers in Fiji, with an average of 31.2%.  Conformity was lower among participants from individualist cultures-- North America and northwest Europe (25.3%), than from collectivist cultures–– Asia, Africa, Oceania, and South America (37.1%).  In 1996 Smith and Bond, they found that people who score high on Hoefstede’s collectivism scale conform more than people who score lower. Smith and Bond (1993)

22. Quiz, Critical Thinking Time  According to Smith and Bond (1993) conformity was lower among participants from individualist cultures than from collectivist cultures. Using this data what are the definitions for individualist and collectivist cultures?  Individualist culture: Collectivist culture:  In an individualist culture the ties between individuals are loose and everyone is expected to look after him or herself and his or her immediate family  In a collectivist culture from birth onwards people are integrated into strong, cohesive in-groups, often extended families, which provide them with support and protection. However, if an individual does not live up to the norms of the family or the larger social group the result can sometimes be severe.

23.  Using the study Smith and Bond (1993) what role do different cultures play on conformity? Quiz, Part 2  Individualist cultures will have a lower rate of conformity because they are not based as closely on pleasing an in-group as collectivist cultures are.

24. Berry (1967)  Used a variation of Asch's conformity paradigm and found that the Temne people of Sierra Leon conformed significantly more than the Inuit people of Canada.  The reason was the difference in their economic practices  The Temne people have to survive on a single crop that is harvested by all of the people in the community. This requires cooperation and coordination of effort, their culture focuses on consensus and agreement. (Collectivist culture)  The Inuit people of Canada focus less on consensus because the Inuit economy is based on continual hunting and gathering on a relatively individual basis. (Individualist culture)

25. Smith and Bond (1993) & Berry (1967) Evaluation  PROS: – Research has good generalization. Bond & Smith reviews well controlled research. Berry’s research has strong credibility

26. Smith and Bond (1993) & Berry (1967) Evaluation  CONS: – The experimental studies reviewed in Bond & Smith may have problems with ecological validity, America was overrepresented in the study – Berry’s research may have problem with researcher bias and generalization – The studies only show a correlation but not a causal relationship. The relationship is weak

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