4597234
Description
Mind Map by Deanna Hastings, updated more than 1 year ago
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Created by Deanna Hastings
almost 10 years ago
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Why do people conform?
- Normative social influence.
- People can act in a majority without agreeing with their
views. Psychologists call this compliance. A group can
control others by causing pressures to conform. Going
against the majority isn't easy, as demonstrated in
Asch's study. Humans need social companionship and
therefore fear rejection. This is what forms the basis for
normative social influence.
- Following the crowd.
- People can act in a majority without agreeing with their
views. Psychologists call this compliance. A group can
control others by causing pressures to conform. Going
against the majority isn't easy, as demonstrated in
Asch's study. Humans need social companionship and
therefore fear rejection. This is what forms the basis for
normative social influence.
- Informative social influence.
- Go along with others because they
genuinely believe.
- Dont just comply with behaviour, but change own point
of view. Our point of view changes privately and
publicly. This is an example of internalisation.
Informational social influence normally occurs when the
right action is not clear, rapid action is required,
honestly believe others are right.
- Go along with others because they
genuinely believe.
- Evaluation.
- Stereotypes- Although experiments such as
Asch's study has shown the power of
normative influence. Informative influence has
been tested less. Wittenbrink and Henly (1996)
found participants exposed to negative
comparison information about African
Americans (they believed it was a majority
view) later reported more negative beliefs
about a black target individual.
- Political opinions- Fein et al (2007) showed how judgements
of candidate performances in the US are influenced by the
mere knowledge of other's reactions. Participants saw what
was supposedly a reaction of their fellow participants on
screen during the debate. This produced large shifts in a
participants judgement of the candidates performance.
Showing informative social influence is powerful in shaping
opinion.
- Psychogenic illness- Informative influence can
show strange behaviours. Jones et al (2000)
used informative influence to explain
psychogenic illness (rapid illness without no
physical cause'. Mass psychogenic illness in
Tennessee school. Teacher noticed a petrol
smell and soon afterwards complained of
headache. The school was evacuated and 80
students and 19 staff went to the emergency
room complaining of the same symptoms.
There was no physical cause. More and more
people developed the symptoms due to the
fact the teacher had got ill. This occurred due
to inappropriate informative influence.
- Stereotypes- Although experiments such as
Asch's study has shown the power of
normative influence. Informative influence has
been tested less. Wittenbrink and Henly (1996)
found participants exposed to negative
comparison information about African
Americans (they believed it was a majority
view) later reported more negative beliefs
about a black target individual.
- Evaluation.
- Bullying- Garandeau and Cillessen (2006)
showed groups with low quality of
interpersonal friendships may be
manipulated by a skilful bully.
Victimisation of another to reach a
common goal creates pressure to
conform.
- Normative Influence and smoking: Campaigners educate
young people about what is normative, and this has
been successful in reducing the incidence of behaviours
such as smoking and drinking alcohol. It's accepted that
norms bring about conformity as there is a strong
correlation between normative beliefs and behaviour. In
a campaign aimed at 12-17 years old in seven countries
in Montana only 10% of non-smokers took up smoking
following exposure to a message that most children their
age did not smoke. In the control counties where the
campaign didn't run, 17% non smokers took up smoking.
The 41% difference is said to be due to normative
influence. (Linkenbach and Perkins 2003).
- Normative influence and conservation behaviour: Power
of normative influence changing behaviour in a positive
way has been demonstrated when asking hotel guests to
reuse their towels rather than having new ones. Schultz et
al (2008) gathered information from 132 hotels with a total
of 794 guests. (population validity used a large sample.
Can be generalised). Rooms were randomly assigned to
either experimental or controlled condition. In the control
condition- sign informing guests of environmental
benefits of reusing towels. In the experimental condition
people were told that 75% of guests reuse their towels
each day. Guests who received normative information
reduced the need to use fresh towels by 25%.
- Bullying- Garandeau and Cillessen (2006)
showed groups with low quality of
interpersonal friendships may be
manipulated by a skilful bully.
Victimisation of another to reach a
common goal creates pressure to
conform.
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