bradford mvsu fall 2012 soc 213 conformity and group processes
TRANSCRIPT
Conformity and Group Processes(Ch. 8-9)
Dr. Bradford
Conformity
• Conformity: changing one’s behavior due to the real or imagined influence of others
Conformity1. Informational social influence: when we see other
people’s interpretations of an ambiguous situation as a source of information to guide our behavior.
2. Normative Social Influence: when we conform in order to be liked, accepted, or to avoid ridicule from others.– private acceptance- when people conform b/c they
genuinely believe other people are right.– Public compliance- conforming without necessarily
believing in what the other people are doing or saying
Conformity
• Examples:– Autokinetic effect: Sherif (1936)
discovers that people tend to privately accept the group decision regarding perceptions of light movement
• We are more susceptible to informational social influence in high-importance conditions vs. low-importance conditions. (p. 202)
Conformity
• Gustav Le Bon (1895)- the first person to study the ‘mind of the crowd’- how emotions can spread like a contagion.
• Contagion: the rapid spread of emotions or behavior through a crowd.
Conformity and Body Image
Conformity and Body Image
VS
Conformity and Body Image
Conformity and Body Image
Social Loafing vs Social Facilitation
Presence of Others
Individual efforts can be evaluated
Alertness/ ArousalSocial Facilitation
Cannot be evaluated
RelaxationSocial Loafing
Group Think
• Groupthink- A kind of thinking in which maintaining group cohesiveness and solidarity is more important than considering the facts in a realistic manner.