Bradford mvsu fall 2012 soc 213 conformity and group processes

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.