Social Psychology 330 CONFORMITY
Chapter 2-Study Guide. Write out and submit your response to Terms and Concepts, Discussion Questions and Questions to Ponder.
Terms & Concepts: define and give a clear example of each concept or idea.
* anticonformity-conformity: Still allowing social norms to dictate ones behavior for one is still not thinking for themselves they are just doing the opposite.
Example: This term makes me think of the goth kids on South Park for they do anything that is against what everyone else does like smoking at a young age or skipping class.They will do anything not to conform, so the represent this term for they are still allowing the norms to dictate their actions.
* power: This is also a response to social influence that derives from an individual want to be right like values or beliefs.
Example:
* groupthink: This is where group decision out rules that of facts or other considerations.
Example: The NASA challenger disaster or the Bay of Pigs Invasion.
* attractiveness: a component of identification
Ex: Book mentions if a person identifies with a model we want to also hold the same opinions
* concurrence-seeking
* creditability: an important component of internalization
Ex: Someone reads something by a doctor or someone creditable will influence a person because of ones desire to be right
* unanimity: agreement of all people involved
Ex: Say a group was voting on where to go to lunch and they all voted yes to the same place.
* secondary gain: while complying we realize something about our actions or consequences of that action that makes it worthwhile to continue that behavior even after the reason of compliance is no longer continuing
Ex: A cat that continues to jump n the counter so the owner sprays the cat with a water bottle to stop it. Eventually even though the owner no longer sprays the cat, the cat stays off the counter.
* social reality: where one is more likely to conform to what others are doing because it supplies them information on what is expected of them
Ex: Imagine you are early for class and you don’t know if you can go in or if anyone is in there so you act busy on your cellphone until you see someone come and go in and you follow them into the classroom.
* behavior modification:
* compliance
* bystander effect: This is where ones ability to help is affected by a bystander or several bystanders.
Example: One trips and breaks their ankle another individual sees this but also sees several others walking by this individual. As well as these several others are looking at the injuries one so they assume that they will get help or are/will get help.
* identification: This is a response to social influence, this is where one wants to be like that of the influencer.
Example: A little sister and an older sister, the younger sister wants to be like that of the older sister. She hears her sister say that pink is the best color ever so the little sister adopts this belief because the little sister likes her older sister.
* empathy:
* internalization: This is also a response to social influence that derives from an individual want to be right like values or beliefs.
Example: My sister moves away and I still carry similar beliefs as her this remains true because she is important to me, she still holds the same belief and that these beliefs are not challenged by counteropinions that may be more convincing to me.
Discussion Questions:
* Given poor understanding of the power of situations in influencing behavior, can you think of ways to use this knowledge to reduce the likelihood of conformity-based acts of inhumanity.
For this answer I would like to look in that of the bystander effect which is when one is unlikely to act for they are in a group/crowd. To avoid this someone could take charge and ask if anyone has call 911(if needed) or if one is hurt and coherent then ask if then need or receiving help. I believe it would help if one visualizes that they are the first one to see or witness what has happened. An example of someone that takes charge would be like those that react to a CPR emergencies for one has to ask everyone to clear the space as well as point to or tell someone to call 911 so they know someone is. The bystander effect doesn’t only apply to life or death circumstances but also in areas of bullying. That’s why it’s promoted for kids in school to speak up and not just be a bystander watching a kid get bullied. But if an individual acts like they are the first one to witness acts like this they are more likely to act.
* What issues do the Milgram & Zimbardo Studies raise concerning the problems of holding individuals responsible for their actions?
* What are the ethical problems raised by Milgram’s obedience study?
Milgram’s study was unethical on the grounds that the participants were misled to believe that they were actually shocking people. Not only this but the participants didn’t know that the people that were going to receive the shocks knew Milgram. I would also like to take in account that if I were a participant in this study I would feel that this could potentially harm me psychologically. So there would be a chance of the participants being psychologically harmed.
Questions to Ponder:
- “When physical reality is unclear, other people become a major source of information.” Is this conclusion supported by research?
They look into social reality to inform them of what is expected like the book mentioned the unfamiliar bathroom and not having labels to tell which one is the women or men’s room so they wait to see which one goes in to one of the restrooms.
- Suppose you were to fall off your bicycle and break your leg. How would you arrange things ( at least theoretically) so that people would be more likely to help you?
I believe I would make eye contact or ask someone specifically for help so they know I am talking to them or asking them and not someone else just like the situation with CPR it gets attention of one individual so I might have a better chance at getting help. Also look the part which isn’t hard to do but in the book it mentioned more people help that of the person on the ground that looked ill.
- The chapter on conformity reviews several variables that serve to either increase or decrease the degree to which people will exhibit conformity. Briefly discuss four of these factors & how they affect conformity?
- Define and give examples of compliance, identification and internalization; which is most permanent? What social-psychological process or components underlie the effects of each of them?
