Social Psychology
What is Social Psychology?
• The study of how people influence and are
influenced by other people.
• How an individual is affected by the presence
or implied presence of another individual or
group
• An individual’s thoughts, feelings, and
behavior can all be influenced by the POWER
OF THE SITUATION that they are experiencing.
Social Influence
• Social psychology is a diverse field. We will
focus on only one of the major areas of study.
– Social influence
• How we are influenced by others
• Conformity, obedience, compliance
Social Influence
• Social Influence: A few concepts
– Social norms
• Expectations / what is acceptable
– Behavior, thoughts, affect
– Social role
• Sets of norms
• Expectations for particular position
• Unofficial Assignment: Violate a norm today
(without getting expelled).
Conformity
• Yield to real or imagined social pressure
Conformity
• Changing one’s behavior or beliefs to match
those of other group members, generally as a
result of real or imagined, though unspoken,
group pressure.
– Sometimes conscious, sometimes not.
• Is conformity good or bad? When?
Why do we conform?
• Sherif (1930s) AUTOKINETIC EFFECT
– Was interested in the passing of norms from
generation to generation.
– Put people in a pitch black room that had a stationary
pinpoint of light.
– Would then ask participants how far the light moved.
– Were questioned in groups of three multiple times.
– Found that across sessions the answers began to align.
– After a number of trials a new subject would replace
one of the old subjects and would fall right into the
group norm.
Why do we conform?
• Private Conformity: involves both acting and
believing in accord with social pressure.
– Subjects still displayed these beliefs when placed
in other groups or were shown the stimulus again
and asked in private.
Why do we conform?
•
Asch (1950s) –
Disagreed with the
studies of Sherif
–
“Perceptual
judgments”
Only 1 real participant
Others: confederates
–
–
•
–
Accomplices
All responses scripted
Why do we conform?
•
•
•
•
18 trials, 50 participants = approximately 900
decisions to conform
Conformity on 37% of trials
13 people never conformed, 74% conformed on
at least one trial
14 people conformed on more than half their
trials
Factors that affect extent of conformity
• Group size
– 1 < 2 < 3 < 4 = 5 = 6 = 7 = 8 = 9 = 10 = 11 = 12 …
• Presence of a dissenter
– If one other nonconformist , conformity rate drops
from 37% to 5%
•
Commitment
–
•
Prior decision / initial judgment reduces later
conformity
Individual differences
–
•
High self esteem = less likely to conform
Friends versus strangers
–
Asch method: Less conformity with friends
Why do we conform?
• Public Conformity: publicly acting in accord
with social pressure while privately
disagreeing
Why do we conform?
• Based on these two studies we can conclude
two types of influences on conformity.
– Informational Influence: conformity because you
aren’t sure what to do (Private)
– Normative Influence: Conforming to the group in
order to gain acceptance (Public)
Obedience
• Obedience: change in behavior based on a
direct order from an authority figure
– The figure can be legitimate (Arnal or Muhlhauser)
or illegitimate (man holding a gun).
• Stanley Milgram (1960s)
Obedience
• The Milgram Experiments
– 18 studies between 1960 – 1963
• “The effects of punishment on learning”
• Participants were the “teacher”
• The “learner” was a confederate
– All learner’s answers pre-scripted
Obedience
• Teacher told to give increasingly intense shocks
– 15 volt increments
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
15-60 v
75-120v
135-180v
195-240v
255-300 v
315-360 v
375-420v
435-450v
“slight”
“moderate”
“strong”
“very strong”
“intense”
“extremely intense”
“danger-severe shock”
“XXX”
• Each time the learner gave wrong answer the next switch
was to be flipped.
• NO ONE WAS ACTUALLY SHOCKED!
– Except sample 45 volt shock
The Results
• Predicted:
• < 1% will obey to end
– 450 volts
• What really happened?
• 65% obeyed to the end
Variations of original study:
compare to 65% obeying to the very end -- 450 volts
1. No vocal feedback:
Participants never heard
screams / pounding
– 93%
2. Proximity of victim: Learner
in same room
– 40%
3. Proximity of victim:
Participant had to force the
learner’s hand onto metal
shock plate
– 30%
Variations of original study:
compare to 65% obeying to the very end -- 450 volts
4. Proximity of authority: Experimenter gave instructions
by telephone
– 20%
5. Personal responsibility: Participant read word pairs,
another “teacher” (a confederate) pushed the button
– 93% agreed to go to 450 volts
6. Gender: Women participants with original methodology
– 65%
Ethical Implications
• What do you think of this research?
“A hoax most cruel” April, 2004
• David R. Stewart was arrested in
June 2004
• Charged with solicitation to commit
sodomy, impersonating a police
officer, soliciting sex abuse, unlawful
imprisonment.
• He pleaded not guilty
• The trial lasted a week
• Stewart was not convicted
Compliance
• Compliance: adjusting one’s behavior because
of an explicit request.
– Key idea is that the requester has no real power or
authority.
– The goal as the requester is to get people to make
a commitment.
Compliance
• Foot – in – the – door technique (Freedman & Fraser, 1966)
– 1st: Ask for small favor
• If agree… (99% do)
– 2nd: Ask large favor
• 53% compliance
• Compare:
– Only large favor
• 22% compliance
• Self-perception change
– “I guess I’m the type of person who…”
Compliance
• Door – in – the – face technique (Cialdini and others, 1975)
– 1st: Make large, unreasonable request
• 0% compliance
– 2nd: Make second, reasonable request
• 50% compliance
• Compare:
– Only reasonable request
• 17% compliance
• Norm of reciprocity
– Return favors
Compliance
• Lowballing technique (Cialdini, 1978)
– Make request and obtain compliance without
admitting all costs
• 56% compliance
• Compare:
– Request with all costs indicated “up front”
• 31% compliance
• Commitment
– People follow through with decisions
Attitudes
Attitudes
• Evaluation about some thing
– Affective component
• Emotions
– Behavioral component
• Predispositions to act
– Cognitive component
• Beliefs
• Attitudes influence future
behavior
– However, sometimes behaviors do
not match attitude.
– Situational factors also impact
behavior