Group Cohesion/Conformity
April 7, 2009



A. What is a group?
A social unit with two or more persons, and which has:
 Common goals : members share at least one common goal to be achieved through joint action .
 Interaction : members communicate with and influence one another.
 Normative expectations : members share a set of expectations about group norms and members’ roles.
 Identification : members consciously identify with the group and think of themselves as members.

Is not a group
Is a group

B. Majority Influence and Conformity
 Conformity: Adherence by an individual to group norms. Involves a change in behavior or beliefs as a result of real or imagined group pressure. Not universal!
 Informational influence : Sherif (1936) autokinetic effect study
 Normative influence : Asch (1952) and replications (e.g., Bond & Smith, 1996)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DKivdMAgdeA

Asch Conformity
35
30
25
% of Erroneous
20
Responses 15
10
5
0
Control Unanimous Majority
Condition

C. Under What Conditions Do People
Conform?




Size of majority (+)
Unanimity (+)
Value/admire group (+)
Commitment to longterm interaction (+)
 Culture of collectivism
(+)


 Confident in expertise on issue (-)
Social status (-) *
Strongly committed to their initial view (-)
 Do not like or respect source of influence (-)
 Culture of individualism
(-) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DQ_nM5NkQzs&feature=related

Conformity and Support
%
Erroneous
20 responses 15
10
5
0
35
30
25 control Unanimous
Group
Condition
Single
Supporter

D. How do groups react to dissenters?
 1. Group efforts to manage “deviants”

Apply pressure to make “deviant” conform

Persuasion  threats  punishments
 Reject the deviant from the group.

Expel from group

Status degradation

Psychological isolation

D. How do groups react to dissenters?
(cont’d)


2. Minority fights back!
“Active minority” might try to persuade majority group members to accept their viewpoint and adopt a new position (Moscovici, 1980).
 Influence of minority contingent upon:
 Size . >1 person.
 Consistency.
Implies that the minority has a wellarticulated and thoughtful position.
 Flexible negotiation style . Rigid negotiation style suggests that minority is inflexible and dogmatic.
 Similarity of identity (recall P-O-X model)

E. Groupthink
1. Definition. A mode of thinking and decision-making by group members where pressures for unanimity and cohesiveness overwhelm the group members’ motivation to appraise realistically the alternative courses of action (Janis 1972). “Illusion of consensus”
2. Examples: a. Cuban missile crisis b. Challenger disaster
3. Characteristics
4. Possible solutions

A. Intergroup Conflict: Actual conflict
 1. Definition: conflict is the result of direct competition over resources
 a. Historical data
 b. Experimental data
 i. Sherif Robber’s Cave study.

B. How do groups differentiate themselves from one another?
 1. Minimal group
 a. Tajfel studies
No social interaction between groups
No shared goals
Participants unaware of others’ group membership
 2. Social identity theory
 a. Studies of ethnic identity and language
(e.g., Brown, 1988)