Conformity, Compliance, and Obedience

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Conformity, Compliance, and Obedience
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• Close your eyes and think about anything that you
  want. Keep them closed until I ask you to open
  them.

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Conformity

• the tendency to change our perceptions, opinions,
  and/or behaviors in ways that are consistent with
  social norms

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Conformity

• dont stand too close to people
• dont talk to other people in an elevator
• do say Please and Thank you

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Conformity

• two basic types of conformity
• public conformity
• private conformity

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Conformity

• autokinetic effect
• observed light alone
• observed light in a group
• asked to estimate again in private

(Sherif, 1936)
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Conformity

• autokinetic effect
• final estimate closer to groups estimate than
  the original
• in ambiguous situations, people tend to be
  suggestible
• private conformity

(Sherif, 1936)
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Conformity

• epidemic psychogenic illness (EPI)
• illustrates two things
• group norms can be subtle, yet very powerful
• ambiguity more susceptibility to conformity

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Conformity

• conformity in unambiguous situations
• groups of 8
• confederates erred on 12 of 18 judgments
• 37 conformed (only 1 error rate in private)
• public conformity

(Asch 1951, 1956)
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Conformity

• subsequent studies
• group size influences conformity
• ally dissenter decreases conformity by 80

(Asch 1951, 1956)
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Conformity

• two reasons for conformity
• normative social influence (public conformity)
• want to fit in dont want to be deviant
• e.g., teenagers, REP sign-up sheet

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Conformity

• two reasons for conformity
• informational social influence (private
  conformity)
• ambiguous situation, we look to others
• e.g., new bus route

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Conformity

• extra credit opportunity
• choose a social norm and violate it
• write-up due next Monday (3/28)
• describe how you violated a social norm
• How did others respond to your norm violation?
• How did the norm violation make you feel?
• nothing illegal
• do not implicate me or my family

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Compliance

• changes in behavior that are elicited by direct
  requests

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Weapons of Social Influence

• tap into our automatic processes
• compliance professionals use this processing to
  their advantage

(Cialdini, 2000)
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Weapons of Social Influence

• reciprocation repay in kind what another person
  has given us
• powerful and pervasive (cross-culturally)

(Cialdini, 2000)
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Weapons of Social Influence

• reciprocation
• study of art appreciation done in pairs
• IV likable/not likable and Coke/no Coke
• DV of raffle tickets

(Regan, 1971)
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Weapons of Social Influence

• reciprocation
• Coke condition bought more raffle tickets
• liking did not matter

(Regan, 1971)
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Weapons of Social Influence

• reciprocation
• door-in-the-face technique real request is
  prefaced by one so large that it is rejected
  real request seen as a concession

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Weapons of Social Influence

• reciprocation
• County Youth Counseling Program
• supervising 2 hours at the zoo -- 17 agreed
• 2 hrs/wk for 2 years as a counselor -- 0 agreed
• then the same zoo request -- 50 agreed

(Cialdini et al., 1975)
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Weapons of Social Influence

• commitment and consistency taps our strong
  desire to be consistent over time
• Foolish consistency is the hobgoblins of little
  minds.
• Ralph Waldo Emerson

(Cialdini, 2000)
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Weapons of Social Influence

• commitment and consistency
• foot-in-the-door technique real request is
  preceded by first getting compliance with a much
  smaller request

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Weapons of Social Influence

• commitment and consistency
• questions about household products
• 3 days later asked to allow an inventory of their
  household products

(Freedman Fraser, 1966)
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Weapons of Social Influence

• commitment and consistency
• initially answered questions -- 53 agreed
• not asked questions -- 22 agreed

(Freedman Fraser, 1966)
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Weapons of Social Influence

• commitment and consistency
• California homeowners asked to display a 3-inch
  square sign that read Be a Safe Driver
• 2 weeks later display a PSA billboard in the
  front lawn that read Drive Carefully

(Freedman Fraser, 1966)
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Weapons of Social Influence

• commitment and consistency
• only asked to display billboard -- 17 complied
• asked first and second request -- 76 complied

(Freedman Fraser, 1966)
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Weapons of Social Influence

• commitment and consistency
• low-balling secure agreement with a request, but
  then increase the size of the request by
  revealing hidden costs
• e.g., used car salesman

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Weapons of Social Influence

• commitment and consistency
• low-balling
• Why does it work?

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Weapons of Social Influence

• social proof the situation may be fabricated to
  influence you to act in a certain way

(Cialdini, 2000)
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Weapons of Social Influence

• social proof
• works best in ambiguous situations
• e.g., door-to-door salesman, bartenders,
  Three-Card Monty

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Weapons of Social Influence

• liking people are more persuasive the more we
  like them and the more similar they are to us

(Cialdini, 2000)
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Weapons of Social Influence

• liking
• physical attractiveness
• what-is-beautiful-is-good stereotype

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Weapons of Social Influence

• liking
• physical attractiveness
• similarity

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Weapons of Social Influence

• liking
• physical attractiveness
• similarity
• complementary people

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Weapons of Social Influence

• The Tupperware Party
• one starts every 2.7 seconds
• 2.5 million/day -- almost 1 billion/year

(Cialdini, 2000)
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Weapons of Social Influence

• The Tupperware Party
• reciprocity
• prizes and grab bags

(Cialdini, 2000)
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Weapons of Social Influence

• The Tupperware Party
• reciprocity
• commitment and consistency
• talk about the usefulness of Tupperware products

(Cialdini, 2000)
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Weapons of Social Influence

• The Tupperware Party
• reciprocity
• commitment and consistency
• social proof
• order forms passed around

(Cialdini, 2000)
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Weapons of Social Influence

• The Tupperware Party
• reciprocity
• commitment and consistency
• social proof
• liking
• house of a friend or acquaintance

(Cialdini, 2000)
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Weapons of Social Influence

• authority we tend to have an automatic response
  to authorities (i.e., a heuristic)

(Cialdini, 2000)
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Weapons of Social Influence

• authority
• effect of peoples clothing on others willingness
  to comply
• You see that guy over there by the meter? Hes
  over-parked and doesnt have any change. Give him
  a dime!
• plain clothing or security guard

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Weapons of Social Influence

• authority
• exploited in advertising
• 4 out of 5 dentists recommend
• 9 out of 10 doctors prefer

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Weapons of Social Influence

• scarcity arouses a threat to our personal
  autonomy to control and make decisions

(Cialdini, 2000)
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Weapons of Social Influence

• scarcity
• Dade County, Florida -- ban on cleaning products
  containing phosphates
• soap caravans 20-year supplies
• phosphate detergents rated more gentle, more
  powerful on stains, more easily pourable

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Weapons of Social Influence

• scarcity
• banned books or movies
• Beanie Babies/Cabbage Patch Kids
• Home Shopping Network

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Obedience

• an act in response to a request from authority

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Obedience

• Milgram studies
• Pay attention to the factors that affect the
  influence of the authority figure and the
  obedience of the participants.

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Obedience

• Milgram studies
• social class, education, nor gender has a
  significant effect on participants obedience
• the effects lie in the situation

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Obedience

• Milgram studies
• requirement of informed consent
• development of Institutional Review Boards
• debate about the use of deception in psychology

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Conclusion

• conformity occurs in response to social norms
• social norms are pervasive and powerful
• compliance occurs in response to a direct request
• obedience occurs in response to an authority
  figure

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Next Time

• How do social psychologists understand
  stereotyping, prejudice, and discrimination?