Social Influence: Conformity and the Normative Influence
Summary
TLDRThe video script delves into conformity as a social influence, distinguishing between informational and normative influences. It explains that individuals conform to gain accurate information or to be socially accepted. Highlighting Solomon Asch's experiments, the script reveals that conformity is more likely with larger group pressure. A recent study suggests that when a sense of belonging is threatened, conformity increases due to a heightened desire for group acceptance. The script concludes that conformity, driven by the need to belong, is a natural and often beneficial aspect of human nature.
Takeaways
- ๐ Conformity is a form of social influence where individuals change their attitudes, beliefs, or behaviors to align with others.
- ๐ Social influence is divided into two main types: informational influence, driven by the belief that others have accurate information, and normative influence, motivated by the desire for social acceptance.
- ๐ The literature supports the conceptual uniqueness of these two types of social influence, although they are interrelated and can be difficult to distinguish in practice.
- ๐ง Conformity is motivated by the need for an accurate perception of reality (informational influence) and the need for social acceptance and belonging (normative influence).
- ๐ต๏ธโโ๏ธ Solomon Asch's experiments in the 1950s are a classic study of conformity, demonstrating how social pressure can lead individuals to conform to incorrect answers.
- ๐ฅ A meta-analysis of over 130 studies revealed that group size is a significant factor in conformity; larger majorities increase the likelihood of conforming.
- ๐งฉ Motivation plays a crucial role in conformity; when individuals feel ignored or their sense of belonging is threatened, they are more likely to conform to gain acceptance.
- ๐ฎ A recent study found that participants ignored in multiplayer video games were more likely to conform on a perceptual task, highlighting the impact of social exclusion on conformity.
- ๐ค Conformity is a complex psychological process that is not inherently negative, as it is tied to fundamental human desires such as the need to belong.
- ๐ Conformity is a widespread phenomenon, reflecting a basic part of human nature and the influence of normative factors on behavior.
Q & A
What is conformity and how does it relate to social influence?
-Conformity is a form of social influence where an individual changes their attitudes, beliefs, or behaviors to align with those of others. It occurs due to the desire to fit in or to be accepted by a group.
How are informational and normative influences different in the context of conformity?
-Informational influence happens when individuals conform because they believe others have accurate information they lack. Normative influence occurs when individuals conform to gain acceptance and liking from others.
What does the literature suggest about the relationship between informational and normative influences?
-The literature supports the conceptual uniqueness of these two types of social influence, but also acknowledges that they are interrelated and can sometimes be difficult to distinguish in terms of their impact on behavior.
What are the motivational reasons behind conformity according to the script?
-Conformity is motivated by the desire for an accurate perception of reality (informational influence) and the need for social acceptance and belonging (normative influence).
Can you describe Solomon Asch's experiments on conformity conducted in the 1950s?
-Solomon Asch conducted experiments to examine how social pressure influences conformity. In these studies, participants would sometimes conform by giving incorrect answers after hearing obviously incorrect responses from confederates, which happened about 1/3 of the time.
What factor did a meta-analysis reveal as relevant to conformity in line experiment studies?
-A meta-analysis showed that group size is a relevant factor in conformity, with larger majorities increasing the likelihood of participants conforming and giving incorrect answers.
How does the sense of belonging relate to conformity according to a recent study mentioned in the script?
-A recent study found that when participants felt ignored in a multiplayer video game, they were more likely to conform with a new group on a perceptual task, indicating that a threatened sense of belonging increases the motivation to conform.
What is the fundamental human desire that is linked to normative influence and conformity?
-The fundamental human desire to belong and to feel socially accepted is linked to normative influence, which is a major factor leading to conformity.
Is conformity always a negative aspect of human nature according to the script?
-No, conformity is not always negative. It is a basic part of human nature and can be beneficial as it fulfills the human need to belong and be socially accepted.
How can altering motivational states influence conformity as suggested in the script?
-Altering motivational states, such as the need for social acceptance or the desire for accurate information, can influence conformity by either increasing or decreasing an individual's likelihood to conform to group behaviors or beliefs.
What is the prevalence of conformity in human behavior as described in the script?
-Conformity is described as a prevalent psychological process and a basic part of human nature, suggesting that people conform quite frequently in various aspects of life.
Outlines
๐ง Understanding Conformity and Social Influence
This paragraph delves into the concept of conformity as a form of social influence, where individuals align their attitudes, beliefs, or behaviors with those of others. It distinguishes between two types of social influence: informational, where conformity is driven by the belief that others possess accurate information, and normative, where the motivation is to gain acceptance and social belonging. The paragraph also touches on the interrelation between these influences and their impact on behavior. It sets the stage for a discussion on how motivational states can alter conformity, with a reference to Solomon Asch's experiments that demonstrate social pressure's effect on conformity.
๐ Asch's Experiments on Conformity
This section focuses on Solomon Asch's classic experiments from the 1950s, which explored how social pressure could lead to conformity. The experiments showed that participants would sometimes conform by giving incorrect answers after hearing from confederates, which happened approximately one-third of the time. A meta-analysis of over 130 line experiment studies revealed that group size significantly influenced conformity, with larger majorities increasing the likelihood of participants conforming. The paragraph also revisits the role of motivation in conformity, suggesting that when a person's sense of belonging is threatened, they are more likely to conform in order to feel accepted and part of a group.
๐ค The Desire to Belong and Conformity
The final paragraph emphasizes the natural human tendency to conform, highlighting the fundamental human desire to belong and be socially accepted as a major influence, known as normative influence, that leads to conformity. It acknowledges that conformity is not inherently negative, but rather a basic part of human nature. The paragraph concludes by reinforcing the idea that conformity is a prevalent psychological process, driven by the need for social acceptance and belonging.
Mindmap
Keywords
๐กConformity
๐กSocial Influence
๐กInformational Influence
๐กNormative Influence
๐กAttitudes
๐กBeliefs
๐กBehaviors
๐กSolomon Asch
๐กGroup Size
๐กPerceptual Task
๐กMotivational States
Highlights
Conformity is a type of social influence where individuals change their attitudes, beliefs, or behaviors to match others.
Social influence is divided into two major categories: informational and normative influence.
Informational influence occurs when people conform to others due to a belief that they have accurate information.
Normative influence happens when individuals conform to gain social acceptance and belonging.
Literature supports the conceptual uniqueness of informational and normative influences, though they are interrelated.
Determining the impact of each motivational factor on behavior can be challenging.
People are motivated to conform for accurate perception of reality (informational influence) and social acceptance (normative influence).
Solomon Asch's experiments in the 1950s examined the influence of social pressure on conformity.
Asch's studies found that participants often conformed by providing incorrect answers when influenced by confederates.
Conformity occurred about 1/3 of the time in Asch's experiments.
A meta-analysis of over 130 line experiment studies revealed group size as a relevant factor in conformity.
Larger group majorities increase the likelihood of conformity.
A recent study found that being ignored in a multiplayer video game increases conformity in new groups.
When a sense of belonging is threatened, there is an increased motivation to belong and conform.
Conformity is a prevalent psychological process and a basic part of human nature.
The need to belong and feel socially accepted is a major influence leading to conformity.
Transcripts
conformity is a kind of social influence
that occurs when an individual changes
his or her attitudes beliefs or
behaviors to match or imitate those of
other people psychologists have
conceptually split this idea of social
influence into two major categories
informational influence occurs when we
conform to others because we believe
they have accurate information that we
do not have normative influence occurs
when we conform to others because we
want them to like us and accept us the
literature has generally supported the
conceptual uniqueness of these two types
of social influence however they are
interrelated to some extent and
sometimes it can be difficult to
determine the degree to which each of
these two separate motivational factors
has an impact on one's behavior
ultimately conformity occurs for
motivational reasons people are
motivated to have an accurate perception
of reality that's informational
influence and they're also motivated to
be socially accepted and to belong to a
group that's normative influence we'll
return to this idea later when we
discuss how altering motivational States
can influence conformity let's talk
about some psychological studies that
have investigated conformity Solomon
Asch conducted a classic set of
experiments in the 1950s examining how
social pressure might influence
conformity these studies found that when
Confederates provided an incorrect
answer sometimes the real participant
after hearing the obviously incorrect
answers would conform by giving the
incorrect answer as well this occurred
about 1/3 of the time a meta-analysis
that examined over 130 different type of
line experiment studies revealed that
group size was a relevant factor such
that the larger the group majority was
the more likely the participant was to
conform and give an incorrect answer
coming back now to how motivation is
related to conformity a relatively
recent study found that when
participants were ignored by other
people in a multiplayer video
they're more likely to conform with a
new group of people on a perceptual task
compared to people who were not ignored
by others in a video game in other words
when people's sense of belonging is
threatened they have an increased
motivation to belong to a group and to
feel accepted and therefore they're more
likely to conform conformity as a whole
as a prevalent psychological process
people conform all the time it's a basic
part of human nature and it's not always
a bad thing one of the most basic and
fundamental of human desires is the need
to belong and to feel socially accepted
and this is one of the major influences
also called the normative influence that
leads to conformity
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