Hockenbury Discovering Psychology 5th txtbk

Conformity475Standard lineA B CComparison linesFigure 11.3 The Line JudgmentTask Used in the Asch ConformityStudies In Asch’s classic studies onconformity, subjects were asked topick the comparison line thatmatched the standard line.Source: Asch (1957).conformityAdjusting your opinions, judgments, or behaviorso that it matches the opinions, judgments,or behavior of other people, or thenorms of a social group or situation.normative social influenceBehavior that is motivated by the desire togain social acceptance and approval.informational social influenceBehavior that is motivated by the desire tobe correct.Over one hundred subjects experienced Asch’s experimental dilemma. Not surprisingly,participants differed in their degree of conformity. Nonetheless, the majorityof Asch’s subjects (76 percent) conformed with the group judgment on at leastone of the critical trials. When the data for all subjects were combined, the subjectsfollowed the majority and gave the wrong answer on 37 percent of the critical trials(Asch, 1955, 1957). In comparison, a control group of subjects who respondedalone instead of in a group accurately chose the matching line 99 percent of the time.Although the majority opinion clearly exerted a strong influence, it’s also importantto stress the flip side of Asch’s results. On almost two-thirds of the trials inwhich the majority named the wrong line, the subjects stuck to their guns and gavethe correct answer, despite being in the minority (see Friend & others, 1990;Hodges & Geyer, 2006).Factors Influencing ConformityThe basic model of Asch’s classic experiment has been used in hundreds of studiesexploring the dynamics of conformity (Bond, 2005; Bond & Smith, 1996; Hoffman& others, 2001). Why do we sometimes find ourselves conforming to the largergroup? There are two basic reasons.First is our desire to be liked and accepted by the group, which is referred to asnormative social influence. If you’ve ever been ridiculed and rejected for goingagainst the grain of a unanimous group, you’ve had firsthand experience with thepressure of normative social influence. Second is our desire to be right. When we’reuncertain or doubt our own judgment, we may look to the group as a source ofaccurate information, which is called informational social influence.Asch and other researchers identified several conditions that promote conformity,which are summarized in Table 11.2. But Asch also discovered that conformity decreasedunder certain circumstances. For example, having an ally seemed to counteractAdolescents and Conformity Conformity togroup norms peaks in early adolescence, asthe similar hairstyles and clothing of thesefriends show. Think back to your own adolescence.Do you remember how importantit was to you to fit in with other adolescents,especially those in your peer group?Table 11.2Factors That Promote ConformityYou’re more likely to conform to group norms when:• You are facing a unanimous group of at least four or five people• You must give your response in front of the group• You have not already expressed commitment to a different idea or opinion• You find the task is ambiguous or difficult• You doubt your abilities or knowledge in the situation• You are strongly attracted to a group and want to be a member of itSources: Asch (1955); Campbell & Fairey (1989); Deutsch & Gerard (1955);Gerard & others (1968); Tanford & Penrod (1984).