Chapter Sixteen: Social Behavior

E. Conformity and Obedience: Yielding to Others

This may be a surprising insight: In the right circumstances most of use can be coaxed, pressured, or coerced to do virtually anything. As the cartoon character Pogo once said, "We have met the enemy, and he is us."

1. Conformity
2. Obedience
3. Cultural Variations in Obedience

Contents

Conformity

What happens when you are faced with group pressure?


Asch's studies (Another Very Famous Psychology Study:)

• Which line matches the best --even if your classmates said line 1? (Figure16.16)

• The accomplice's incorrect answers has an effect on what you say.

Factors that influence the likelihood of conformity:

• Group size (Figure 16.17) and group unanimity are key determinants.

• When people are in ambiguous situations.

• When people have reason to doubt their own judgements.

• People tend to follow the lead of a high-status individual.

• Ingroup rather than outgroup pressure.

Compliance

Compliance is a special kind of conformity that gets behavior change without changing your attitude.

Obedience

Synopsis: Obedience is a form of compliance that occurs when someone follows direct commands, usually from someone in the position of authority.

Milgram's Studies of Obedience to Authority - The Featured Study for this Chapter! (One of the All Time Most Famous and Controversial Psychology Studies)

• 

A brief view of how the experiment was conducted. (not active at this time).

• The results (Figure 16.18).

• Obedience research sadly indicates that most people can be coerced into engaging in actions that violate their morals and values.

The Controversy

• Are the results generalizable? -- afraid so.
• Was this an ethical experiment? --afraid not.

Cultural Variations in Conformity and Obedience

Synopsis: The phenomena of conformity and obedience transcends culture, but there are some differences across culture. Conformity may be more prevalent in collectivistic cultures, but usually when pressure comes from ingroups.

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