Conformity & Obedience
What is conformity?
Changing behavior to match others.
What is social facilitation?
Doing better on easy tasks when others watch.
What factor predicts who we become friends with the most?
Physical or geographic proximity.
What is helping someone called in psychology?
Prosocial behavior.
What is aggression?
Behavior meant to harm someone.
Why do people conform due to informational influence?
Uncertainty in confusing situations (using others as behavioral cues).
Why do people sometimes work less hard in groups (social loafing)?
They feel less responsible for the final outcome (diffusion of responsibility)
Why does repeated exposure increase liking?
Familiar things feel more comfortable.
Why does having more bystanders make helping less likely?
Everyone thinks someone else will help.
Why can frustration sometimes lead to aggression?
Feeling blocked from a goal can make people angry.
Your friends all say a movie is "great," so you say the same thing, even though you didn't like it. What type of conformity is this?
Compliance due to normative influence.
A group starts out slightly supportive of an idea, but after discussing, they're strongly supportive. What is this?
Group polarization.
Two classmates start liking each other more after sharing personal stories. What is happening?
Self-disclosure increases closeness/liking.
You see smoke but nobody reacts, so you assume it's fine. What is this?
Pluralistic ignorance/informational social influence.
A student does worse on a test after being told "people like you don't usually do well." What is this?
Stereotype threat/social identity threat.
Why did having one ally reduce conformity in Asch's studies?
It made people feel less alone in disagreeing.
Why can groupthink lead to bad decisions?
People stop disagreeing, so mistakes aren't questioned.
Why does secure attachment lead to healthier relationships?
Secure people trust others and communicate comfortably.
According to social exchange theory, when are people most likely to help?
When the benefits outweigh the costs.
Why does alcohol increase aggression?
It lowers self-control.
What is the main difference between conformity and obedience?
Conformity = pressure from a group; Obedience = following orders from an authority.
How are deindividuation and diffusion of responsibility similar?
Both make people feel less personally accountable.
What is the difference between similarity and reciprocal liking in attraction?
Similarity = having things in common; Reciprocal liking = liking someone because they like you.
How does empathy-altruism explain helping differently than social exchange theory?
Empathy-altruism says we help because we care; social exchange says we help if it benefits us.
How are stereotypes and discrimination different?
Stereotypes = beliefs; Discrimination = actions.