PSY 252 10.

17

 Why do we conform?
o informative social influence
o normative social influence

 Line-judgement study
o easy task, match line length
o done in private (control)
 everyone gets it right ever time
o done with confederates (independent variable)
 in practice trials everyone agrees, in third trials the
confederates choose and obviously wrong line
 76% of participants give 1 or more wrong answers
 only 24% never conformed
 Social impact theory (normative social influence)
o strength
 the importance of the group of people to you
o immediacy
 how close the group is in space and time during the
influence attempt
o number
 from 0-4/5 people, conformity increases, above that,
conformity levels off
 Social Influence learning objectives
 o understand when and why people conform
o discuss how we can use our knowledge of social norms to
encourage compliance, especially promoting beneficial behavior
o understand the forces involved in obedience to authority
 Reasons-based approaches
o commitment
 foot in the door technique: small request that one will
comply with, followed with bigger request
 if they do the small thing, they’ll see themselves as the
sort of person that does these things and will be more
willing to do a little more
 Lawn signs
 first asked to sign petition or display placard for
keeping CA beautiful or driving safely, two weeks
later asked to put a giant ugly drive carefully sign in
lawn
 control: no request
 17% of no request control put up sign
 47-48% of Keep CA beautiful petition/placard and
drive carefully petition put up sign
 76% of drive safely placard put up sign
o norm of reciprocity
 door in the face: asking for big unreasonable thing to then
ask for small, comparatively reasonable thing
 Volunteering
 would you volunteer for 2 hrs a week for 2 years?
 will you chaperone next week for some kids going to
the zoo?

2
  when only second question asked, 29% agree.
 when both are asked, 79% agree to second request
 Focus theory of normative conduct
o two types of norms have different effects on behavior
 descriptive norms
 refer to what is commonly done in a given situation
 motivate behavior by informing us what is likely
effective
 injunctive (prescriptive) norms
 refer to what is commonly approved or disapproved
within the culture (what ought to be done)
 motivate behavior through informal social sanctions
o norms shape behavior if they are salient (focus)
o forest sign experiment
 please don’t remove the wood
 injunctive norm
 1.5% of wood stolen
 many past visitors have removed the wood (which is bad)
 descriptive norm
 8% of wood stolen
 no sign
 control condition
 3% of wood stolen
o hotel sign experiment
 help hotel save energy (control)
 15% comply

3
  help save resources for future (injunctive)
 30% conform
 help save environment (injunctive)
 30% comply
 partner with us to save environment (injunctive)
 30% comply
 join your fellow citizens to save environment (descriptive)
 35% comply
o modified hotel sign
 help save environment (injunctive)
 37% comply
 join fellow guests in helping save environment
(descriptive)
 40 something
 join your fellow guest… 75% of guests in this room… (more
relevant descriptive)
 higher percentage