A change in behaviour or beliefs due to real or imagined group pressure.

Compliance, Obedience, Acceptance

Ambiguous stimulus.

Initially internal frame of reference.When access to different judgement from others, evaluate (and abandon) frame of reference. Joint frame of reference estrablished.

Participant go against what they know is true to comply.

Even though no obvious pressure.

Stanford Prison Experiment.

Deindividualisation of guards. 

Zimbardo and Milgram.

-The power of the situation.

-Normative pressures.

-Moral judgement suspended.

HOWEVER: effect of personality. studies constructed for evil to flourish.

Individual factors: in difficult task participants feel insecure/incompetent.

Group factors: unanimity- harder to dissent.

group size, 3-5 people most conformity

Status: high=more impact

low=more likely to conform.

Publicy: if made a public commitment, less likely to back down.

Going along with the crowd.

Gain approval: want to be liked.

Gain information from others when conforming. Especially when the task is ambiguous.

Rate judgement of others better than own.

Leads people to acceptance.

Specially if attempt to influence is blatant. To protect uniqueness/ freedom.

If one dissenter in group, conformity greatly reduced.

Minority: less resources/ control/ status.

CLEAR and CONSISTENT 

Consistency- diachronic- intraindividual- stability over time.

synchronic-interindividual- stability in belief.

MAYORITY: social comparison- conform to normative of groups.

MINORITY: validation process- want to understand why minority is consistent.

Private compliance

• Presence of Experimenter:              -the closer the experimenter, the higher the obedience. -If no instructions, 2.5% obedience.
• Closeness to learner:                       - the closer to the learner, the lower the obedience. -If can't hear/see learner, nearly 100% obedience.
• Group Pressure:                             -two dissenters, obedience reduced to 10%    -two obedient peers, obedience increased to 93%.