Conformity, Compliance, and Obedience

Conformity, Compliance, and Obedience: AP Psychology Study Guide

Hello, future psychologists and curious minds! Welcome to the fascinating world of social psychology, where we uncover why humans are less like solitary eagles and more like social penguins, waddling together. Today, we're diving into the thrilling topics of conformity, compliance, and obedience. So put on your thinking caps (or berets if you're feeling fancy) and let's get started! 🧢🎩

Picture this: you’re at a fancy dinner and everyone starts using their forks the "European" way. Before you know it, you’ve ditched the good ol’ American style and are awkwardly trying to stab your peas with the fork upside down. That’s conformity in action! Conformity is all about adjusting our behaviors or attitudes to fit into a group standard.

There are two main influences that cause us to conform:

• Informational Social Influence: This is when we think the group knows best. Imagine you’re lost in a forest and you follow the group, assuming they’ve got a better sense of direction than your phone's GPS 🧭.
• Normative Social Influence: This is about wanting to fit in. You might laugh at a joke you don’t get just to avoid looking like the odd one out at the party 😊.

One classic study that illustrated conformity was the Asch Experiment. People were asked to match the length of lines; however, the first few participants (who were "in on the experiment") purposefully gave wrong answers. The poor real participant, not wanting to seem weird, often went along with the incorrect answers. Talk about peer pressure!

There are several factors that make us more likely to conform:

• We feel unsure or insecure, like when you walk into a calculus class and realize you can barely add. 📚
• We are in a group of three or more people. The more, the merrier!
• Everyone in the group agrees. It’s like a choir singing in perfect harmony.
• We admire the group's status or attractiveness. Think of a high school movie where everyone wants to be part of the cool kids' table. 😎
• We haven’t committed to a response yet. No take-backsies!
• We come from a culture that emphasizes harmony and collective well-being. This makes sense why collectivist cultures show higher conformity.

Sometimes, we conform without even realizing it through automatic mimicry. Ever notice how you start yawning when someone else does? That’s your brain’s way of syncing up with others. This unconscious mimicry, often called the chameleon effect, helps us to empathize by mirroring others’ emotions and behaviors. Just imagine a cute little chameleon walking into a café and suddenly adopting the sipping style of everyone around!

Groupthink is what happens when we're so desperate for harmony in a group, we suppress contrary opinions, leading to questionable decisions. Remember the Space Shuttle Challenger? Despite warnings about faulty parts, the group went ahead with the launch due to external pressures, leading to a tragic disaster. Groupthink can be countered by welcoming diverse viewpoints and playing devil's advocate.

Compliance is when we follow instructions or requests. There are some sneaky ways people get others to comply:

• Foot-in-the-Door Phenomenon: If you first ask someone to do a small task, they’re more likely to agree to a larger one later. Imagine asking your friend to hold your bag and then sneaking in a request to dog-sit for the weekend.
• Door-in-the-Face Phenomenon: Start with a ridiculously large request that gets denied, making your actual request seem reasonable in comparison. “Can you buy me a spaceship? No? Okay, how about just a ride to the store?”

In social situations, we often adopt roles, which come with a set of expectations. One infamous study that highlighted this is the Stanford Prison Experiment conducted by Philip Zimbardo. Participants were assigned roles as guards or prisoners, and they fully embraced these roles to the point where it got disturbingly real. This shows how powerful roles can be in shaping behavior.

Obedience is like compliance but with an extra dash of authority. It’s when we follow orders from someone in a position of power. The famous Milgram Experiment demonstrated how people would administer what they thought were fatal shocks to another person just because an authority figure told them to. Scary, right?

Milgram also identified factors that enhance obedience:

• The authority figure is physically close and appears legitimate.
• The authority is associated with a prestigious institution.
• The victim is depersonalized or distant.
• There are no role models for defiance.

• Asch Experiment: A study by Solomon Asch showing the power of conformity.
• Automatic Mimicry: Unconscious imitation of others' behaviors.
• Chameleon Effect: Our natural tendency to mimic others in social interactions.
• Compliance: Agreeing to someone's request, whether explicit or implicit.
• Conformity: Aligning behavior or thinking to match a group standard.
• Door-in-the-Face Phenomenon: Using a large initial request to make a smaller one more agreeable.
• Foot-in-the-Door Phenomenon: Using a small initial request to facilitate agreement with a larger one.
• Groupthink: Prioritizing harmony over realistic decision-making in groups.
• Informational Social Influence: Conforming based on the belief that the group has better information.
• Milgram Experiment: A study by Stanley Milgram on obedience to authority.
• Normative Social Influence: Conforming to fit in or avoid disapproval.
• Obedience: Following commands from an authority figure.
• Roles: Expected behaviors for individuals in certain social positions.
• Unconscious Conformity: Adapting behaviors to match others unconsciously.
• Stanford Prison Experiment: A study by Philip Zimbardo on the impact of assigned roles.

Conclusion

Social psychology teaches us about the powerful influences of conformity, compliance, and obedience. It's like discovering the behind-the-scenes magic of how we interact and why we sometimes end up doing things we'd never do alone. So, the next time you find yourself blending in with the crowd, negotiating with a friend, or following an authority figure, you'll know a bit more about what's going on in that amazing, complex brain of yours. Keep questioning, keep exploring, and always be curious! 🌟🧠

Now go get 'em, psych gurus!