PSYCH1101 Conformity Benefits Dangers and Strategies

PSYCH 1101 GNTC Conformity Benefits Dangers and Strategies Questions

M4 Homework 1 – Social Influence

Please fill out your responses below. Then, upload your assignment to the designated folder.

The Conformist vs. The Non-Conformist

1. Give a personal example of when conforming to the people around you was beneficial. In what way did your conformity help you fit in, work in a group, etc.?

2. Give an example of a scenario in your own life where you did not challenge people when you wanted to because you thought that it could cause conflict or because everyone else was doing it. Do you regret it now or wish that you could have acted differently? How so?

Conformity Across Cultures

3. Do your own behaviors reflect the individualism in American society? Explain.

The Challenger Disaster

 4. Can you think of a time when you have been subject to groupthink? Give an example (personal or otherwise) and explain what happened or what could potentially happen in a hypothetical scenario. You might consider group work or group decisions at school, in the workplace, or in event planning.

 5. How might the impact of groupthink in your example above be reduced? 1

Solomon Asch’s Line Study

6. Do you think you would have conformed in the Asch line study? Why or why not?

Factors That Increase or Decrease Conformity

7. Give an example where you conformed as a result of being influenced by prestige, unanimity, commitment, accountability, self-esteem and security, age, or the nature of a group.

Minority Influence

In our M5 Lecture, we discussed how people with minority positions can prevail in certain conditions, such as:

 • If the people holding a minority view express their position consistently, with confidence, conviction, and dogged persistence

• If the minority used to agree with the majority position but changed their minds

• If the minority is willing to compromise, even just a little bit

• If group members who are in the majority are motivated to make an accurate decision rather than a quick one

These dissenters produce attitude change within a group, despite the extraordinary risk of social rejection and disturbance of the status quo.

 8. Give an example where, after initially reacting to a minority opinion negatively, you were eventually influenced by it. Or – give an example of when you had a minority opinion and you changed other people’s minds. Why was there a change of mind in your scenario?