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8-1aBeing Liked and Accepted:
Normative Influence
Normative influence involves going along with the crowd in order to be liked and
accepted. Humans have a fundamental need to belong to social groups. Being
accepted and included improves one’s chances for survival.
Several factors influence whether people will conform to group norms. Asch varied
the number of unanimous accomplices from 1 to 15. He found that conformity
increases as group size increases up to a point, then it levels off.
When people deviate from group norms, they may pay a heavy price, including social
rejection. Social rejection can be painful. Asch found that people would agree with the
group, even when they knew that the group was wrong, rather than suffer social
rejection. Other research has shown that people who deviate from the group do in fact
run a heightened risk of being rejected.
A review of similar studies showed that groups are quick to reject deviants or non-
conformists. Rejection is more likely when there are only one or two non-conformists
than when there are many non-conformists.
8-1bBeing Correct: Informational Influence
Muzafer Sherif used the autokinetic effect to study the formation of group
norms. Group norms are the beliefs or behaviours that a group of people accepts as
normal.
Autokinetic effect- Illusion, caused by very slight
movements of the eye, that a stationary point of light
in a dark room is moving.
, These social norms are not temporary, either; they can last at least one year. These
social norms can also be passed on from one person to another.
The studies conducted by Sherif indicate a second type of social influence
called informational influence. This involves going along with the crowd because
you think the crowd knows more than you do.
Two types of situations increase how likely you are to be affected by informational
influence:
o (a)ambiguous situations, in which people do not know how to behave; and
o (b)crisis situations, in which people don’t have time to think for themselves.
In these situations, people conform to what others do because they assume that those
other people must know what they are doing. Sometimes this assumption is wrong –
others really do not know more than we do. In fact, others may assume that we know
more than they do! In some cases, nobody knows anything, which is called a state
of pluralistic ignorance.
Pluralistic ignorance: Looking to others for cues
about how to behave, while they are looking to you;
collective misinterpretation.
In short, there are two different kinds of social influence: normative and
informational. A key difference is whether the conforming person comes to believe
that others are right (informational) or believes they are wrong but conforms simply to
avoid rejection, ridicule, hostility, or other kinds of punishment (normative).
Informational social influence helps produce private acceptance – a genuine inner
belief that others are right.
Normative social influence may bring about mere public compliance – outwardly
going along with the group but maintaining a private, inner belief that the group is
wrong, or at least having serious doubts about the group’s decision.
8-2Techniques of Social
Influence
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