Exam 9: Norms and Conformity

Informational influence reflects the need for ________ whereas normative influence reflects the need for ________.

According to Moscovici, why does minority dissent lead to systematic processing?

Chris is the president of a car company and he is strongly encouraging members of his board to endorse more eco-friendly vehicles. If Chris puts a lot of pressure on the board members to reach a quick consensus on this issue, the group may fall prey to which social influence phenomenon?

Agreement with the in-group fulfills which of the following motivational needs?

Influence by ________ can trigger mastery motives, meet needs for connectedness, and may result in private acceptance.

Why is consensus such a powerful tool of persuasion? Describe 2 situations in which consensus can lead people astray. Finally, how can groups avoid faulty consensus-seeking?

In Asch's classic study (1951), participants were asked to judge the length of lines in the presence of confederates who unanimously picked the wrong answer. The results showed that:

Public conformity leads to lasting changes in people's true personal beliefs.

Explain how pluralistic ignorance can contribute to risky behavior.

According to your text, in which group is a consensus by the members likely to be the most persuasive to others?

Jane is 13 years old and she has just moved to a new school. Explain how both informational influence and normative influence will affect Jane's behavior at her new school.

At the school board meeting, Barb appears to agree with the other parents that a recent donation should go toward a new swing set on the school playground, but when a vote is called, Barb indicates on the ballot that she wants the money to go toward the teachers' salaries. What type of conformity has Barb engaged in? Briefly describe the method and results of one study in which the participants also showed this type of conformity.

When companies post fake positive reviews of their products online, they are hoping to harness the power of _______ to increase sales of their products.

________ is the phenomenon in which a group's initial average position becomes more extreme following group interaction.

Group members will spend more time discussing the information that they all know rather than the information known only to a single individual.

Research on persuasion attempts by minority groups has shown that:

A small group of high school students wants the theme of their school dance to be "The 80's" whereas the majority of the students want the theme of the school dance to be "The Great Gatsby." Describe 3 tactics that the members of the small, minority group can utilize to convince their peers to accept their theme for the school dance. Finally, assume that this dance is next year. If the minority group gets their way, will the change in attitudes by the majority group be long-lasting?

When juries are required to reach a unanimous verdict the jurors spend more time deliberating, they remember more of the evidence, and they seem more confident in their verdicts.

In a study by Strass and colleagues (1989), students were given different pieces of information about various candidates for student body president. Some of this information was shared among all of the students and some of this information was only shared with one student. The results of this study showed that:

Minority views can sway the majority when the minority view is consistent over time.