Conformity, Obedience, and Peer Influence (7B) - MCAT Psychological and Social Foundations

Deindividuation. Loss of self-awareness enables antisocial behavior.

Compliance. Person conforms publicly but maintains private beliefs.

Normative social influence. Conforming for social approval, not accuracy.

Ordinary people may obey authority even when harming others. Revealed situational power over individual morality.

Assuming others will act, so personal obligation to help decreases. Each bystander thinks someone else will intervene.

Improved performance on simple tasks in the presence of others. Arousal from audience enhances dominant responses.

Adopting beliefs or behaviors to align with a valued person or group. Maintains relationship through shared attitudes/behaviors.

Private acceptance of a belief as truly correct. Deepest level of attitude change; becomes part of value system.

Following direct orders from an authority figure. Compliance specifically due to perceived legitimate power.

Changing behavior or beliefs to match group norms. Driven by desire to fit in or be accepted by the group.

Informational social influence. Uncertainty makes people look to others for guidance.

Conformity drops sharply. Breaking unanimity reduces pressure to conform.

Reduced individual effort when working in a group. Individual contributions seem less identifiable in groups.

Informational social influence. Using others as information source in uncertainty.

Greater distance from the authority and closer proximity to the victim. Physical separation weakens authority's influence.

Conformity drops substantially when at least one ally dissents. Breaking unanimity reduces normative pressure dramatically.

People conform to an incorrect majority judgment under group pressure. Showed power of normative influence on perception tasks.

Decreased likelihood of helping as the number of bystanders increases. Responsibility dilutes across multiple observers.

Loss of self-awareness and restraint in a group, often with anonymity. Group immersion reduces individual accountability.

Faulty group decision-making driven by pressure for consensus. Desire for harmony overrides critical thinking.

Conforming because others are viewed as a source of correct information. Assumes others know better in ambiguous situations.

Conforming to gain approval or avoid social rejection. Driven by need to belong rather than being right.

Authority nearby. Physical proximity enhances authority's influence.

Unanimous majority. Even one dissenter breaks the pressure to conform.

Conformity to an incorrect majority. Breaking unanimity dramatically reduces conformity pressure.

Outward conformity while privately disagreeing. Creates dissonance between behavior and true beliefs.

Perceived personal obligation to act decreases in a group. Each person assumes others will take action instead.

Publicly agreeing with a request without internal belief change. External conformity without genuine attitude change.

Group discussion strengthens the group’s initial average position. Groups shift toward more extreme versions of their initial views.