Understanding Psychology (10th Ed)

error p. 587
1.
attitude; 2.
central, peripheral; 
3. false; we typically change our 
attitudes and not our behavior to reduce cognitive dissonance; 
4.
halo
 
Module 52 
Attitudes and Social Cognition 
589
R E T H I N K
1.
Joan sees Annette, a new coworker, act in a way that 
seems abrupt and curt. Joan concludes that Annette is 
unkind and unsociable. The next day Joan sees Annette 
acting kindly toward another worker. Is Joan likely to 
change her impression of Annette? Why or why not? 
Finally, Joan sees several friends of hers laughing and 
joking with Annette, treating her in a very friendly fashion. 
Is Joan likely to change her impression of Annette? Why or 
why not?
2.
From the perspective of a marketing specialist: Suppose you 
were assigned to develop a full advertising campaign for a 
product, including television, radio, and print ads. How 
might theories of persuasion guide your strategy to suit 
the different media?
 Answers to Evaluate Questions 
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590
You have just transferred to a new college and are attending your fi rst class. When 
the professor enters, your fellow classmates instantly rise, bow to the professor, and 
then stand quietly with their hands behind their backs. You’ve never encountered 
such behavior, and it makes no sense to you. Is it more likely that you will (1) jump 
up to join the rest of the class or (2) remain seated? 
On the basis of what research has told us about  social infl uence,  the process by 
which the actions of an individual or group affect the behavior of others, a person 
would almost always choose the fi rst option. As you undoubtedly know from your 
own experience, pressures to conform can be painfully strong and can bring about 
changes in behavior that otherwise never would have occurred.
Why can conformity pressures in groups be so strong? For one reason, groups 
and other people generally play a central role in our lives. As defi ned by social 
psychologists,  groups  consist of two or more people who (1) interact with one 
another; (2) perceive themselves as part of a group; and (3) are interdependent—
that is, the events that affect one group member affect other members, and the 
behavior of members has signifi cant consequences for the success of the group in 
meeting its goals.
Groups develop and hold norms, expectations regarding behavior appropriate to 
the group. Furthermore, we understand that not adhering to group norms can result 
in retaliation from other group members, ranging from being ignored to being overtly 
derided or even being rejected or excluded by the group. Thus, people conform to 
meet the expectations of the group (Baumeister, Twenge, & Nuss, 2002; Jetten, Horn-
sey, & Adarves-Yorno, 2006). 
Groups exert considerable social infl uence over individuals that ranges from the 
mundane, such as the decision to wear a certain kind of jeans, to the extreme, such 
as the cruelty of guards at the Abu Ghraib prison in Iraq. We’ll consider three types 
of social pressure: conformity, compliance, and obedience.
Conformity: Following 
What Others Do