- [Voiceover] You might
be wondering whether there are any factors that
might make someone more or less likely to conform or the
likelihood that they will adjust their behaviors or thinking to go along with the group. And there certainly are. And while I won't go over
all of them in this video, I do want to give you a
pretty wide or diverse variety so you can see just how
much of this behavior can be dependent upon external factors that otherwise might have nothing to do with the person themselves. And the first factor I want
to talk about is group size. Specifically, people
seem to be more likely to conform when they're
in groups of three to five. We are also more likely to conform when the opinion of the group is unanimous or when everyone in the group
agrees upon a certain opinion. As an example of this, in one
variant of the Asch line study the researchers changed the experiment such that the participant had a supporter, someone who gave the correct answer before it was the
participant's turn to answer. And what they found was
that even one defector can influence how likely
an individual is to comply. So while in the original Asch study, 37% of participants fully complied or complied on every trial, total compliance dropped to only 5% when there was a supporter in the group. When they asked the
participants whether or not the presence of that defector in any way influenced their responses,
they claimed that they didn't. So while the research does
show that the presence of a defector influences how
likely we are to conform, it appears that we're not aware of the effect that they can have. If we admire a group status
or some other characteristic, we are also more likely
to go along with them. And while this can be used to explain why children might be
more likely to go along with a popular group,
because they admire them or want to be like them,
it also explains why we're more likely to trust
the opinion of four doctors than four gardeners when it
comes to our health decisions. Group cohesion can also
have a strong influence on our likelihood to conform. If we have no connection or
feel no connection with the group, we feel less of a need
to go along with that group. Another factor is
whether or not we believe that our behavior is being observed. In a different variant
of the Asch line study, the participant was told
that because he came in late, he would record his
answers on a sheet of paper instead of saying them out loud. And because of this,
they're responses were not shared with the group, and when these participants were confident that their answers wouldn't be judged by the others in the room, they were much less likely to conform. Relatedly, how people believe
that the public will respond, also can have a large effect. If we think that we'll be met
with the public's acceptance, we're happy not to conform, but when we think that
we'll be met with shunning, we are much more likely to
go along with the group. There are also a number
of internal factors that can influence how
likely we are to conform. One of those is prior commitments. If we state something upfront, then we're less likely to
go against it later on. So a prior commitment
to the group's message or direction, can serve
to increase conformity, but at the same time, a prior commitment against it will decrease conformity. We're also more likely to conform when we feel or are made to feel insecure. It makes us feel less comfortable about our own knowledge, which increases the likelihood that we're going to follow the judgments of others. There are also a number of factors that can influence obedience. And to review, while
conformity can involve us changing how we think, obedience is the act of following
directions or instructions or orders without question
and without protesting them. And it's usually done in order to avoid negative consequences
associated with disobeying. And because of this, a lot of the factors that dictate whether or not we will obey depend on the type of authority
that is giving those orders. How close we are to the authority can have a strong influence. We are more likely to accept orders from someone we know and respect
than someone who we don't. Interestingly enough,
actual physical closeness or physical proximity
can also influence it. Participants in the Milgram study were much more likely to obey the commands of the experimenter
when they were standing right behind them, as compared to when they were standing
in the back of a room or standing in a different room. The legitimacy of the
authority also matters. People were more likely to obey commands in the Milgram study when the experimenter was wearing a lab coat
and carrying a clipboard, as compared to when they did not. Institutional authority also matters. Milgram's study took place at
a well-respected university. And you really don't expect such places to give you harmful commands. And while this institutional authority can be physical, it can also be symbolic. So the institution of the
police or the government also tends to bring about
a certain authority. Victim distance can also have an effect. In the original Milgram study, participants were in a different room than the learner or the victim. So they couldn't see him. When the study was repeated such that the participant had to physically pick up the learner's hand and
place it on the board that would electrocute them, it tended to reduce the likelihood that the participant would obey the
commands of the experimenter. But note that this didn't stop everyone. 30% of the participants
still gave all of the shocks. This relates to the idea
of depersonalization, when the learner or victim
is made to seem less human, possibly through
stereotypes or prejudices, people are less likely to
object to acting against them. And similar to conformity,
obedience is also more likely to happen when there are no models of defiance. We're more likely to disobey orders when we see others doing the same. And one thing that you might be wondering after hearing all of
this is whether or not there is a certain type of person who is more likely to conform
or more likely to obey. And the answer seems to be no. There is no one personality
that leads people to be more susceptible to
groups or to authority. That said, we do know that people's moods can have a strong effect. People who are having a
rough day are less likely to conform than those who
are having a good day. We also know that status
and culture can play a role. People of a lower social
or economic status, so those who don't have a lot of power socially or economically and politically, or those who lack power in general, are more likely to conform. We also know that people
in individualistic cultures like the U.S. or western Europe that emphasize personal
achievement over group achievement, are less likely to conform than people in collectivist cultures, or cultures that emphasize the family or the
group over the individual like China or Korea. But even so, you need to keep in mind, that people in individualistic
cultures still conform all the time by doing
things like going to school and eating cereal for breakfast. And taken together, all
of this helps to describe why perfectly ordinary
people can sometimes do very terrible things, but by being aware of these factors, we can also help to reduce them. I remember being really strongly affected by the idea that the presence
of just one nonconformer in a group could cause others
to not conform as well. It made me consider the
fact that by not conforming or not obeying myself, I could have a strong influence on others. And I find a lot of comfort
and strength in that idea. I can also take the
time to think about why I'm conforming to a group or
why I'm obeying an instruction. Knowing the ways in which
people can be influenced can give us more insight and possibly more control over these situations.