Social NormsMiyuki Kajiwara

What is social norms?Set of rules based on social/cultural beliefs of

the community

SCLOA principle that we are social animals and we feel the need to belong emphasize the desire to conform to group norms Eg. Certain laws implemented in a country is not

considered applicable to other

Social Learning TheoryTheory explaining HOW the community pass on its norms

to individuals.

“Humans Learn behavior through observation of their environment” Eg. Children observe their parent’s behavior and exhibit similar

behavior

Attention Retention Reproduction Motivation

Example of SLT:Bandura (1963) Bobo Doll Experiment

Observed children aged 3-6’s behavior after they watched an adult play with toys in the same room: Video of an adult exhibiting violence Video of an adult playing with toys No video

Those who watched violent video exhibited more violent behavior

They were more likely to imitate those with same sex.

How does norm influence our conformity Norm is the belief set within the

community

If anyone goes against the norm, they are thought to be different an even isolated from the group Fear Embarrassment

These emotions makes the norm stronger by conformity Conformity: Behavior to comply with

standards or rules

Example of conformity to group norms:Asch’s paradigm (1951)

Participant took a line judgment task with a group, who were confederates of the study.

“Which line is most like the target” Each person had to state their answer. Confederates purposefully stated wrong answers to see if they

would conform. Many knew their answers were wrong but still conformed.

Due to thoughts that they would ruin the experiment They would be ridiculed

Conclusion:Social Learning theory:

Bandura et al (1963) We pass on the norm by observing others and

imitating their behavior

Asch’s Paradigm: Asch et al (1951)

We reinforce the norm through conformity due to fear and embarrassment