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Norms and Status in GroupsOutline
NormsNorm DevelopmentAnalyzing Class Norms Responding to Norm
Violations
Status BasicsAchieved StatusAscribed Status
Acceptable standards of behavior
within a group that are adopted
and shared by the group’s
members
NormsNorms
Norms
NormsAccepted ways of thinking, feeling,
behavingShared expectations about how the
members of a group ought to behave
Why do we follow norms?Make life easierRewards for following normsInternalization of norms
Descriptive Norms
Rules for what is commonly done or thought in a situation
e.g., kinds of clothes, rules of conversation, certain aspects of beauty
Descriptive norms are great for fitting in
What is the downside of “fitting in?”Mob mentalityPluralistic ignorancePluralistic ignorance When people’s
beliefs about the descriptive norm do match reality
Injunctive Norms
Description of what is allowed or commonly approved/disapproved of in a situation
What you “should do” instead of what people “typically do”
Norms and Littering
Descriptive normsPeople little more in a dirty parking
garage than a clean parking garageDirty parking garage provides evidence
that littering there is what people doInjunctive norms
Less likely to litter after observing someone pick up a piece of litter: reminds you what you should do
Results of an experiment on norms concerning littering. The prior existence of litter in a public setting implies that littering is acceptable. This encourages others to “trash” the area. (From Cialdini, Reno, & Kallgren, 1990.)
A. Norm of reciprocityWhen someone provides you with a benefit, it is
appropriate for you to return the favorEXAMPLE: Regan (1971)
“Coke” study
B. Norm of social commitmentKeeping our promises and honoring our commitments
C. Conforming to group normsTendency to follow attitudes and behavior of the group
Group Norms: Cooperation vs CompetitionNorms of cooperation
Norms encouraging members to support each other toward the achievement of the goals
Has positive benefitsNorms of competition
Norms supportive of members seeking personal goals at the expense of other members
Often originates in leaders reward structureIndividualistic vs collectivist culturesBetween groups vs within group
competition
Group Norms: Productivity Norms
Production normsNorms specifying how hard to work and how
much to produce
Norms favoring production whengroup’s identity is congruent with high
productiongroup has shared goals related to productionpersonal goals are tied to group goalsgroup likes and values the leadership
Hawthorne studies
EXAMPLE: Sherif's (1936) autokinetic effect studies
Norm Development
Autokinetic effect: the stationary dot of light will seem to move
It moved about3.5 inches
What if people make their judgments with others, and state estimates aloud?
Looks like 1 inch
I’d say 2 inches
7.5 inches
A norm develops! Initially, they differ; but over trials, they converge
Person A
Person B
Person C
Convergence
Alone GroupSession 1
GroupSession 3
GroupSession 2
Ave
rage
di
stan
ce e
stim
ates
Analyzing the Norms of our Class
Let’s say a new student joined our classroom right now and to ease their entrance into the class group, you and your group have to provide them with a handbook about the group’s norms. Create two lists of specific class norms for this student, one of formal norms and one of informal norms. Include common penalties delivered to group members that violate the norms. What other norms should our class consider adopting to deal with any problem member behaviors or inefficiencies in how the class works.
Responding to Norm Violations in the GroupLikely consequences:
1) Once a member violates a norm, others will take it as permission to violate it as well
2) People may become angry with the leader if s/he doesn’t respond to norm violations
Members are most likely to abide by a norm if:they had a say in deciding on the normthey understand and accept the reasons
behind it
Status Basics
StatusIndividuals’ positions in
a hierarchy of power relations within a social group
3 major componentsAsymmetrical
amounts of attention
Differential amounts of respect and esteem
Differential amounts of influence
Status Basics
Status systemDistribution of power and prestigeStatus hierarchy often reflected in official
structure
Achieved statusStatus that is earned
Ascribed statusStatus that is bestowed based on some
prestigious/powerful characteristic
Status Markers
Nonverbal and verbal behaviors that signify status Standing up straight Maintaining strong eye
contact Speaking in a firm voice Speaking the most Criticizing, commanding,
and interrupting others Domineering/directive
behaviors Firm handshake
Achieved Status
Earn status by helping group achieve goal and by sacrificing for group
Path to earning status depends on group
Earning status involves ‘working their way up’ the status hierarchyHigh status are often those who have been
in the group longest
Status Dues System
What the group requires of members before they are awarded higher statusNew members must pay dues
Status violationWhen low status members act as if they
have high status before they pay their dues
Your Experience with Status Dues Systems
Think of the groups you have been a member of. Identify any status dues that had to be paid and what happened to new group members who failed to understand the group’s status dues systems
Ascribed Status
Individuals are often assigned high status merely by looking and acting like they are high statuse.g., by displaying status markers
Two views on attaining status in groupsThe Ethological ApproachExpectation States Theory
The Ethological Approach
Ethological approach
Approach that suggests stronger humans are assigned high status in the groupStrength determined by
SizeMusculatureFacial expressionsetc…
Status contests are commonNegotiating status through verbal acts,
gestures, and postures
Expectation States TheoryStatus is determined by expectations group
members have of each members ability and potential to contribute to the group
These expectations are: Performance Expectations
Performance expectations affectExtent to which members look to other members
for contributionsPerceptions regarding the value of members
contributionsWho wins in the case of a disagreement
Status Characteristics
Specific-status characteristicsSkill or experience related status
characteristics
Diffuse-status characteristicsDemographically derived (and visually
obvious) status characteristics, such as age, ethnicity, gender, or attractiveness
How Did you Learn Norms as a New Group Member?
Describe your experiences as a new group member in an established group and the process by which you learned the norms of the group.
For instance, consider experiences such as taking a new job, joining an existing club, moving from one parent’s home to another, or being a new member of a romantic partner’s family group.
What might the group have done to help you learn the norms more quickly?
