Groupthink
Flawed decision-making when consensus overrides critical evaluation. MCAT clue: suppressed dissent, illusion of unanimity, poor alternatives review.
Worked Example: An experienced pianist plays a well-rehearsed piece better in front of an audience than alone, while the same pianist performs a brand-new, unfamiliar piece worse in front of an audience. What explains both outcomes?
Social facilitation; audience-raised arousal helps well-learned tasks but disrupts novel ones.
Worked Example: In an Asch-style task, a participant privately believes Line A is correct but publicly states Line B with the unanimous group, then later says they still believed Line A all along. What does this show?
Normative social influence under conformity; public response changed, private belief did not.
Conformity vs obedience
Conformity follows group norms without explicit orders; obedience follows direct authority commands.