normative influence

the personal and interpersonal processes that cause individuals to feel, think, and act in ways that are consistent with social norms, standards, and conventions. Normative influence is partly personal, because individuals who have internalized their group’s norms will strive to act in ways that are consistent with those norms. It is also interpersonal, because groups place direct and indirect pressure on members to comply with their norms. Those who consistently violate the group’s norms are often subjected to negative interpersonal consequences (e.g., ostracism, ridicule, punishment), whereas those who conform are typically rewarded. Also called normative social influence. Compare informational influence; interpersonal influence.

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Psychology term of the day

November 18th 2024

recessive allele

the version of a gene (see allele) whose effects are manifest only if it is carried on both members of a homologous pair of chromosomes. Hence, the trait determined by a recessive allele (the recessive trait) is apparent only in the absence of another version of that same gene (the dominant allele). The term autosomal recessive is used to describe patterns of inheritance in which characteristics are conveyed by recessive alleles. For example, Tay–Sachs disease is an autosomal recessive disorder.