FUNDAMENTAL MOTIVES AND CONFORMITY 283 tral environ (Griskeviciu ialdini.Kenrick elves as positive and likable individuals acting a mate is takin whether the iuds 2003):and how a distinction between a p and the larg the painting as plebeian and am to stand out. ive cou geway,1978 by going aga the gro e to go a positive judgment)the group does not convey Thus nate may also differ n exactly how and to what extent theywil negativ the effects of the mating motive should be muted for men when the Notably,these are all characteristics that can be conveyed by hether the group judgment is positive r gative should also mat men to ocia domin ance and m ore on d the sitive dis ng with the group.H motiv hould leac when th to appe ent with these ed than men about the ality of inte 10 Study 1 ly d n have a hi drive to splay 3 The initial ter men and women's tendency to conform in against group norms (C odwin.1990) motives) hrough ard,conlormity wa uta motive should actually producemore ude ofthe group ed of a paintin Positive and Negative Group Judgments aed that. ive mindset wa men and women's conformity would increase.Moreover When inspecting an primarily when the gr iudement i Before the person decides to conform or none from the group to ve that a mating mo islike the p I is pe y primarily v hen the group or neg ing that h ableandcoaveyaPositivedisposio2oy Method novel things like paintings"). Participants responses (Scott, 1980); this goal in turn facilitates perceptions, cognitions, and behaviors associated with greater mating success in ancestral environments (Griskevicius, Cialdini, & Kenrick, 2006; Maner et al., 2005; Roney, 2003; Wilson & Daly, 2004). One key to successfully attracting a mate is taking opportunities to positively differentiate oneself from one’s rivals (Buss, 2003); and nonconforming can be an effective method to attract attention and to show a distinction between a person and the larger group (Ridgeway, 1978; Schachter, 1951). Thus, it is possible that a mating motive could lead people to go against the group in order to stand out. Because men and women tend to prefer slightly different char￾acteristics in a romantic partner, men and women seeking to attract a mate may also differ in exactly how and to what extent they will attempt to stand out from their rivals (Barkow, 1989). Traits that women prefer in a mate include willingness to take risks, deci￾siveness, assertiveness, independence, and general characteristics of leadership (Buss, 2003; Sadalla, Kenrick, & Vershure, 1987). Notably, these are all characteristics that can be conveyed by nonconforming with a group of potential rivals (e.g., by disagree￾ing with the group). In contrast, traits that men prefer in a mate focus less on social dominance and more on agreeableness and the mate’s ability to facilitate group cohesion (Campbell, 2002). Not only may the successful display of these traits be undermined by going against the group, but conforming more to the group may actually lead a woman to appear more agreeable while facilitating group cohesiveness. Consistent with these differentially preferred characteristics in men and women, research indicates that women are more con￾cerned than men about the quality of interpersonal relationships, group cohesiveness, and the development of shared norms in a group (Eagly, 1978; Eder & Sandford, 1986). Correspondingly, not only do men have a higher drive to display independence and distinctiveness in a group (Baumeister & Sommer, 1997; Cross & Madson, 1997), but women are much quicker to shun female group mates who act against group norms (Goodwin, 1990). Thus, given differing mate preferences for men and women, it is likely that a motive to attract a mate should produce nonconformity for men, but a mate-attraction motive should actually produce more con￾formity for women. Positive and Negative Group Judgments When one faces the choice of publicly going along with or going against the preferences of the group, this decision is likely to depend on the nature of the group’s preference. Consider, for example, a situation in which a person is visually inspecting an unusual painting at a museum with a group of acquaintances. Before the person decides to conform or nonconform from the group’s opinion of the painting, it may be important for him or her to consider first whether the others’ consensus is that they like or dislike the painting—that is, whether the group judgment is pos￾itive or negative. For the individual in the museum, stating that he likes a unique painting is likely to convey positive dispositional information (i.e., “I am generally positive about novel things like paintings”); whereas stating that he dislikes the painting may convey a negative disposition (i.e., “I am generally negative about novel things like paintings”). Given that a mating motive is likely to make people sensitive to self-presentation (Leary, 1995; Schlenker, 2003), and given that both sexes value some degree of agreeableness in a mate (Green & Kenrick, 1994), mating motives are likely to lead both men and women to present themselves as positive and likable individuals. However, the ability to convey positive dispositional information through conformity or nonconformity hinges on whether the judg￾ment of the group is positive or negative. Consider again the museum situation from a man’s perspective. If the group decries the painting as plebeian and amateur (a negative judgment), the man can convey a positive disposition by going against the group. However, if the group praises the painting’s penetrating genius (a positive judgment), going against the group does not convey a positive disposition. Thus, although a mate-attraction motive should produce male nonconformity when the group judgment is negative (thereby allowing a man to convey both independence and positive dispositional information by going against the group), the effects of the mating motive should be muted for men when the group judgment is positive (resulting in a conflict between wanting to appear independent and to appear positive). Whether the group judgment is positive or negative should also influence when mating motives should lead women to conform more. When the group judgment is positive, a woman can convey a positive disposition by going along with the group. However, when the group judgment is negative, going along with the group does not convey positive information. Thus, although a mate￾attraction motive should lead women to conform more when the group judgment is positive (thereby allowing a woman to convey positive dispositional information by going along with the group), the effects of the mating motive for women should be muted when the group judgment is negative. Study 1 The initial study examined how two fundamental social goals—a motive for self-protection and a motive to attract a mate—influence men and women’s tendency to conform in a same-sex group (as compared with people primed with neutral motives). Self-protection and mate-attraction motives were primed through short imagination scenarios. Afterward, conformity was measured by the degree to which the positive versus negative judgment of the group influenced participants’ ratings of a painting (see Mucchi-Faina, Maass, & Volpato, 1991). We hypothesized that, when a self-protective mindset was primed, men and women’s conformity would increase. Moreover, this increase in conformity was predicted to persist regardless of whether the group judgment was positive or negative. Regarding mate-attraction motives, different predictions were made for men and women. For men, we predicted that a mating mindset would produce nonconformity primarily when the group judgment is negative, which would enable men who go against the group to appear independent and convey a positive disposition. For women, we predicted that a mating motive should produce more confor￾mity primarily when the group judgment is positive, which would allow women who go along with the group to appear more agree￾able and convey a positive disposition. Method Participants Two hundred thirty-seven participants (113 male, 124 female) were recruited from introductory psychology classes as partial fulfillment of FUNDAMENTAL MOTIVES AND CONFORMITY 283 This document is copyrighted by the American Psychological Association or one of its allied publishers. This article is intended solely for the personal use of the individual user and is not to be disseminated broadly