Reference Group in Sociology: Definition, Examples & Types – Video & Lesson Transcript | Study.com

Suppose you were a college freshman moving into your dorm. You notice that there are very few cars in the parking lot, but there are several bikes. You look into the open door rooms and notice that a majority of the students in your dorm have a recycling bin in their rooms and green fliers.

You ask your new roommate about the fliers and he tells you that the college is a green campus. Before your parents leave, you ask them to take you to the store to buy a bicycle, a helmet, a recycling bin, and other eco-friendly items. In this example, you used the college students in your dorm room as a reference group.

A reference group is a group to which we compare ourselves. Reference groups, such as college freshmen, serve as a standard to which we measure our behaviors and attitudes. We use reference groups in order to guide our behavior and attitudes and help us to identify social norms.