1. types and factors affecting conformity Flashcards
define COMPLIANCE
simply ‘going along with others’ in public, but not privately changing personal opinions and behaviour.
It results only in a superficial change and a particular behaviour or opinion stops as soon as the group pressure stops.
define IDENTIFICATION
We conform to the behaviour of the group because we value it and want to be a part of it, leading to identification with the group where we may publicly change our opinions to be accepted by the group, even if we don’t privately agree with what the group stands for.
define INTERNALISATION
Occurs when a person genuinely accepts the group norms.
This results in private and public change of opinion/behaviour.
This change is usually permanent because attitudes become part of the way a person thinks, so the change persists even in the absence of the group.
Deutsch and Gerard developed a two-process theory of why people conform.
They are based on two human needs:
the need to be liked (NSI) and
the need to be right (ISI).
NORMATIVE SOCIAL INFLENCE NSI
why it happens, when, type of process, leads to…
Suggests we agree with the majority due to the need to be accepted, gain approval and to be liked.
People do not like to appear foolish and prefer to gain social approval rather than rejection, therefore they often follow social norms.
So NSI is an emotional process, not cognitive.
NSI mostly occurs in situations with strangers where people may feel concerned about rejection, or with friends as we are most concerned about the opinions of people we know.
It often leads to compliance.
INFORMATIONAL SOCIAL INFLUENCE ISI
why it happens, when, type of process, leads to…
Suggests we agree with the majority as we believe they are correct or more knowledgeable than us.
It is more likely to happen in situations that are new to a person or where there is some ambiguity (not clear what’s right), so people assume the group is more likely to be right.
It is a cognitive process that leads to internalisation.
AO3 - research support for NSI
research evidence supporting NSI as an explanation of conformity - Asch
When Asch interviewed his participants, some said they conformed because they felt self-conscious giving the correct answer as they were afraid of disapproval.
When participants wrote their answer down, conformity rate dropped to 12.5% - this is because giving answers privately meant there was no normative group pressure.
This shows that at least some conformity is due to a desire not to be rejected by the group for disagreeing with them.
AO3 - research support for ISI
research evidence supporting ISI as an explanation of conformity - Lucas
Lucas et al. found that participants conformed more often to incorrect answers when they were given when the maths problems were more difficult. This is because when the problems were easy the participants knew their own minds, but when the problems became harder the situation became unclear. The participants did not want to be wrong, so they relied on the answers they were given.
This shows that ISI is a valid explanation of conformity because it showed that people conform in situations where they do not know the answer, exactly what ISI states.
AO3 - limitation of NSI
individual differences - nAffiliators (McGhee)
NSI does not predict conformity in every case.
Some people are greatly concerned with being liked by others - they are called nAffiliators, meaning they have a strong need for affiliation (wanting to relate to people). McGhee found that students who were nAffiliators were more likely to conform.
This shows that NSI underlies conformity for some people more than it does for others. There are individual differences in conformity that cannot be fully explained by the two-process theory.
AO3 - limitation of Deutsch & Gerard’s two process theory
theory is flawed - both processes work together (Asch)
The idea of Deutsch and Gerard’s two-process theory is that NSI and ISI work separately. However, more often, both processes work together.
For example, in Asch’s study the possibility of rejection was a strong reason for conformity, demonstrating NSI, but it was also true that the unanimous group conveyed the impression that everyone ‘knew’ the answer, demonstrating ISI.
This means that the theory is flawed as conformity is likely to be a result of a combination of both ISI and NSI.
