Conformity Flashcards
Conformity:
The process of changing your opinions/behaviour because of real or imagined pressure from an individual or group.
Three types of conformity:
strongest to weakest
Internalisation, identification, compliance
Internalisation:
Permanently changing your opinions/behaviours publicly and privately, the opinion/behaviour is considered correct.
Identification:
Changing your opinions/behaviours publicly but not privately because we want to be part of a group.
Compliance:
Changing your opinions/behaviour publicly but not privately, this public change is temporary.
Explanations of Conformity:
ISI (informational social influence)
NSI (normative social influence)
ISI (informational social influence):
Changing your opinions/behaviour because you want to be correct
NSI (normative social influence):
Changing your opinions/behaviour because you fear not being liked
Research Support for NSI:
Strength, Asch interviewed his participants. They said that they conformed because they were scared about disapproval. When the answers were written down conformity fell to 12.5%. Giving the answers privately eliminated group pressure. Therefore, NSI is a strength of of conformity.
Research support for ISI:
Strength, Todd Lucas participants conformed more when they had harder problems, such as maths questions. These are harder than comparing lines. So the participants are unsure of the answer and then they conform. Therefore, ISI is a strength of conformity.
Individual differences in NSI:
Limitation, Some people are concerned about whether people like them or not, these people are called nAffiliators. These people want to be affiliated with others and relate with them. nAffiliators are more likely to conform. Therefore, individual differences in NSI are a limitation of conformity.
