Conformity Flashcards
Define conformity
A change in a person’s behaviour or opinions as a result of real or imagined pressure from a person or group of people.
what are the 3 types of conformity
- Internalisation
- identification
- compliance
what are the explanations for conformity
- Informative social influence (ISI)
- Normative social influence (NSI)
Explain internalisation
A type of conformity where we take on the majority view because we accept it as correct. We agree privately as well as publically
agree privately and publicly
Explain identification
A type of conformity where we act the same way as the group because we value it and want to be part of it but do not necessarily agree with everything the majority believes.
agree publically but not always privately
Explain compliance
A superficial type of conformity where we outwardly go along with the majority view but privately disagree with it. The change in behaviour only lasts as long as the group is monitoring us
Only agree publically
Explain informational social influence
ISI is an explination of conformity which says that we agree with the majority beacuse we believe it to be correct. We then accept it because we want to be correct as well.
This may lead to internalisation
Explain normative social influence
NSI is an explanation of conformity that says we agree with the opinion of the majority because we want to be accepted/ gain social approval and be liked.
This may lead to complience
how does Lucas et al 2006 support ISI
Lucas et al (2006)
students were asked to give answers to mathmatical problems that were easy or more difficult. There was a greater conformity to incorrect answers when the questions were difficult than when they were easy.
This was most true for students who rated their maths skills as poor.
describe Sherif (1935)
aim + method
Sherif (1935)
Autokinetic Effect
Aim: to demonstrate that people conform to group norms when they are put in an ambiguous situation.
Method: He used the autokinetic effect. When individuals were tested their estimates on how far the light moved varied from 20cm - 80cm.
The participants were then tested in groups of 3, 2 of them had similar estimates and 1 had a very different one. Each person in the group had to say aloud how far the light had moved.
What is the results and conclusion of Sherif (1935)
Results:Over the numerous trials the group converged to a common estimate. The person in the groups whose initial estimate was greatly different conformed to the view of the other two
conclusion: In an ambiguous situation a person will look to others for guidence. They want to be right but lack the appropriate information.
explain how McGhee and Teevan 1967 support NSI
McGhee and Teevan (1967)
found that students high in need of affiliation were more likely to conform.
This shows that the desire to be liked underlies conformity for some people more than others
Explain how Asch 1951 supports NSI
Asch 1951
found that many of his participants went along with a clearly wrong answer because other people did. So he asked them why they did this, some of the participants claimed they were self conscious giving the correct answer because they were afraid of disapproval. When Asch repeated this study but had the participants write the answer rather than them saying it out loud conformity fell to 12.5%.
who are nAffiliators
those who have a need for affiliation are known as nAffiliators
what is meant by affiliation
a need for being in a relationship with others.
Give the 2 large pieces of research investigating conformity
Zimbardo 1973
Asch 1951, 1955
what are the 2 peices of research supporting ISI
- Lucas et al (2006)
- Sherif (1935)
What was the aim of Asch’s research
To investigate the variables affecting conformity.
Those variables were unanimity, group size and task difficulty.
How did Asch adapt the experiment to test group size
Asch increased the size of the group by adding more confederates, thus increasing the majority
How did Asch adapt the experiment to test unanimity
In Asch’s experiment the group was unanimous when all the confederates selected the same comparison line.
How did Asch adapt the experiment to test task difficulty
Asch’s line-judging task is more difficult when it becomes harder to work out the correct answer
define Confederate
is an individual in an experiment who is not a real participant and has been instructed how to behave by the researcher.
Outline the method of Asch’s research
123 American male undergraduates took part in 18 trials and on 12 ‘critical trials’ confederates gave the wrong answer.
The participants had to identify lines of the same length along with 6-8 confederates. They always answered last or second to last.
What were the Findings of Asch’s research
The naïve participants gave the wrong answer 36.8% of the time.
Overall 25% did not conform to any of the trials. This means that 75% conformed on at least one.
When interviewed afterwards most participants said they conformed to avoid being rejected.
While these findings show a conformity, there is not a high level.
define the Asch effect
The extent to which participants conform even when the sitiuation is unambiguous.
In Asch’s group size variation outline the findings
With 3 confederates, conforming to the wrong answer rose to 31.8%. But the addition of more confederates made little difference. This suggests that a small majority is not sufficient for influence to be exerted however there is also no need for a majority over 3
In Asch’s unanimity variation outline the findings
Asch wanted to test if the presence of another non-conforming person would affect the naïve participant’s conformity.
To test this he added a confederate who disagreed. The presence of a dissenter enabled the naïve participant to behave independently.
Suggesting the influence of the majority depends - to some extent- on the group being unanimous.
In Asch’s task difficulty variation outline the findings
Asch made the line-judging task more difficult by making the lines more similar.
He found that conformity increased under these conditions.
This provides evidence for informational social influence due to ambiguous situations.
Evaluate Asch’s research
2 S, 3 W - bullets
not explanation just type and point
W - methodological - all american male undergraduate sample - we can’t generalise.
W - ethical - deception/distress -> questioning eye-sight.
W - ethical - deception - introduced confederates and mislead about the purpose
S - Supports NSI - original study
S- supports ISI - task difficulty variation
An ethical weakness of Asch’s research is deception….
An ethical weakness of Asch’s research is deception. He told participants it was a perception test whenit was actually a test of confomity. This is a weakness as the participants were lied to and were not made aware of the actual purpose of the study, meaning they could not give informed consent. However it could be argued that if the participants were made aware of the study they would have behaved differently affecting the accuracy of the research.
A methodological weakness of Asch’s research is the sample….
A methodological weakness of Asch’s research is the sample, Asch used a sample of all male american undergraduates. This is a weakness because the results cannot be generalised to females or non-collage studnets, meaning that the findings have a limited application and may not be useful to the general population.
what was Zimbardo’s research (1973)
Stanford Prison experiment
what was the aim of the Stanford Prison Experiment 1973
Zimbardo wanted to Zimbardo wanted to find out whether brutality reported among guards in American prisons was due to the sadistic personalities of the guards (dispositional) or was to do with the environment (situational).
outline the aim of the design of the Stanford prison experiment
To investigate how readily people would conform to the roles of guards and prisoners in a role-playing exercise that stimulates prison life.
Explain the method of the Stanford prison experiment 1973
- Zimbardo converted a basement of the Sandford university psychology building into a mock prison.
- He recruited college students to play the roles of prisoners and guards for 14 days.
- Participants were randomly assigned to their roles.
- The guards worked in sets of 3s being replaced after an 8-hour shift and the prisoners were housed 3 to a room.
- Prisoners were treated like every other criminal, being arrested at their own homes, without warning, and taken to the local police station.
- Then they were blindfolded and driven to the mock prison, where the deindividualization process began.
describe the deinvidualisation process
- They were then stripped naked, deloused, had all their personal possessions removed and locked away. They were given prison clothes and bedding.
- They were issued a uniform and referred to by only their number.
What is the addtional details to the Stanford prison experiment 1973
- 24 male college students (chosen from 75) were screened for psychological normality and paid $15 a day.
- There was also a solitary confinement cell for prisoners who ‘misbehaved’.
- The prison simulation was kept as ‘real life’ as possible.
- At the local police station. They were fingerprinted, photographed, and ‘booked’.
- Zimbardo had had the basement set out as a prison, with barred doors and windows, bare walls, and small cells.
- Their clothes were comprised of a smock with their number on, but no underclothes. They also had a tight nylon cap and a chain around one ankle.
What were the findings of the Stanford prison experiment 1973
- After some time the guards began conforming to their roles enthusiastically, their behaviour became a threat to the prisoners’ psychological and physical health so the study was stopped after 6 days instead of 14.
- Within 2 days the prisoners’ rebelled against the harsh treatment by the guards. The guards employed the divide-and-conquer tactics by playing the prisoners off against one another. They harassed the prisoners constantly, to remind them that they were being monitored the whole time.
- After the rebellion was put down, the prisoners became subdued, depressed and anxious.
- One prisoner was released on the first day because he showed signs of psychological disterbance. Two more were released on the fourth day. One prisoner went on a hunger strike. The guards attempted to force-feed him and then punished him by putting him in ‘the hole’ a tiny dark closet.
Instead of being considered a hero he was shunned by the other prisoners.
The guards became more brutal and aggressive, with some appearing to enjoy the power they weilded.
what was the conclusion of Zimbardo’s research 1973
The simulation revealed the power of the situation to influence people’s behaviour. Guards, prisoners and researchers all aconformed to their roles within the prison.
What were the ethical weaknesses of the Stanford prison experiment
- Lack of right to withdraw – when they tried to withdraw, they were encouraged to stay.
- Participants had distress during and after – The researchers did not prevent them from harm.
- Lack of fully informed consent – Zimbardo didn’t know what would occur. Participants did not consent to being arrested
what was a strength of the Stanford prison experiment
The participants were debriefed afterwards
What were the methodological weaknesses of the Stanford prison experiment
- Sample – all male American college students – so cannot be generalised to the wider population
- Realistic – arrested by real police as a surprise – prison setting
- Zimbardo was warden an supervisor of experiment – conflict of interest and lack of objectivity
- Application – just a prison setting so can’t relate to other situations
