conformity

Question 1

what is confromity

Answer 1

changing one’s beliefs or behaviour in response to explicit or implicit pressure (real or imagined) from others

Question 2

conforming to group norms study

Answer 2

sherif autokinetic effect 1936
-spot light on wall, dark room, appears to move
-illusion caused by natural eye movement due to lack of frame of reference ( pp unaware of this )
-pp on own estimate distance moved and generate frame of reference for each trial, estimations different among pp
-group cond. 3-4 pp call out distance
-group formed norm which others adhered to
-group reference frame = internalised

Question 3

majority influence study

Answer 3

asch line study 1952
-123 groups of 7 pp, 1 pp and rest confederate
-unambiguous task to match line lengths
-control group = 0.7% error rate
-in trials 37% produced errors

Question 4

informational social influence

Answer 4

Deutsch and Gerard 1955
-others provide reliable info to help confirm our own perceptions
-conformity due to greater confidence in perceptions of the group e.g sherif’s autokinetic effect

Question 5

normative social influence

Answer 5

Deutsch and Gerard 1955
-rely on others to maximise help and minimise sources of conflict
-disagreeing with others = rejection from group so we are motivated to conform to group norms e.g asch line study as unambiguous

Question 6

why do we conform

Answer 6

-size of majority
e.g asch varied the number of confederates, 1 = no effect on conformity, 2 = 13% errors, 3 = 33% errors (ceiling effect), 4-15 = no additional effects

-independence of majority group members
if majority follow ‘party line’ conformity reduces
if majority are independent conformity increases
Wilder 1977: independent but smaller majority have greater impact on conformity than larger non independent majority

Question 7

who studied minority influence

Answer 7

moscovinci 1969

Question 8

what is a critical factor in conformity

Answer 8

unanimity among majority, any dissent breaks majority influence