Conformity

Question 1

What is conformity?

Answer 1

• A change in a person’s behaviour or opinions as a result of real or imagined pressure from a person or group of people.

Question 2

What is Internalisation?

Answer 2

• Deepest type
• Take majority view because we accept it as correct.
• Permanent change in behaviour even when group is absent.

Question 3

What is Identification?

Answer 3

• Moderate type of conformity.
• Act same as majority because we value it and want to be a part of it.
• Don’t agree with everything majority believes.

Question 4

What is Compliance?

Answer 4

• Superficial and temporary type.
• Outwardly go along but privately disagree.
• Change in behaviour only lasts as long as the group is present.

Question 5

What is Informational Social Influence? - Explanation

Answer 5

• Desire to be right.
• Look to others we believe to be correct to give info on how we should behave.
• Mostly when unclear.
• May be strong when moving from one group to another.

Question 6

What is Normative Social Influence? - Explanation

Answer 6

• Desire to fit in.
• Seek social approval.
• Publicly go along with majority but privately hold own views.

Question 7

Evaluation of Explanations - Research Support for NSI

Answer 7

• Asch found many of his participants went along with a clearly wrong answer because others did. Asked why they did this. Some felt self conscious to give correct answer and afraid of disapproval. When study was repeated, participants had to write down answers and conformity rates dropped, felt less self concious.
• Strength - shows that concern for social approval is a key driver in conformity.

Question 8

Evaluation of explanations - Individual differences for NSI

Answer 8

• NSI does not affect everyone’s behaviour in the same way.
• Some people that are less concerned with being liked are less affected by NSI than those who do care about being liked. Known as nAffiliators.
• Weakness - desire to be liked underlies conformity for some more than others.

Question 9

Evaluation of explanations - real life application

Answer 9

• Both have real life applications.
• Peer group pressure is an everyday occurrence for young people- could be attributed to NSI.
• When sometimes unsure how to act in a new situation we often turn to the person who we feel has more knowledge.
• Strength - helps explain how people use both explanations on a daily basis.

Question 10

Evaluation of explanations - Individual differences for ISI

Answer 10

• ISI does not affect everyone in the same way.
• Asch found that students were less conformist than other participants. Perrin and Spencer found little conformity amongst science and engineering students.
• Weakness - shows that individual differences play a very important role in the way people respond and casts doubt on ISI as an explanation for conformity.