Conformity Flashcards
What is social influence?
The process by which our thoughts, feelings and behaviour are influenced by other people
What is conformity?
A change in a persons behaviour or opinions as a result of real or imagined pressure from a person or group of people
What are dispositional factors?
When an individuals behaviour is a result of their personality
What is a situational factor?
When an individual’s behaviour is a result of their social context
What are the types of conformity?
Compliance
Identification
Internalisation
What is compliance?
When a person conforms publicly but continues to disagree privately
What is identification?
Conform to opinions/behaviour of a group because we value something about that group. Identify with the group as we want to be part of it
What is internalisation?
When someone genuinely accepts the group norms. Results in a private and public change of behaviour
What is the two process theory and who developed it?
Explanations of conformity proposed by Deutsch and Gerrard (1955):
Normative social influence and Informational social influence
What is NSI?
The need to be liked- emotional reason
What is ISI?
The need to be right- cognitive reason
Research support?
Lucas et al (2006)- greater conformity to incorrect answers on harder maths questions than easy ones- ISI
Individual differences?
Asch (1955) found that students were less conformist than other ppts. Suggests that people who are knowledgable/ more confident in terms of not needing approval are less influenced
Oversimplification?
ISI and NSI often both used, rather than just one. Not always possible to be sure when one is at work
