Conformity Flashcards
What does it mean to be social?
- Being influenced by others
- Behaviour can change depending on who you’re with
What is conformity?
- Behaviour is affected by the real or imagined presence of other people
What are the two cultures in conformity?
- Individualist vs Collectivist (me vs we)
What are traits of individualist?
- Independent
- Speak your mind
- Privacy is important
What are traits of collectivist?
- Importance of extended family
- Privacy is invaded by group
- Avoid conflicts to keep the group happy
Why do we conform?
- Normative Social Influence (NSI)
- Informative Social Influence (ISI)
What is Normarive Social Influence?
- Conform to fit in
- Conform to be liked
- Emotional process
- Stronger when you need emotional support
What is Informative Social Influence?
- ‘Do these people know more than me?’
- If you’re unsure of the norm you conform to who you think is correct
- It’s a cognitive process
- Common in new situations
Explain Asche’s 1951 study
- Ppts split into groups of 7, 1 was participant the rest was confederate
- Asked to indents which line matches the standard line
- Participants conformed and gave wrong answers at 36.8% of the trials
- 25% of ppts didn’t conform at all
- 75% of ppts conformed at least once
- Proves NSI
What are the types of conformity?
- Compliance
- Identification
- Internalisation
What is compliance?
- Change of public behaviour to fit in
- Private opinion stays the same
- Lasts as long as the group is present
What is identification?
- Public behaviour changes, so does private opinion
- Only a short term change as it changes back when the group is not present anymore
What is internalisation?
- Public behaviour and private opinions both change permanently
- Conformity change lasts longer, even when they’re not with the group anymore
Explain Zimbardo’a Stanford Prison Experiment
Method
1. 24 ‘emotionally stable volunteers’
2. Given role of prisoner or guard
3. Prisoners given numbers and uniforms
4. Guards given uniforms, handcuffs, sunglasses
5. Shows identification
Findings
1. Guards identified with their roles (became brutal and aggressive)
2. Prisoners identified with rebelling
3. When guards shut down rebellion, prisoners became depressed
4. 3 Prisoners were released early
5. 1 Prisoner had a mental breakdown, and another one went on a hunger strike
Conclusion
1. Everyone conformed to their roles
2. Situations have a strong impact on behaviour
Research support for conformity
- Zimbardo’s research shows identification
- Asche’s research shows compliance
