conformity Flashcards
what were the aims of asch (1951)
to measure the extent that people conformed to the opinions of others even when the answer is completely wrong
what were the findings of Asch(1951)
25% of pps never conformed - always answered right
75% conformed at least once
when the situation was uncertain pps conformed 36,8% of the time
what were the basic procedures of the baseline experiment
123 male pps were tested, sitting last or next to last in a group of 6-8 confederates
shown 2 cards - one with one line and another with 3
pps had to say which of the 3 was the same
there were 18 trials - on 12, confederates gave the wrong answer
what were the variables investigated by asch
group size
unanimity
task difficulty
group size
number of feds varied from 1 - 15
curvilinear relationship between the two - not a constant relationship
2 feds = 13.6% conformity
3 feds = 31.8%
above 3 feds and conformity rates levelled off
ppl are sensitive to the opinion of others - one more fed could sway an opinion
unanimity
a fed that always disagreed w/ the majority sometimes giving the right answer
conformity reduced to a 1/4 of what it was before when there was a unanimous majority
having a dissenter made pps behave more independently
task difficulty
asch made the task harder by making the lines similar lengths
increased conformity
situation is uncertain making pps look for guidance (ISI)
Eval of conformity (asch)
+other evidence supports asch’s findings - lucas 2006
-conformity is more complex then asch thought
+Artificial situation of lab experiment resulted in reliable data
-task was artificial - demand characteristics - results cannot related to real life
+reliable data means study can be repeated to compare results
-Little application - only tested on men
types of conformity
internalisation
identification
compliance
internalisation
when a person accepts group norms and results in a change of public and private opinion - becomes part of the way a person thinks
permanent
identification
when a person changes view to identify with a group - publicly changing opinion but not privately
temporary
compliance
going along with others to fit in but not changing behaviours in private
temporary and compliance stops when social pressure is relived
explanations for conformity
informational social influence (ISI)
normative social influence (NSI)
isi
informational social influence - cognitive process
desire to be correct - going along with a group as you believe they are correct
occurs in ambiguous situations - leads to internalisation
nsi
normative social influence - emotional process
desire to behave like others and not be foolish
people act like the crowd to fit to norms for approval - leads to compliance
happens in unfamiliar situations where the norms are unknown
evaluation of types and explanations
+research support for isi (Lucas 2006)
-counterpoint , unclear if nis or isi operate in studies let alone real life
+research support for nsi - asch 1951 - when the answer was clear ppl conformed as they were afraid of disproval
-individual differences to nsi, people need a strong affiliation w others McGhee (1967)
+nsi has high ecological validity (rl application) schultz (2008) hotel towels
-no explanation of resistance to SI i.e rebels and freedom fighters meaning they cannot be generalised to everybody. cannot account for individual diffs
what was the spe
Stanford prison experiment (1973 - zimbardo)
zimbardo set up a mock prison in the basement of the stanford psychology department to investigate the effect of social roles on conformity
what was the procedure
21 male students were selected after being tested to see if they were emotionally stable
randomly allocated to prisoner or guard
how were social roles encouraged
uniform
instructions about behaviour
unform
prisoners were given smock and a number to de-individualise prisoners
guards had khaki uniform, sunglasses and weapons to enforce rules and remain anonymous
instructions about behaviour (SPE)
guards told they had complete power over prisoners
prisoners could not leave but would have to ask for parole
what happened during the experiment (SPE)
guards played their role enthusiastically and treated prisoners harsh
prisoners rebelled after 2 days
guards retaliated and harassed prisoners
how did the guards act
guards subdued prisoners after the riot - causing them to become anxious and depressed
released 3 prisoners due to signs of psychological disturbance
put a prisoner in a tiny closet for being on a hunger strike
stopped after 6 days not the planned 14
what were the conclusions from the SPE
social roles have strong influences on behaviour with most pps conforming to roles
guards became brutal, prisoners became submissive
