Conformity AO1 Flashcards
What is Conformity?
A change in a persons behaviour/opinions b/c of real or imagined pressure
What are the 3 types of Conofmity?
Identification
Internalisation
Compliance
Define Internalisation
When a person accepts group norms, causes public and private changes of opinion/behaviour.
Permanent - persists even in the absence of said group
Define Identification
When a person changes their opinion publically to fit in with the group - to identify with them, privately their opinion/behaviour doesn’t agree to some extent.
Define Compliance
When you agree publically but privately there is not change in opinion/behaviour
It is a superficial change.
Who explained why we conform?
Deutsch and Gerrard
What are the 2 explanations given for why we conform?
Normative Social Influence | NSI
Informative Social Influence | ISI
What is Informative Social Influence? When does it occur?
When you conform b/c of your lack of knowledge & you want to be right
Happens when decisions need to be made quickly
More likely to happen if the other person is more of an expert
What is Normative Social Influence and when does it occur?
When you conform for social/group approval, you want to be liked
Happens in stressful situations when there is a greater need for social support.
People seek approval.
What did Asch (1951) aim to investigate?
The extent of social pressure from how a majority group of people could affect a person to conform
Asch’s Procedure
4 steps
1) 123 Male Americans - 1ppt in a group of 6 to 8 confeds
2) Showed ppts 2 cards, one had a standard line and the other had 3 comparison lines. One comparison line was the same as the standard one.
3) First the confeds said the right ans but then started making errors
4) There were 18 trials, 12 critical trials
What were Asch’s Results?
25% didnt conform
36.8% of ppts gave wrong ans
50% conformed on 6+ trials
What were Asch’s 3 variations? What were the findings?
1) Group Size - conformity increased
2) Unaminity - conformity decreased, ppts more independent w/social support
3) Task Difficulty - Increased conformity
What did Zimbardo aim to investigate in his Stanford Prison Experiment?
To see how people conform to social roles
What was Zimbardo’s procedure?
4 steps
1) 24 male ppts split in half, 1 group guards other prisoners
2) Guards given reflective glasses and uniforms (symbols of power)
3) Prisoners dehumanised, given numbers instead of names
4) Mock arrests took place and placed in a prison
