Conformity - psychology

Question 1

What is internalisation

Answer 1

When an individual accepts the group norms, This results in a private as well as public change of behaviour. Change is likely to be permanent as attitudes have been internalised

Question 2

What is identification

Answer 2

Conforms to opinions of group as they want to feel apart of the group. Opinions only changed publicly as they maintains their own private opinions

Question 3

What is compliance

Answer 3

Involves ‘going along’ with the group in public. A superficial change as privately the person will maintain their own views.

Question 4

What is Informative social influence

Answer 4

When an individual conforms due to wanting to be right.
Form of conformity - internalisation

Question 5

What is normative social influence

Answer 5

Form of social influence where a person will conform in order to gain approval
Form of conformity - compliance

Question 6

ISI eval

Answer 6

Research support - Lucas et al gave students maths questions, conformity increased as the difficulty of the questions increased. Conformity was higher for those who rated their skills poor. This is because we believe the majority is mire likely to be correct when we find something difficult.

Question 7

NSI eval

Answer 7

Research support - Asch when normative group pressure was higher because PPs were asked to speak out loud conformity was higher. Conformity dropped by 12.5% when they were asked to write answers down instead.

Question 8

Asch procedure

Answer 8

• 123 American male student volunteers
• put in groups with 6-8 confederates
• asked which line a, b, c was same size as x on 18 trials (obvious answer)
• took turns to answer with PP always last or second to
• 12/18 trials were ‘critical’ were the confederates gave the same answer (the first 6 confederates gave correct answer)
• control group of 36 tested on 20 trials to test accuracy of individual judgements

Question 9

Asch findings

Answer 9

• naïve participant gave wrong answer 36.8% of the time
• 75% conformed to at least one incorrect answer
• 25% never conformed

Question 10

Variables investigated by Asch

Answer 10

group size - with three confederates there was 31.8% conformity as group size increased conformity wasn’t really impacted.
Unanimity - presence of dissenter reduced conformity
task difficulty - conformity increased with harder questions

Question 11

Asch strength

Answer 11

• Supporting research - Crutchfield found similar levels of conformity to Asch - 30%
• NSI as an explanation

Question 12

Asch weakness

Answer 12

• Findings lack applicability - only men were studied so the research is androcentric - research shows that women might be more conformist.
• A child of its time - the 1950s were a conformist time, it was a social norm to conform. Researchers repeated it on Uk engineering students 1/396 conformed which shows this is not standard human behaviour.

Question 13

Zimbardo conformity to social roles procedure

Answer 13

• volunteer sample
• random allocation to prisoner, guard
• judged mentally stable PPs psychometric testes were held out beforehand
• prisoners arrested from home
  blindfolded and strip searched
• guards given uniform, baton, aviators, keys (symbols of power)
• prisoners given numbers, smocks, chains around ankles

Question 14

Zimbardo findings

Answer 14

• study stopped after 6 days rather than 14.
• guards became tyrannical and abusive
• prisoners became submissive
• one prisoner was released on the first day of the study due to psychological disturbance

Question 15

Zimbardo conclusion

Answer 15

people behave the way they are expected based off of that social role

Question 16

Zimbardo strength eval

Answer 16

• High control over extraneous variables. Random allocation and making sure all PPs were mentally stable

Question 17

Zimbardo weakness eval

Answer 17

• It could be said that the behaviour of PPs was due to demand characteristics (lack of realism)