Conformity: Types and Explanations

Question 1

What is conformity?

Answer 1

The tendency to change what we do or what we think or say in response to the influence of others or social pressure

Question 2

What is compliance?

Answer 2

A change in a person’s behaviour or opinions publically but privately not changing. This can be due to real or imagined pressure

Question 3

What is internalisation?

Answer 3

A deep type of conformity where a person accepts the groups norms and the change is likely permanent

Question 4

What is identification?

Answer 4

Where a person conforms to the opinions and behaviour of a group because there is something about the group we value

Question 5

Who developed the two-process theory?

Answer 5

Morton Deutsch and Harold Gerard

Question 6

What is informational social influence (ISI)?

Answer 6

The need to be right, it is about who has the better information (you or the rest of the group)

Question 7

What is normative social influence (NSI)?

Answer 7

The need to be liked, what is normal/typical behaviour for a social group

Question 8

What are 3 evaluation points?

Answer 8

• Research support: people conform when they don’t know answer, supporting ISI
• Individual differences
• ISI and NSI work together