Conformity - Types and Explanations

Question 1

define internalisation

Answer 1

a deep type of conformity where we take on the majority view because we accept it as correct, it leads to a far - reaching and permanent change in behaviour - even when the group is absent

Question 2

define identification

Answer 2

moderate type of conformity - we act the same way as the group because we value it and want to be part of it. We don’t necessarily agree with everything the group / majority believes

Question 3

define compliance

Answer 3

compliance: superficial/ temporary conformity , we outwardly go along with the majority view - but privately disagree with it. The change in behaviour only lags as long as the group is monitoring us

Question 4

define informational social influence

Answer 4

informational social influence : explanation of conformity that says we agree with the opinion of the majority as we believe it is correct. We accept it because we want to be correct as well - may lead to internalisation

Question 5

normative social influence

Answer 5

normative social influence : an explanation of conformity that says we agree with the opinion of the majority as we want to gain social approval and be liked - may lead to compliance

Question 6

what did Herbert Kerman 1958 say?

Answer 6

In 1958, Herbert Kerman suggested that there are three ways in which people conform to the opinion of a majority :

internalisation, identification and compliance

Question 7

when does internalisation happen?

Answer 7

occurs when a person genuinley accepts the group norms

Question 8

what does internalisation result in?

Answer 8

a private as well as public change in opinion / behaviour

Question 9

what is this change like?

Answer 9

usually permanent as attitudes have been internalised - become part of the way one thinks

Question 10

does this change in behaviour persist?

Answer 10

yes even in the absence of the group/ members

Question 11

when does identification occur?

Answer 11

we conform to opinions/behaviour of a group because there is something about the group we value

we identify with the group so want to be a part of it

Question 12

what does identification do to ones opinions / behaviour?

Answer 12

it may mean we publicly change our opinions/ behaviour to be accepted by the group

even if we dont privately agree with everything the group stands for

Question 13

what is compliance conformity?

Answer 13

it involves ‘simply going along with others ‘ publicly, but in private not changing personal opinions / behaviour

Question 14

what does compliance result in?

Answer 14

only superficial change

Question 15

what does this mean about behaviour?

Answer 15

that a particular behaviour/ opinion stops as soon as group pressure stops

Question 16

what did Morton Deustch and Harold Gerard (1955) develop?

Answer 16

a two process theory - arguing that there are two main reasons people conform

Question 17

what are the two main reasons people conform?

Answer 17

they are based on two central human needs:

• the need to be right
• the need to be liked

Question 18

what is informational social influence?

Answer 18

about who has the better information, you or the rest of the group

Question 19

explain ISI?

Answer 19

often we are uncertain about what beliefs / behaviours are right/wrong

we follow the behaviour of the group / majority, because we want to be right

Question 20

what process is ISI?

Answer 20

cognitive as it is to do with what you think

it leads to permanent change in behaviour/ influence

Question 21

when is ISI most likely to happen?

Answer 21

in situations that are new to a person or if there is some ambiguity

it also occurs in crisis situations where decisions need to be made quickly and we assume that the group is more likely to be right

Question 22

what is normative social influence about ?

Answer 22

what is normal behaviour of a social group

Question 23

what do norms do?

Answer 23

they regulate the behaviours of groups and individuals so it is not surprising that we pay attention to them

people dont like to look foolishand prefer to gain social status

Question 24

what type of processing is the NSI?

Answer 24

emotional

Question 25

what does the nsi lead to ?

Answer 25

temporary change in opinion/ behaviour (compliance)

Question 26

when is the nsi most likely to occur?

Answer 26

in situations with strangers where you may feel concerned about rejection

with people you know because we are most concerned about the social approval of our friends

Question 27

when is the nsi sometimes more pronounced?

Answer 27

in stressful situations where people have greater need for social support

Question 28

what is a strength of NSI?

Answer 28

that evidence supports it as an explanation of conformity

Question 29

give an example of this strength?

Answer 29

when Asch (1951) interviewed his participants , some said they conformed because they felt self-conscious giving the correct answer and afraid of disapproval

Question 30

what happened when participants wrote down their answers?

Answer 30

conformity fell to 12.5% this is because giving answers privately meant there was no normative group pressure

Question 31

therefore what does this show?

Answer 31

that at least some conformity is due to a desire not to be rejected by the group disagreeing with the group for disagreeing with them

Question 32

what is a strength of ISI?

Answer 32

there is research evidence to support ISI from the study by Todd Lucas (2006)

Question 33

what did Lucas find ?

Answer 33

that participants conformed more often to incorrect answers they were given when the maths problems were difficult

this is because when the problems were hard, the situation became unclear

the participants did not want to be wrong so they relied on the answers they were given

Question 34

therefore, what does this show?

Answer 34

that the ISI is a valid explanation of conformity because the results are what the ISI would predict

Question 35

However, what is often unclear?

Answer 35

whether the NSI or ISI at work in research studies (or in real life)

for example, Asch (1955) found that conformity is reduced when there is one other dissenting participant

Question 36

what may the dissenter do in the NSI?

Answer 36

they may reduce the power of the NSI, because they provide social support or may reduce the power of ISI because they provide alternative sources of social information

both interpretations are possible

Question 37

therefore , what is a counterpoint of the NSI and ISI?

Answer 37

it is hard to separate them and both processes probably operate together in most real work conformity situations

Question 38

what is a limitation of the NSI?

Answer 38

it doesn’t predict conformity in every case

Question 39

what are nAffiliators?

Answer 39

people who are greatly concerned with being liked by others , they have a strong need for ‘affiliation’ -they want to relate to people

Question 40

what did Paul McGhee and Richard Teevan (1967) find?

Answer 40

that students who were nAffiliators were more likely to conform

this shows that NSI underlies conformity for some people more than it does for others

Question 41

therefore, what does this suggest?

Answer 41

there are individual differences that conformity that cannot be fully explained by one general theory or situational pressures