conformity:types and explanations Flashcards
What is conformity?
a change in a persons behaviour or opinions as a result of real or imagined pressure form a persons or group
What are the three levels of conformity?
compliance
identification
internalisation
What is compliance?
A superficial change in behaviour or opinions when with a group or person
What is identification?
change opinions/behaviour when in a group because there is something about the group that we value, but if we leave the group opinions change.
What is internalisation?
A person genuinely accepts the group norms
what are the explanations for conformity?
Informational social influence
Normative social influence
what is informational social influence?
confirming to gain ‘knowledge because you believe another person is right.
What is normative social influence?
conforming to be accepted or fit in because it is socially rewarding
What type of conformity is usually down to normative social influence?
compliance and identification
What type of conformity is down to Informational social influence?
internalisation
Who developed the two-process theory?
Deutch and Gerald
What are the two human needs?
to be right (ISI)
to be liked (NSI)
What is a strength of ISI?
P-a strength of ISI is the evdidence that supports its role in conformity.
E-for example, Lucas et al found that conformity to an obviously incorrect maths answer was greater when the question was more difficult and the participant rated their own maths ability unfavourably. The participants did not want to be wrong so they relied on the answers they were given
C-this shows that ISI is a valid explanation of conformity because the results align with what ISI would predict
What is a strength of NSI?
P-a strength of NSI is that there is evidence that links NSI to bullying, this suggesting a real life application of the theory.
E- for example, Garandeau and Cillissen found that a boy can be manipulated by a bully into victimising another child because the bully provides a common goal for the boy’s group of friends, the goal is to victimise the other child, so the boy would most likely also victimise the child to avoid disapproval from his friends.
C-this is an example of how conformity is due to a desire to not be rejected (NSI)
What is a limitation of the explanations of conformity?
P-A limitation of the explanations of conformity is that ISI and NSI may not be completely exclusive
E-this is suggested by the variations of Asch’s study where he tested how unanimity affects conformity. For example, a dissenting confederate provided social support for the participant, thus reducing the effect of NSI through providing the naive participant with a supporting, similar view. Equally, this can also reduce the effect of ISI as though the confederate proving the participant with an alternative source of information. This lead to a decrease in conformity.
C-this means that it is hard to deprecate ISI and NSI and both processes probably operate together in most real-world situations
