conformity: types and explanations

Question 1

conformity def

Answer 1

a change in a person’s behaviour or opinions as a result of a real or imagined pressure from a person or group of people (Aronson 2011)

Question 2

Types of conformity by…

Answer 2

└Herbert Kelman (1958

Question 3

Types of conformity

Answer 3

Internalisation
Identification
Compliance

Question 4

Internalisation

Answer 4

└deep conformity
└conform as accept as correct
└permanent change with and without group

Question 5

Identification

Answer 5

└moderate conformity
└conform as value/want to be part of group
└don’t always agree with everything

Question 6

Compliance

Answer 6

└superficial conformity
└go along with group view in public, but don’t change opinions
└temporary change- only when with group

Question 7

Explanations for conformity by…

Answer 7

Deutsch and Gerard (1955)- two process theory

Question 8

Informational social influence

Answer 8

└agree with conformity as we believe it is correct – we want to be correct too
└→internalisation

Question 9

Normative social influence

Answer 9

└agree with conformity as we want to be accepted/liked

└→compliance

Question 10

Strengths

Answer 10

Research support for NSI
└Asch (1951)
└participants conformed as self-conscious
└when wrote down- conformity dropped to 12.5 %
Research support for ISI
└Lucas et al (2006)
└greater conformity to more difficult maths problems- especially from people bad at maths
└people conform in situations they don’t know the answer

Question 11

Weaknesses

Answer 11

Individual differences in NSI
└nAffiliators
└people less concerned with being liked
└less affected by NSI
└McGhee and Teevan (1967)
└students needing affiliation conformed more
Individual differences in ISI
└Asch (1955)
└students (28%) less conformist than other participants (37%)
└Spencer (1980)
└little conformity with science students