Explanations and Types of Conformity Flashcards
How many types of conformity are there?
3
What are the types of conformity?
-identification
-internalization
-compliance
What is internalization?
Acceptance of the groups’ point of view both publicly and privately
What is compliance?
Publicly acting in accordance with the wishes/ actions of the group, aiming to get favorable reaction but resulting in little/no private change.
What is identification?
The individual accepts what they are adopting as right and true, but for the purpose of being liked by the group.
How many explanations for conformity are there?
2
What are the explanations for conformity?
Normative Social Influence
Informational Social Influence
What is Normative Social Influence?
Result of wanting to be liked and be part of a group by following the social norm.
What is Informational Social Influence?
Result of wanting to be right by looking tov others for the right answer.
What is a strength for NSI?
-Research Support
Explain the research support for NSI?
-When Asch (1951) interviewed his participants, some said they conformed because they felt self-conscious giving the correct answer and they were afraid of disapproval.
-When participants wrote their answers down, conformity fell to 12.5%.
-This is because giving answers privately meant there was no normative group pressure.
-This shows that at least some conformity is due to a desire not to be rejected by the group for disagreeing with them (i.e. NSI).
What is a strength for ISI?
-Research Support
Explain the research support for ISI?
-Lucas et al. found that participants conformed more often to incorrect answers when maths problems were difficult.
-This is because when the problems were easy the participants “knew their own minds” but when the problems were hard the situation became ambiguous.
-The participants did not want to be wrong, so they relied on the answers they were given.
-This shows that ISI is a valid explanation of conformity because the results are what ISI would predict.
Explain the limitation of explanations for conformity that it is often ambiguous which is at work?
-It is often unclear whether it is NSI or ISI at work in research studies or real life.
-Asch (1955) found that conformity is reduced when there is one other dissenting participant.
-The dissenter may reduce the power of NSI (because they provide social support) or they may reduce the power of ISI (because they provide an alternative source of social information).
-Both interpretations are possible, therefore, it is hard to separate ISI and NSI- both probably operate together in most real-world conformity situations.
What explanation for conformity does Lucas et al’s research supoort?
ISI
What explanation for conformity is supported by Asch?
NSI
What are the limitations of the explanations of conformity?
-often ambiguous on which is at work
-Individual differences
Explain the limitation of explanations of conformity that there are individual differences?
-NSI does not predict conformity in every case.
-Some people are greatly concerned with being liked, called nAffiliatrors- they have a strong need for affiliation.
-McGhee and Teevan (1967) found that students who were nAffiliators were most likely to conform.
-This shows that NSI underlies conformity for some people more than it does for others, therefore that there are individual differences in conformity that cannot be fully explained by one general theory of situational pressures.
