Explanations For Conformity? Flashcards
What is Normative social influence
People have a fundamental need for social approval and acceptance. We therefore avoid behaviour that will make others reject and ridicule us. This can lead us to copy the behaviours of others to fit in. Research shows that we like people who are similar to us, so co for its is an effective strategy to fit in with a group. NSI normally leads to compliance.
What is informational social influence ?
People have a fundamental need ti be right and have an accurate perception of reality. Individuals will make objective tests against reality, but if this is not possible then they will rely on the opinions of others to check if they are correct and use this as evidence about reality. ISI will more likely happen if the the situation they are in is ambiguous, or when others are experts. ISI leads to internalisation p
Evaluations of explanations for conformity
+ Asch (1951) asked participants to say which of three ‘test lines’ was the same
as the ‘standard line’. The participants were in a group with confederates who
purposefully gave the same wrong answer, even though the correct answer was
obvious. In 33% of the trials the participants conformed to the group and gave
the wrong answer (the chance of making a genuine mistake on this task was only
1%). Participants conformed due to normative social influence. After the
experiment they claimed that they knew the correct answer but were worried
that the group would ridicule them if they answered differently to everyone
else.
+ Jenness (1932) asked participant to estimate how many beans they thought
were in a jar. Each participant had to make an individual estimate first, and then
do the same as a group. He found that when the task was carried out in a group,
the participants would report estimates of roughly the same value (even though
they had previously reported quite different estimates as individuals). This is
likely to be an example of informational social influence as participants would
be uncertain about the actual number of beans in the jar and so be genuinely
influenced by the group.
+ Sherif (1935) used the autokinetic effect to investigate conformity. This is
where a small spot of light (projected onto a screen) in a dark room will appear
to move, even though it is still (i.e. it is a visual illusion). It was discovered that
when participants were tested individually their estimates of how far the light
actually moved varied considerably (e.g. from 20cm to 80cm). The participants
were then tested in groups of three. Sherif manipulated the composition of the
group by putting together two people whose estimate of the light movement
when alone was very similar, and one person whose estimate was very different
Each person in the group had to say aloud how far they thought the light had
moved. Sherif found that over numerous estimates of the movement of light,
the group converged to a common estimate. The person whose estimate of
movement was greatly different to the other two in the group conformed to the
view of the other two because of informational social influence. The task was
ambiguous so they looked to others for the answer.
- It has been suggested that there is a third explanation for conformity, not
included in this theory, known as ingratiational conformity. This is similar to
normative social influence, but group influence does not enter into the decision
to conform. It is instead motivated by the need to impress or gain favour,
rather than the fear of rejection (McLeod, 2007).
- Dispositional factors (i.e. personality traits) may also impact whether or not a
person conforms. People with an internal locus of control are less likely to
conform than those with an external locus of control. Normative social
influence and informational social influence cannot explain this finding. A
person’s locus of control refers to the extent to which they believe they have
control over their own behaviour. People with an internal locus of control
believe that what occurs in their life is the result of their own behaviour and
actions. People with an external locus of control believe strongly that what
happens in their lives is outside of their control.
