Explanations for Conformity

Question 1

Who developed the 2 reasons for conformity?

Answer 1

Deutsch and Gerard

Question 2

What are the 2 reasons for conformity?

Answer 2

Informational Social Influence

Normative Social Influence

Question 3

What is informational social influence?

Answer 3

When a person conforms to the majority as they are unaware of the correct answer/how to behave - look to others for info

Question 4

Why people find Informational Social Influence good?

Answer 4

If the majority are correct, the conformer is too

If the majority is wrong, the conformer won’t stand out

Question 5

When is Informational Social Influence most likely to occur?

Answer 5

Ambiguous situations
Critical situations
Situation is difficult/complex
Believe others to be experts

Question 6

What is Informational Social Influence most likely to lead to?

Answer 6

Internalisation - didn’t know what to do, and so change your views both publicly and privately so as to know what to do in the same situation in the future

Question 7

What is Normative Social Influence?

Answer 7

When we conform to the behaviours of the majority to “fit in” and be liked by others

Question 8

When is Normative Social Influence more likely to occur?

Answer 8

When talking to strangers
When in a stressful situation

Question 9

What is Normative Social Influence most likely to lead to?

Answer 9

Compliance - you don’t act on personal views, you only copy others to fit in

Question 10

What is a strength for Informational Social Influence?

Answer 10

Lucas’s study (2006)

Question 11

What is a strength for Normative Social Influence?

Answer 11

Asch’s study (1951)

Question 12

What was Lucas’s study (2006)?

Answer 12

Asked students to solve math problems
Some hard and some easy
Conformity occurred more on harder questions
Conformity especially true for students who said they weren’t good at maths

Question 13

How does Lucas’s study support Informational Social Influence?

Answer 13

It suggest conformity is more likely to occur in ambiguous situations

Question 14

What was Asch’s study (1951)?

Answer 14

Participants asked to judge length of lines
Confederates told real participant that blatantly wrong answer
Participant still chose the wrong answer that the confederates chose

Question 15

How does Asch’s study prove for Normative Social Influence?

Answer 15

Questions were difficult yet people still conformed due to Normative Social Influence

Question 16

What are the weaknesses of ISI & NSI as explanations for conformity?

Answer 16

1. Individual differences in NSI & ISI (LACKS POPULATION VALIDITY)
2. ISI & NSI may work together rather than separately when explaining conformity.
3. Both lab studies lack ecological validity

Question 17

What does “individual differences is NSI & ISI mean?

Answer 17

Not everyone shows NSI or ISI
Individuals who don’t care about being liked are unaffected by NSI
Naffiliators are more likely to conform - higher need of affiliation
Certain students said they wouldn’t conform no matter how hard the question was
LACKS POPULATION VALIDITY

Question 18

What does it mean for “ISI & NSI may work together when explaining conformity”?

Answer 18

Both processes may be involved together when explaining conformity

Asch’s experiment - conformity less likely if another dissenting participant
Dissenter reduced NSI - social support
Dissenter reduced ISI - different info
Not always clear which one it is

Question 19

How do the lab studies for ISI sand NSI lack ecological validity?

Answer 19

Carried out in lab conditions - doesn’t match real world
People rarely judge the lengths of lines in real life
Demand characteristics might have also been seen