Explanations of Conformity

Question 1

What are the 2 explanations of conformity?

Answer 1

Normative social influence and informational social influence.

Question 2

Define Normative social influence.

Answer 2

• Based on our desire to be liked by other members of the group.
• Approval and acceptance from others.
• Produces a change in public behaviour often resulting in compliance.

Question 3

define informational social influence.

Answer 3

• based on our desire to be right.
• based on social comparison and look to others for information about behaviours/how we think.
• occurs in new/ambiguous situations.
• results in identification/internalisation – desire to be right means the individual is likely to both publicly and privately agree with the majority opinion.
  

Question 4

When are people most likely to conform to normative social influence?

Answer 4

• Latane’s social impact theory: most likely to conform when group membership is important to us.
• Perrin & Spencer (1981) study: unemployed black youths were more likely to conform to a majority of other black youths when the experimenter was white.

Question 5

what is some supporting evidence for normative social influence?

Answer 5

• Real world Application:
  – Used to give insight into why some children begin bullying others.
• Garandeau & Cillessen: found that children who had greater need for social acceptance conformed to the actions of a bullying group to be accepted by other group members.

Question 6

Further support for NSI?

Answer 6

Asch:

• Correct answer was obvious yet individuals conformed to the wrong answer.
• Participants confirmed in debriefing interviews that they knew they were giving the wrong answer but did not want to stand out from the group which indicates compliance therefore suggests NSI.

Question 7

What is some support for informational social influence?

Answer 7

Sherif’s study:

• An ambiguous task with no obvious right answer.
• individuals looked to others as a guide and some participants doubted their own judgement. 

Question 8

Further support for ISI?

Answer 8

Lucas et al Maths problems:

• higher levels of conformity when a task is difficult.
• participants would be more unsure of correct answer and look to others as a guide.
• some participants would doubt their ability therefore conformity is higher.

Question 9

When are people most likely to conform to informational social influence?

Answer 9

• in ambiguous situations.
• in an emergancy.
• when we believe the majority has more knowledge about the task.