Explantaions of Conformity

Question 1

What are the two reasons for conformity?

Answer 1

Normative social influence

Informational social influence

Question 2

Define normative social influence. What type of conformity can this lead to?

Answer 2

People have a fundamental need to be liked and accepted by others and to be part of a group. We therefore avoid any behaviour that will make others reject or ridicule us. This can lead us to copy the behaviour of others in order to fit in.

Normative social influence is likely to lead to compliance.

Question 3

Define informational social influence. What type of conformity can this lead to?

Answer 3

People have a need to be confident that their perceptions and beliefs are correct. Individuals may make objective tests against reality ( e.g. check the facts ) but if this is not possible they will rely on the opinions of others to check if they are correct and then use this as evidence about reality.

Informational social influence leads to internalisation .

Question 4

What are the pros / advantages of the normative social influence theory

Answer 4

• Linkenbach and Perkins provided research support for normative social influence. They found that adolescents exposed to the simple message that the majority of their peers did not smoke were subsequently less likely to take up smoking.
• Tanford and Penrod discovered that in the 95% of cases they looked at the vote of the first member of jury matched the final outcome of the case. This strongly indicates that normative social influence is affecting the decisions reached by juries.

Question 5

What are the pros / advantages of the informational social influence theory

Answer 5

• Wittenbrink and Henley found that participants who were exposed to negative information about African Americans ( which they were led to believe was the view of the majority) later reported more negative beliefs about an African American individual.
• Lucas et al asked students to give answers to easy or difficult mathematics questions. There was more conformity with the difficult questions and students who were not condiment is their mathematical ability conformed more.

Question 6

What are the negatives to the normative / informational social influence theory

Answer 6

• It cannot explain cultural differences in conformity. Bond and Smith conducted a meta - analysis of cross - cultural studies using the Asch design. Indian teachers in Fiji had the highest rates of conformity ( 58 % ) and Belgium students had the lowest rates of conformity (14%) . This suggests that a persons culture is an important factor in determining whether or not they will conform.
• Normative and Informational social influence cannot explain individual differences. Kurosawa found that people with high self - esteem were far more resistant to conformity.