L2 - Explanations for Conformity Flashcards
what did Deutsch and Gerrard do?
deutsch and gerrard developed a theory to explain WHY PEOPLE CONFORM. They proposed that conformity was caused by one of TWO REASONS
normative social influence
- people have a fundamental NEED (NSI) for SOCIAL APPROVAL and ACCEPTANCE,, we don’t want to be RIDICULED and we want to fit in
- NSI is likely to lead to COMPLIANCE where people will agree publically with the group just to fit in but privately they don’t change their personal opinions
informational social influence
- people have a fundamental NEED TO BE RIGHT, information (ISI)
- when an answer is unclear and a situation is AMBIGUOUS an individual is likely to look to others for the answers
- ISI is more likely to occur when a situation is AMBIGUOUS or when others are EXPERTS
- ISI leads to internalisation, where people publically AND privately change their opinions
+ ASCH
ASCH asked pps to say which of 3 test lines was the same as the STANDARD LINE. The pps were in a group with CONFEDERATES who purposefully gave the same wrong answer even though the correct answer was OBVIOUS because the task was really easy and wasn;t ambiguous.
in 33% of the trials the pps conformed to the group and gave the wrong answer - pps conformed due to NSI, after the experiment they told the researcher they knew the correct answer but were worried that the group would ridicule them for answering differently.
+ JENNESS
JENNESS asked pp to estimate how many BEANS they thought were in a jar. Each pp estimated individually first then did the same but as a group.
He found that when the task was carried out in a group the pps would report estimates roughly of the SAME VALUE, CONVERGING on a number even though previously they had all reported very different figures. This is an example of ISI because the pps were UNCERTAIN of the actual no. of beans in the jar.
+ SHERIF
SHERIF used the AUTOKINETIC EFFECT to investigate conformity. This is where a small spot of light is projetcted onto a screen in a dark room and appears to move even though it is still - pps were asked to estimate how much the light moved.
When tested inivdiually the pps’ estimates VARIED CONSIDERABLY but the once the pps were put in groups of 3 with two people who had similar estimates the third person’s estimate would get closer to the other two estimates even though it was very different originally.
When saying their estimates aloud one by one, the outlier estimate was put third, it was found that their estimate converged to the estimates of the other two pps - they conformed due to ISI because the situation was ambiguous.
- THIRD EXPLANATION FOR CONFORMITY
it has been suggested that there is a third explanation for conformity not included in this theory - INGRATIATIONAL CONFORMITY.
This is similar to NSI but group influence does not enter into the decision to conform, it is instead motivated by the NEED TO IMPRESS rather than the fear of rejection
- DISPOSITIONAL FACTORS
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 LOC. NSI and ISI cannot explain this finding. A persons LOC refers to the extent that they believe they have control over their own behaviour.
People with an internal LOC believe that what occurs in their life is the result of their own behaviour and actions. People with an external LOC believe strongly that what happens in their lives is outside of their control
