Lesson 2 - Explainations For Conformity

Question 1

What is Normative Social Influence?

Answer 1

• The human need for social approval and acceptance
• Avoiding behaviour leading to rejection/ridicule
• Therefore copying behaviour to fit in
• Leads to Compliance

Question 2

What is Informational Social Influence?

Answer 2

• People have a fundamental need to be right
• When unsure, people will rely on opinions of others, and will use this as evidence of reality
• Likely to occur when situation is ambiguous
• Leads to internalisation

Question 3

Describe the experiment that proves Normative Social Influence, and say who it is by. (Recite the Evaluation Point)

Answer 3

• Asch.
• Group of confederates with a naive participant. They had to identify which of the three lines was the same height as the original line (obvious).
• Confederates say the wrong answer and the naive participants answers were recorded.
• Participants purposely gave the wrong answer.
• 33% of Participants conformed (only 1% chance of a genuine mistake)
• Participants were worried of ridicule if they didn’t agree

Question 4

Describe the experiment that proves Informational Social Influence, and say who it is by. (Recite the Evaluation Point) Clue: J

Answer 4

The experiment was conducted by Jenness.
The experiment was to estimate the number of beans in a jar. Individual estimates were taken before putting participants in groups.
- The individual estimates varied a lot, but estimates changed when in a group.
- Uncertainty caused genuine influence (internalisation)

Question 5

Describe the experiment that proves Informational Social Influence, and say who it is by. (Recite the Evaluation Point) Clue: S

Answer 5

The experiment was conducted by Sherif.
He practised the Autokinetic effect, when light is seen to be moved (illusion). Participants had to estimate the distance it traveled.
- Participants gave varied individual results
- They were put into groups and 2 answers were close together and another was far apart. The group converged into a common estimate
- The task was ambiguous, and lead to conformity

Question 6

What is Ingratiational Conformity?

Answer 6

• Similar to Normative Social Influence
• Group influence does not cause pressure
• Motivated by the need to impress/gain favour

Question 7

What are Dispositional factors in these experiments?

Answer 7

People with higher self esteem were less likely to conform than people with a lower self esteem