P1 Social influence: Asch: Conformity Flashcards
What is the definition of conformity according to Aronson?
A change in behaviour or belief as a result of real or imagined group pressure.
Aronson, E. (1988). The Social Animal (5th ed.). W H Freeman/Times Books/ Henry Holt & Co.
Fill in the blank: Conformity is a change in _______ or belief as a result of real or imagined group pressure.
[behaviour]
What are the three types of conformity?
Compliance, Identification, Internalisation
These types represent varying depths of conformity based on individual agreement and the influence of social groups.
Define compliance in the context of conformity.
The shallowest level of conformity where individuals change their behavior to fit in with the group but do not privately agree with it.
Compliance is often motivated by normative social influence and is not permanent.
What characterizes identification as a type of conformity?
An intermediate level where an individual adopts the behavior or beliefs of a group to establish a relationship, regardless of private agreement.
Identification is linked to social identity and group membership.
What is internalisation in terms of conformity?
The deepest level of conformity where an individual accepts the majority’s beliefs both publicly and privately, making it part of their belief system.
Internalisation is a permanent form of conformity influenced by informational social influence.
How does compliance differ from internalisation?
Compliance is temporary and superficial; internalisation is permanent and deep-rooted.
Compliance occurs only in the presence of the group, while internalisation persists independently.
True or False: Identification involves a genuine internal agreement with a group’s beliefs.
False
Identification may not involve private agreement; it is more about the desire for association with a group.
Fill in the blank: _______ is likely due to normative social influence.
Compliance
Normative social influence encourages behavior change to fit in with the group.
Fill in the blank: _______ is most likely due to informational social influence.
Internalisation
Informational social influence leads to genuine acceptance of beliefs and behaviors.
What are the two main explanations for conformity?
Informational social influence (ISI) and normative social influence (NSI)
ISI involves conforming based on the desire to be correct, while NSI involves conforming to be liked.
What is normative social influence (NSI)?
Conforming to the majority to avoid rejection or being seen as an outcast
NSI is driven by a desire for social approval and is motivated by emotional reasons.
What motivates normative social influence (NSI)?
A desire to be liked and gain social approval
This motivation leads to compliance rather than genuine belief change.
What type of change results from normative social influence (NSI)?
Superficial and temporary change
Individuals may publicly agree with the group while maintaining their private beliefs.
Compliance is a result of which type of social influence?
Normative social influence (NSI)
Compliance occurs when individuals outwardly agree with the group but do not change their private beliefs.
True or False: Normative social influence leads to a permanent change in beliefs.
False
NSI leads to temporary changes in view or behavior.
What is Informational Social Influence (ISI)?
Conforming to the majority due to a desire to be correct in uncertain situations.
What motivates Informational Social Influence?
The belief that others have more knowledge or correct information.
What type of reasons drive Informational Social Influence?
Cognitive reasons.
What is the result of Informational Social Influence on an individual’s view or behavior?
The change is genuine and permanent.
What does ISI lead to in terms of acceptance of group norms?
Internalisation.
In the context of ISI, what does internalisation mean?
Genuinely accepting the group’s norms or views.
True or False: Informational Social Influence only leads to temporary changes in behavior.
False.
Fill in the blank: ISI is motivated by _______.
cognitive reasons.
What happens to private beliefs as a result of ISI?
They change to align with the group’s stance.
What was the main task in Asch’s line judgment experiment?
Participants had to identify which of three lines matched the standard line in length
This was a test of conformity where participants’ responses were influenced by confederates.
How many male college students were involved in each group during the Asch experiment?
8 to 10 male college students
Only one participant was real, while the others were confederates.
In the Asch experiment, how many control trials were conducted before the critical trials?
Six control trials
In these trials, confederates provided the correct answers.
What percentage of participants conformed at least once in Asch’s study?
About 75%
This indicates a significant level of conformity among participants.
What was the overall conformity rate in the critical trials of Asch’s experiment?
Around 32%
This reflects the tendency of participants to align with incorrect majority opinions.
What type of social influence did Asch’s research suggest was a reason for conformity?
Normative social influence
Participants conformed to gain social approval and avoid rejection.
True or False: In the Asch experiment, all participants were real participants.
False
Only one participant was real; the others were confederates.
Fill in the blank: Asch’s study showed that people conform for _______.
social approval
This highlights the desire to fit in and avoid being seen as an outcast.
What was the role of confederates in Asch’s experiment?
To provide answers, either correct or incorrect, to influence the real participant
Confederates were instructed to give the same incorrect answer in critical trials.
What was the significance of the 12 critical trials in the Asch experiment?
They tested the measure of conformity by having confederates give incorrect answers
This phase was crucial to assess how often the real participant conformed.
What percentage of participants conformed at least once in Asch’s original study?
75%
25% of participants never conformed.
What was the overall conformity rate in the critical trials of Asch’s study?
32%
This indicates the level of social influence present during the experiments.
How did conformity rates change with varying group sizes in Asch’s study?
Increased with more confederates up to three, then stabilized
3% with 1 confederate, 13% with 2, 33% with 3, and 31% with 16 confederates.
What effect did having a confederate respond correctly have on conformity rates?
Dropped to 5.5%
This indicates that dissenting opinions can provide social support.
What factor caused an increase in conformity when Asch made the task more difficult?
Increased task ambiguity
Participants were more uncertain about their judgments, leading to greater susceptibility to informational social influence.
True or False: The presence of a unanimous group always increases conformity rates proportionally.
False
Beyond a certain group size, the increase in conformity rates does not continue proportionally.
Fill in the blank: The conformity rate with one confederate was _______.
3%
This suggests minimal social pressure with a single dissenting voice.
What is the significance of the conformity rate of 5% in Asch’s study?
Indicates the proportion of participants who conformed every time
This highlights extreme cases of social influence.
What type of social influence is suggested when participants are uncertain about their judgments?
Informational social influence
This occurs when individuals look to others for guidance in ambiguous situations.
What are the three variables affecting conformity?
- group size
- unanimity
- task difficulty
What is a strength of Asch’s study in terms of internal validity?
High internal validity due to controlled lab setting and standardised procedures. All participants had the same experience, reducing extraneous variables and making results more reliable.
What is a strength of Asch’s study in terms of replication?
The standardised procedure made the study easy to replicate, allowing multiple studies to confirm findings. This adds reliability and enhances understanding of conformity.
What is a limitation of Asch’s study regarding temporal validity?
Lacks temporal validity as it was conducted in 1950s Cold War America. Perrin and Spencer (1981) found lower conformity in 1980s Britain, suggesting societal changes affect conformity.
Why is cultural bias a limitation in Asch’s study?
Culturally biased as it only used American participants. Bond’s meta-analysis found higher conformity in collectivist cultures than in individualist cultures, showing the study lacks population validity.
A03: explanations for conformity
How does Asch’s study support normative social influence (NSI) as a strength?
Asch’s study supports normative social influence (NSI), with 75% of participants conforming to avoid rejection, even when they knew the correct answer. Conformity dropped to 12.5% when responses were private, indicating that participants conformed publicly to avoid disapproval, highlighting NSI’s role in social behavior.
A03: explanations for conformity
How does task difficulty in Asch’s study support informational social influence (ISI)?
When Asch increased task difficulty by making lines more ambiguous, participants relied on others’ judgments. This supports informational social influence (ISI), as it shows people look to others for guidance in uncertain situations, confirming ISI as a key explanation of conformity.
A03: explanations for conformity
Why do dispositional factors challenge the explanation of conformity?
Dispositional factors suggest conformity isn’t solely situational. People with high affiliation needs conform more to avoid rejection, while those with an internal locus of control are less likely to conform, showing that personality traits can also influence conformity.
A03: explanations for conformity
Why is it difficult to separate NSI and ISI in explaining conformity?
NSI and ISI are often hard to separate. In ambiguous situations, people seek informational influence for guidance but also desire normative approval to fit in, making it challenging to pinpoint their exact motivation for conforming.
