SCLOA - Discuss factors influencing conformity

Question 1

conformity

Answer 1

• tendency to change one’s thoughts, feelings, or behaviour

- in ways that agree with a particular individual/group/situation

Question 2

factors affecting conformity

Answer 2

• group size
• group unanimity
• competence
• culture
• social identity

Question 3

factors affecting conformity: group size

Answer 3

• the larger the group, the more likely conformity occurs

- Asch (1951): with only 1, 3% conformed; with 2, 14% conformed; and with 3, 32% conformed

Question 4

factors affecting conformity: group unanimity

Answer 4

Asch (1951):

• when a dissenting confederate was introduced to the group, participant conformity rates decreased from 35% to 5.5%
• particularly if the confederate speaks before the participant
• whether the confederate is correct or not doesn’t appear to matter – what’s important is the lack of an unanimous collective opinion

Question 5

factors affecting conformity: competence

Answer 5

• the individual’s own sense of competence in making decisions also plays a part
• higher competence = lower chances of conforming
• Perrin and Spencer (1988): upon replication of Asch (1951) with medical and engineering students, conformity rates were nearly 0%

Question 6

factors affecting conformity: culture

Answer 6

Berry (1967):

• replicated Asch (1951) with Temne people and Inuits
• found that Temne people conformed significantly more
• likely due to the cooperative nature of their economy
• in contrast, Inuits forage for resources individually

Question 7

factors affecting conformity: social identity

Answer 7

• conformity is about adhering to in-group norms
• to allow a greater sense of belongingness to our in-group
• thus forming and maintaining social identities we want
• so we are more likely to conform to the norms of groups we believe we belong to

Supporting study: Abrams et al (1990)

Question 8

Abrams et al (1990) - Procedure

Answer 8

1. replicated Asch (1951) with psychology students using 3 confederates
2. 2 conditions:
   - in-group: participants led to believe confederates were fellow psychology students
   - out-group: participants led to believe confederates were history students
3. All group members had to respond publicly

Question 9

Abrams et al (1990) - findings and conclusion

Answer 9

• 100% of the in-group condition participants conformed at least once
• only 50% of the out-group condition participants conformed at least once
• thus we are far more influenced by groups we feel we belong to

Question 10

what to write when asked “discuss factors influencing conformity”

Answer 10

• define conformity
• group size: Asch (1951)
• group unanimity: Asch (1951)
• culture: Berry (1967)
• education: Perrin and Spencer (1988)
• in-group/out-group: Abrams et al. (1990)
• include background info/reasons for every point
• give a balanced review offering evaluative comments about the issue you are discussing
• discuss your own opinions and evidence to support your opinions

when discussing a theory/model:
• state strengths and limitations with empirical evidence AND evaluate those empirical studies
• discuss the usefulness of a certain theory by mentioning possible applications and how effective and universal these applications are
• compare to an alternative theory
• discuss the extent to which the theory can be universally applied – are the explanations culturally- or gender-specific?
• evaluate sources: is the theory based on methodologically questionable empirical evidence?