SCLOA - Evaluate research on conformity to group norms

Question 1

conformity

Answer 1

• tendency to change one’s thoughts, feelings, or behaviour
• specifically in ways that agree with those of a particular individual/group/situation

Main studies:

• Sherif (1935)
• Asch (1951)

Question 2

Sherif (1935) - process

Answer 2

• participants were led to believe the study was investigating visual perception
• relied on autokinetic effect of light in darkness
• were told the experimenter was going to move the light (never actually happened)
• participants made 100 judgments on how far the light moved
• first phase: individual
• second phase: in groups, each participant called out estimates
• third phase: individual again

Question 3

Sherif (1935) - findings and conclusion

Answer 3

First phase: participant estimates gradually converged to a standard estimate (personal norm)
Second phase: in a group, participant estimates gradually converged to one group norm (social norm), and reflected influences from all group members
- participants denied that estimates were influenced by other group members (!!!)
Third phase: despite moving back to individual stage, estimates showed continued continued adherence to group norm estimate

Conclusion: social norms influence people’s judgements (perhaps on a subconscious level)

Question 4

Sherif (1935) - evaluation

Answer 4

Strengths:

• sophisticated methodology with clear IV/DV to show clear cause-effect (determinism)
• influential, spurred further research into conformity

Weaknesses:

• low ecological validity: task was artificial/ambiguous, and conformity in real life generally occurs due to subtle cues (such as media and advertising)
• deception/no informed consent: participants were not told about the purpose of the study (but no harm, and it was necessary)
• culturally specific: was conducted in 1935, may not be applicable in the present day as research into conformity is now well known

Question 5

Asch (1951) - procedure

Answer 5

• participants were to believe they were participating in study on visual perception
• were asked to indicate which one of three comparison lines was equal in length to a standard line (repeated 18x)
• control condition: participants performed alone
• test condition: participants performed in a group; each participant stated their answer aloud in the presence of 6 other participants (in reality, confederates)
• confederates gave wrong answers on 12 out of 18 trials
• real participants were always last to answer

Question 6

Asch (1951) - findings and conclusion

Answer 6

• 76% of participants conformed at least once on a critical trial
• only 24% of participants remained independent
• when asked why they conformed, participants said it was to avoid social disapproval/criticism

Question 7

Asch (1951) - evaluation

Answer 7

Strengths:

• sophisticated methodology has clear IV/DV to show clear cause-effect (determinism)
• study has been replicated many times with similar results (reliable)
• can explain why people conform to social/cultural norms

Weaknesses:

• should be noted that participants were acting in a way that they felt was required by the experiment
• culturally specific: study was conducted in 1950s USA, which was very conservative at the time – standing out was not encouraged and perhaps compliance has changed from then to present day
• sample bias: all participants were male students in 1950s USA
• deception/no informed consent: participants were not told about the purpose of the study (but no harm, and it was necessary)

Question 8

usefulness of Sherif (1937) and Asch (1951) in explaining real-life conformity

Answer 8

Nicholson et al. (1985):

• participants now conform less to studies like Asch (1951)
• may indicate that levels of conformity change over time or according to culture

Moscovici (1976):

• traditional conformity research does not explain how the minority can influence the majority (as seen in independence movements, etc)
• the idea that ingroup minorities exert more influence than outgroup minorities is empirically supported

Question 9

evaluate

Answer 9

• describe + explain
• include background info/reasons for every point
• give your own judgment and opinion supported by evidence
• while discussing strengths and limitations, make clear comments about its significance, usefulness (e.g. how applicable it is, its usefulness in explaining sth), accuracy

evaluating the studies:
• discuss the extent to which the theory can be universally applied – are the explanations culturally- or gender-specific?
• evaluate strengths and limitations of methodology
• judge validity and reliability
• discuss sampling method and relate to the issue of generalisability of findings
• assess if the study has cultural, ethical, and gender considerations