Social Influence

Question 1

Specification

Answer 1

Types of conformity: internalisation, identification and compliance.
Explanations for conformity: informational social influence and normative social influence, and variables affecting conformity including group size, unanimity and task difficulty as investigated by Asch.
Conformity to social roles as investigated by Zimbardo.
Explanations for obedience: agentic state and legitimacy of authority, and situational variables affecting obedience including proximity and location, as investigated by Milgram, and uniform.
Dispositional explanation for obedience: the Authoritarian Personality.
Explanations of resistance to social influence, including social support and locus of control.
Minority influence including reference to consistency, commitment and flexibility.
The role of social influence processes in social change.