Social Influence

Question 1

Conformity

Answer 1

A change in one’s behaviour or opinions due to the real or imagined pressure from a majority group.

Question 2

Who proposed the three types of conformity?

Answer 2

Kelman (1958)

Question 3

What are the three types of conformity?

Answer 3

Compliance
Internalisation
Identification

Question 4

Compliance

Answer 4

• Going with other people’s ideas to gain their approval or avoid disapproval.
• You publicly agree but privately disagree
• An individual’s change of view is temporary.
  likely to occur as a result of normative social influence

Question 5

Example of Compliance

Answer 5

When friends pressure you into drinking alcohol when you don’t truly want to, and will not drink outside of such social situations.

Question 6

Internalisation

Answer 6

• Making the beliefs, values, attitude and behaviour of the group you own
• The strongest type of conformity
• Often occurs as a result of Informational Social influence
• An individual’s change of view is permanent

Question 7

Example of Internalisation

Answer 7

Being brought up in a religious household, and becoming religious yourself.

Question 8

Identification

Answer 8

• Short term change of behaviour and beliefs only in the presence of a group (middle level)

Question 9

Example of identification

Answer 9

Acting more professional and less silly when you arrive at your office to work.

Question 10

Two explanations of Conformity

Answer 10

• Normative Social Influence
• Informational Social Influence

Question 11

What is Normative Social Influence?

Answer 11

• Conforming in order to be liked / to fit in → usually leads to compliance.
• When someone conforms because they want to be liked and be part of a group; when a person’s need to be accepted or have approval from a group drives compliance.
• It often occurs when a person wants to avoid the embarrassing situation of disagreeing with the majority.

Question 12

Example of Normative Social Influence

Answer 12

A person starting to smoke because they are surrounded by other people who smoke

Question 13

What is Informational Social Influence?

Answer 13

• Conforming with majority behaviour in the belief that they are right
• The need to be correct.

Question 14

Evidence for Informational Social Influence

Answer 14

• Fein et al. asked participants to vote for a US presidential candidate after they saw others voting for somebody else
• Most changed their mind because they wanted to be “correct”, thus demonstration the impact of informational social influence as a mechanism for conformity

Question 15

Real-world application of Normative Social Influence and Bullying

AO3

Answer 15

• Garandeau and Cillissen found that a boy can be manipulated by a bully into victimising another child
• The bully provides a common goal for the boy’s group of friends, the goal is to victimise the other child, so the boy would most likely also victimise the child to avoid disapproval from his friends

Question 16

Real-world application of Informational Social influence

AO3

Answer 16

• Sherif (1935) used the auto kinetic effect (a still point of light in the dark appears to move).
• Participants had to estimate how far it moved on their own, then in groups of 3.
• He found that on their own personal norms existed, but in groups of 3 a group norm developed.
• Participants were influenced by the estimates of other people. Supports ISI.

Question 17

Evaluation of Sherif (1935)

Answer 17

• Artificial situation: lacks realism, everyday activity.
• Ambiguous: wasn’t obvious whether light moved or not, thus difficult to confirm conformity.
• Cause-and-effect: lab experiment, extraneous variables controlled.