Social Influence

Question 1

What is conformity?

Answer 1

Conformity is a form of social influence which is a change in a person behaviour or opinions as a result of a real or imagined pressure from a person or a group of people.

Question 2

______ (____) argues we could distinguish between 3 types of conformity. What are they?

Answer 2

Kelman (1958)

Compliance - adjusting or changing behaviour, views attitudes and beliefs they use in public so they are in line with the majority. No change to private behaviour, views attitudes and beliefs and only lasts while group is present - superficial and temporary form of conformity.

Internalisation - adjusting or changing behaviour, views attitudes and beliefs they use in public and in private (believing that the majority is correct ) so they are in line with the majority - a more deeper and permanent form of conformity.

Identification- a moderate type of conformity, where we conform to the opinions of the group because there is something about the group that we value. We can also identify with people we admire- public agreement but private disagreement.

Question 3

Explanations for conformity AO1
_______ and ______ (____) developed a two process theory, trying to explain why we conform - what was this?

Answer 3

Deutsch and Gerald (1955)

Informative social influence ISI:
The desire to be right, the person conforms because they are unsure of the right answer so they look to others for information. It is more likely to happen in more ambiguous or difficult situations or in a crisis or when we believe others have more expertise.

Normative social influence NSI:
The desire to be liked, following the norm to ‘fit in’ the group as research has shown people like those who are similar to them so conformity can be an effective strategy to ensure acceptance.

Question 4

Explanations for conformity AO3

Answer 4

STRENGTHS
+there is research to support ISI and NSI as an explanation for conformity
Lucas et al. (2006) found in his study that students were more likely to conform to incorrect answers for difficult math problems, especially those who felt less confident in their math skills. This supports the Informational Social Influence (ISI) explanation, as it shows people conform when a situation is challenging or ambiguous, relying on others for guidance.
In contrast, Asch (1951) demonstrated Normative Social Influence (NSI), where participants conformed to clearly incorrect answers to avoid rejection, even though the task was straightforward. This shows that people may conform not out of uncertainty but due to social pressure and the desire to fit in.

WEAKNESS
-Not all individuals are equally affected by Normative Social Influence (NSI).
Research by McGhee and Teevan (1967) found that students with a high need for affiliation (to be close to others), known as nAffiliators, were more likely to conform. This suggests that individuals who care about being liked or forming relationships are more susceptible to NSI.This finding highlights that NSI is not universal, as the explanation for NSI does not account these individual differences, therefore the NSI explanation may lack population validity.
-ISI and NSI might both be a reason why someone conforms rather than it having to be just one or the other, they shouldn’t be seen as two separate processes.
-another limitation for using NSI and ISI as an explanation for conformity is the lack of ecological validity for supporting research. Studies like Adch’s (1951) were conducted in artificial lab settings, where participants judged line lengths - a task unlike usual everyday life where conformity happens in more meaningful situations , so lab findings may not represent genuine behaviour of the participants. This questions the generalisability of using NSI and ISI as an explanation for conformity

Question 5

Asch’s (1951) study AO1