Social Influence

Question 1

What are the three different types of conformity?

Answer 1

Compliance, internalisation and identification.

Question 2

Outline compliance.

Answer 2

‘Going along with others’ to avoid social rejection. Results in superficial change of behaviour, where change in behaviour/beliefs changes publicly but not privately. Change stops once group pressure stops.

Question 3

Outline identification.

Answer 3

Value group in some way and identify with the group, makes us want to change belief/behaviour publicly even if we do not necessarily agree privately.

Question 4

Outline internalisation.

Answer 4

Change in behaviour/opinions because we genuinely agree. Change occurs privately and publicly, and likely to be permanent because it has been internalised. This change persists even after group pressure has stopped.

Question 5

What are the two explanations for conformity?

Answer 5

Normative social influence and informative social influence.

Question 6

Outline normative social influence as an explanation for conformity.

Answer 6

‘Need to be liked’, conform to avoid social rejection and for social approval. Believe we are under surveillance of the group, may be more pronounced in stressful situations where people have greater need for social approval. Emotional process and can explain compliance.

Question 7

Outline informative social influence as an explanation for conformity.

Answer 7

‘Need to be right’, look towards those who we believe have more information (‘experts’) for correct information on what to believe/how to behave, usually happens in situations that are new to us or one with some ambiguity. Typical in crisis situations where decisions have to be made quickly. Cognitive process and can explain internalisation.

Question 8

Evaluate NSI and ISI.

Answer 8

• NSI has research support: Asch’s research where ppts. said they conformed because they felt self-conscious and conformity reduced when answers had to be written down rather than answered publicly.
• ISI has research support: Lucas et al - mathematical problems.
• Individual differences ISI: Perrin and Spencer engineering students.
• Individual differences NSI: nAffiliators have less of a need to be liked, less affected by NSI.
• NSI and ISI work together: conformity in Asch’s study reduced by one dissenting ppt. due to social support (reducing power of NSI) or alternative source of info (reducing power of ISI)?