Social Influence - Conformity Flashcards

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1
Q

What year did Asch carry out his original investigation into conformity?

A

1951

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2
Q

Aim of Asch (1951)

A

To investigate the extent to which social pressure from a majority group could affect a person to conform.

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3
Q

Method of Asch (1951)

four points

A
  • Lab experiment
  • 123 American male ppts, put into groups with 6-8 confederates
  • Line judgement task: two cards, one with a standard line, other with three comparison lines. Each person asked to say which comparison line was the same length as the standard line (answer was always obvious).
  • 18 trials, in 12 ‘critical’ trials, confederates gave the wrong answer.
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4
Q

Findings of Asch (1951)

A
  • 75% of ppts gave a wrong answer and conformed on at least one of the trials.
  • 25% of ppts never gave a wrong answer, so also never conformed.
  • Around 36.8% of ppts in each trial conformed to the clearly incorrect majority.
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5
Q

Name three variations of Asch’s (1951) baseline study

A

Group size
Unanimity
Task difficulty

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6
Q

Outline how group size affects conformity.

A
  • Asch added more confederates to group, thus increasing the size of the majority.
  • Total group sizes were between 2- 16.
  • Conformity increased, but only up to a point.
  • With three confederates, conformity increased to 31.8%
  • But presence of more confederates made little difference - conformity rate soon levelled off.
  • Suggests that people are very sensitive to the views of others, as with just one or two confederates was enough to sway opinion.
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7
Q

Define the term ‘unanimity’

A

The extent to which all members of the group agrees.

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8
Q

Outline Asch’s investigation into how unanimity can effect conformity.

A
  • Asch introduced another confederate into the group who disagreed with the other confederates answers.
  • In one variation the confederate gave the correct answer
  • In another variation the confederate gave a different (wrong) answer to the majority group.
  • Genuine ppts conformed less with the presence of this person.
  • Rate decreased from 33% to 5.5% when the majority was not unanimous.
  • This suggests that the influence of the majority depends to a large extent on it being unanimous.
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9
Q

Outline Asch’s investigation into how task difficulty can effect conformity.

A
  • Increased difficulty by making the comparison lines and the standard line more similar to each other in length.
  • Means it became difficulty for the participant to distinguish the differences between the lines.
  • Conformity increased as the situation was more ambiguous when the task was harder - correct answer unclear to ppts.
  • Ppts looked to group for guidance - informational social influence (ISI).
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10
Q

Identify the types of conformity.

A

Compliance
Identification
Internalisation

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11
Q

Explain ‘compliance’ as a term of conformity.

A
  • The person goes along with the group to fit in and therefore conforms publicly but continues to privately disagree.
  • Shallowest form of conformity.
  • Continues as long as the group is monitoring.
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12
Q

In the context of conformity, explain what psychologists mean by ‘identification’.

A
  • The person conforms publicly as well as privately because they have identified with the group and feel a sense of group membership.
  • The change of belief or behaviour is often temporary.
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13
Q

Explain ‘internalisation’ as a term of conformity.

A
  • The person conforms publicly and privately because they have internalised and accepted the views of the group.
  • Deepest form of conformity.
  • Permanent change even when group is absent.
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14
Q

Outline the difference between internalisation and identification as types of conformity.

A

with identification, the change in behaviour is temporary, whereas with internalisation, the change in behaviour/ belief is permanent.

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15
Q

By who, and in what year was a two process theory which argued that there are two main reasons as to why people conform, developed?

A

By Dutsch and Gerald (1955)

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16
Q

What are the two explanations for conformity?

A
  • Informational social influence

- Normative social influence

17
Q

What is meant by the term ‘informational social influence’?

A
  • We agree with the opinion of the majority because we believe it to be correct and we want to be correct as well.
  • Usually occurs when a person lacks knowledge and looks to the group for guidance, or the person is in an ambiguous situation.
  • May lead to internalisation.
18
Q

What is meant by the term ‘normative social influence’?

A
  • We agree with the opinion of the majority because we want to gain social approval and be liked.
  • Likely to lead to compliance.
19
Q

Name a researcher who studied conformity to social roles.

A

Zimbardo

20
Q

What year did Zimbardo carry out his social roles experiment?

A

1973

21
Q

Aim of Zimbardo’s Stanford Prison Experiment (1973)

A

To investigate how people will conform to new social roles.

22
Q

Method of Zimbardo’s Stanford Prison Experiment (1973)

four points

A
  • The 21 participants, all ‘emotionally stable’ male psychology students, had volunteered to take part in the study.
  • Randomly allocated to two groups: prisoner and prison guards.
  • Prisoners were to spend two weeks locked in ‘cells’ in a wing of the university, and prison guards were there to look after the prisoners and keep them under control - not allowed to use physical force.
  • The prisoners were unexpectedly arrested at home and taken to the university. They were given a prison uniform and number which was used to refer to their person.
23
Q

Findings of Zimbardo’s Stanford Prison Experiment (1973)

six points

A
  • Within hours of the beginning of the experiment, some guards began to harass the prisoners. E.g. making them do headcounts extremely early in the morning.
  • Prisoners were physically punished e.g. during push-ups the guards would step on the prisoner’s back.
  • During the second day the prisoners rebelled. Rebellion was unsuccessful, and the prisoners became more subdued and dependent on the guards.
  • Less than 36 hours into the experiment, prisoner #8612 began suffering from emotional distress and uncontrollable crying and rage.
  • Prisoner #819 broke down and cried hysterically and referred to himself as his number and not by his name.
  • Study was ended after 6 days, instead of after the planned 14 days.
24
Q

Conclusion of Zimbardo’s Stanford Prison Experiment (1973)

three points

A
  • Social roles have a strong influence on behaviour - brutal guards, submissive prisoners.
  • Social roles can be very easily adopted
  • Deindividuation: uniforms created a loss of personal identity, particularly with the guards.