Social Influence - Conformity Flashcards
What are the three types of conformity?
- compliance
- identification
- internalisation
Define compliance
- agree publicly but disagree privately
- most superficial type
- adhering to a request even though you may not want to
Define identification
- agreeing publicly and privately because you can see others point of view
- want to be associated with the group asking for conformity as see themselves as one of them
Define internalisation
- deepest type
- agree publicly and privately as personal beliefs have changed due to social influence
- adopting views of majority as your own
What are the three factors affecting conformity?
- group size
- unanimity
- task difficulty
Describe how group size will influence levels of conformity
Larger group size will increase levels of conformity as people feel as if they have to fit in with the majority in order to be deemed ‘normal’
Describe how unanimity will influence levels of conformity
Increases levels of conformity as the group all agree on the same thing and so someone would conform to fit in with the group’s opinions
Describe how task difficulty will affect levels of conformity
The harder a task, the higher levels of conformity as people will conform to get the answer right, even if the majority is wrong, they will still be seen as right as they answered the same as the majority
What are the two explanations of conformity?
- normative social influence
- informational social influence
Give a strength of NSI as an explanation of conformity
Plausible explanation as people want to be seen as normal
Give a weakness of NSI as an explanation of conformity
Doesn’t explain those who have no desire to be accepted
Give a strength of ISI as an explanation of conformity
Plausible explanation as individuals have innate and social need to be right
Give a weakness of ISI as an explanation of conformity
Disregards those who don’t conform to be right
Give a strength of both NSI and ISI as explanations of conformity
Elements of both seen in Asch’s study
Give a weakness of both NSI and ISI as explanations of conformity
Open to other factors such as situation
What was the name of Zimbardo’s study?
Stanford Prison Experiment
What was the aim of Zimbardo’s prison experiment?
To investigate how readily people would conform to social roles by observing how quickly people would adopt the roles of guard or prisoner in a role-playing exercise that simulated prison life
What was the demographic of the volunteers in Zimbardo’s prison experiment?
Male university students from the Stanford area
How much were the volunteers paid per day in Zimbardo’s prison experiment?
$15
What were 2 findings in Zimbardo’s prison experiment?
- the guards harassed the prisoners and conformed to their perceived roles with such enthusiasm that the study had to be discontinued after six days
- some prisoners became depressed and anxious and one had to be released after only one day
What were two conclusions from Zimbardo’s prison experiment?
- people will readily conform to the social roles they are expected to play
- the roles that people play shape their attitudes and behaviour
Give two criticisms of Zimbardo’s prison experiment
- ethical issues
(lack of informed consent and lack of protection from harm) - lab experiment meaning highly controlled and artificial environment
Give one strength of Zimbardo’s prison experiment
Shows how social roles can play a part in whether conformity takes place or not
