Social Influence - Description Flashcards
Psychology - Lesson 1
What is Conformity?
A change in a person’s behaviour or opinions as a result of real or imagined pressure from a person or group of people - yielding to group pressure.
Psychology - Lesson 1
What are the three types of Conformity?
Compliance, Identification & Internalisation.
(In order of deepness)
Psychology - Lesson 1
What is Compliance?
When you just go along with what others are doing to fit in with a group and be accepted. Once away from the group, behaviour and opinions will be back to ‘normal’; public, but not private acceptance of the group’s behaviour and attitudes.
e.g Laughing at a joke you don’t find funny.
Psychology - Lesson 1
What is Identification?
When you conform to the behaviours of a group because there is something you value about the group. Identify with a group and change our behaviours publicly to be part of the group- privately you may also hold these beliefs. Generally only temporary and is not maintained when individuals leave the group.
e.g Football team, school uniforms, work uniforms etc.
Psychology - Lesson 1
What is Internalisation?
When you genuinely believe and accepts a group norm - change is permanent. There is public and privately acceptance as the views, behaviour and beliefs become part of the way they think; present even when not with the group.
e.g Religion.
Psychology - Lesson 2
What did Asch’s Baseline Study assess?
(1951)
To what extent people will conform to the opinions of others, even in a situation where the answer is certain (unambigious).
Psychology - Lesson 2
What variables did Asch investigate that may lead to an increase or decrease in conformity?
(1995)
Group size, Unanimity & Task Difficulty.
Psychology - Lesson 2
Define Group size.
The number of members within a social group.
Psycholpgy - Lesson 2
Define unanimity.
The degree to which the group members agree with each other.
Psychology - Lesson 2
Define Task difficulty.
How obvious the correct answer is.
Psychology - Lesson 2
Describe Group size as a variable affecting conformity.
(In Asch’s extended baseline study)
Asch varied the number of confederates (actors) from 1 to 15 - total group size was 2 to 16. Asch found that conformity increased with group size until a certain point (3 confederates). With 3 confederates, conformity to the wrong answer was 31.8% and more confederates made little difference.
Psychology - Lesson 2
Describe Unanimity as a variable affecting conformity.
(In Asch’s extended baseline study)
Asch introduced a confederate who would disagree with the other confederates with the correct or a different incorrect answer. The participant conformed less often in the prescence of a dissenter - rate decreased to less than a quarter of the original level.
Psychology - Lesson 2
Describe Task difficulty as a variable affecting conformity.
(In Asch’s extended baseline study)
Asch increased the difficulty of the line-judging task by making the stimulus and comparison lines more similiar in length. Therefore, it became harder for genuine participants to see the differences between the lines. Confomity increased.
Psychology - Lesson 2
What does conformity not increasing after 3 confederates suggest?
That just one or two confedrates was enough to sway an opinion, therefore people are very sensitive to the views of others.
Psychology - Lesson 2
What does unanimity suggest?
That the influence of the majority depends on a large extent on it being unanimous. Non-confomity is more likely when cracks are peceived in the majority’s unanimous view.
