🔵 Social influence: Types and explanations of conformity Flashcards
What are the three types of conformity
Compliance
Identification
Internalisation
What is the most superficial type of conformity
Compliance
What is the deepest type of conformity
Internalisation
What is the intermediate type of conformity
Identification
Who suggested there are three types of conformity
Kelman (1958)
When did Kelman suggest the three types of conformity
1958
What is compliance
It is the most shallow type of conformity where one agrees with the majority whilst keeping their opinions unchanged
What is identification
It is an intermediate type of conformity referring to someone publicly changing their opinions and behaviour to be accepted by a group even if they privately don’t agree with it
What is internalisation
A deep level of conformity referring to someone changing their private opinions as well as public behaviours to match the groups - and they genuinely see this as correct
Does internalisation result in a permanent change and how
Yes - because the behaviour persists without the presence of the other members
Does identification result in a permanent change
No
Does compliance result in a permanent change and how
No - because behaviour does not persist when the group is absent
What are the two explanations for conformity
Informational social influence
Normative social influence
What human need is normative social influence based on
The need for social approval
What human need is informational social influence based on
The need to be correct
Who developed the two process theory explanation of conformity
Deutsch and Gerald (1955)
When did Deutsch and Gerard develop the two process theory explanation of conformity
1955
What is informational social influence
It is an explanation for conformity referring to someone agreeing with the opinion of the majority because they believe it is correct and they want to be right
What is normative social influence
It is an explanation for conformity referring to someone agreeing with the majority because they want social approval rather than being rejected
What type of conformity does informational social influence lead to
It leads to internalisation
What type of conformity does normative social influence lead to
It leads to compliance
What kinds of situations does normative social influence occur more in and why
Scenarios with strangers - because theirs a higher change of rejection
Scenarios with people you know - because you want to seek social approval from them
Stressful situations where there is a higher need to social influence
What kinds of situations does informational social influence occur more in
Crisis situations - because choices have to be made very quickly and assumption that the group is correct occurs
New scenarios - because their is a large amount of ambiguity to whether something is right or wrong
Why is informational social influence a cognitive process
Because it is to do with what we think
Why is normative social influence a emotional process
Because once it occurs and someone processes their emotions - people are able to move past them
What are the evaluation points of ‘types and explanations of conformity’
Research supporting the normative social influence explanation
Research supporting the informational social influence explanation
Counterpoint for the research supporting informational social influence explanation
Individual differences in the normative social influence
What are the limitations of ‘types and explanations of conformity’
Counterpoint for the research supporting informational social influence explanation
Individual differences in the normative social influence
What are the strengths of ‘types and explanations of conformity’
Research supporting the normative social influence explanation
Research supporting the informational social influence explanation
Describe the research supporting the normative social influence explanations
Asch (1951) conducted a study supporting the NSI where he interviewed participants.
After, some stated that the conformed bc they were afraid of disapproval if they gave the wrong answer
When the interviewee’s from Asch’s research supporting NSI gave their answers privately what happened
Conformity rates dropped to 12.5% because there was no normative group pressure
How is the research supporting the normative social influence explanation a strength
It shows that conformity occurs because of a desire to not be rejected by the group
Describe the research supporting the informational social influence explanations
Lucan et al (2006) conducted a study supporting the ISI as they found out that participants in his study conformed more often to give the wrong answers when the maths questions were harder
Because
As the Questions became harder the more ambiguous and uncertain the situation became and people didn’t want to be wrong so they relied on the majorities answer.
How is the research supporting the informational social influence explanation a strength
It validates the informational social influence theory as an explanation for conformity
Who researched the evidence supporting normative social influence as an explanation for conformity
Asch (1951)
Describe the counterpoint of the research supporting the informational social influence explanation
Its unclear whether the NSI or the ISI work in studies or real life scenarios because Asch’s research on unanimity (1955) found out that by reducing the power of the dissenter may reduce the power of NSI (bc they provide social support)
But
May also reduce the power of the ISI (bc they provide an alternative source of social information
How is the counterpoint of the research supporting the informational social influence explanation a limitation
It shows that both processes probably occurs simultaneously in real world scenarios which Deutsch and Gerald did not account for
Explain the individual differences in the normative social influence as an evaluation point of an explanation conformity
Teevan and McGhee (1967) found that student who were affiliators conformed more - Showing that some people have a stronger need to be liked than others
How are the individual differences in the normative social influence a limitation
It shows that the NSI does not predict social influence in all cases
and
It shows that individual differences in conformity can be fully explained by one theory of situational pressures
