Social Influence: Types Of Confotmity

Question 1

Conformity is…

Answer 1

Giving in to group pressures. Happens when someone adopts the beliefs, behaviours or attitudes of a group due to real or imagined pressures.

Question 2

Compliance is…

Answer 2

Type of conformity - a person changes behaviours in public to match a group but they don’t change privately

Question 3

Identification is…

Answer 3

Type of conformity - a person changes publically to fit in with the group but do it because they admire the group and wish to be a part of it

Question 4

Internalisation is…

Answer 4

Type of conformity - a person changes behaviours to match the group but changes they’re behaviour outside of the group, changes to behaviour usually long lasting

Question 5

Information Social Influence is…

Answer 5

Explanation to conformity - when we are uncertain we look to see what others are doing and copy it in order to be right, likely to result in internalisation

Question 6

Normative Social Influence is…

Answer 6

Explanation of conformity - when we conform to a group to gain acceptance, when we think a group can reward us or reject us. Results in compliance

Question 7

The aim of Asch’s study (1951) is…

Answer 7

To see if participants would conform to majority social influence and give incorrect answers on a task, even when the correct answer is obvious

Question 8

The method of Asch’s study (1951) is…

Answer 8

123 male American students, recruited using volunteer sampling technique, were asked to take part in a vision test. Participants shown two cards one with the ‘standard line’ and the other with three lines. All participants asked to which line was the same as the ‘standard line’ and the correct answer was always obvious. All participants except one were confederates and the genuine participant had to call out their answer last after every confederate answered and purposefully said the wrong answer on 12 out of 18 of the trials.

Question 9

The results of Asch’s study (1951) were…

Answer 9

36.8% of participants gave a wrong answer on the critical trials. 25% of participants did not conform on any trials, 75% conformed at least once. When interviewed after most said they conformed to avoid rejection.

Question 10

Asch concluded…

Answer 10

Participants exhibited a ‘distortion of action’ - they knew what the right answer was but conformed to the majority to avoid ridicule

Question 11

Evaluation: limited sample

Answer 11

Asch’s research has low population validity. Asch’s participants were American male students so could be gender bias and not representative of female behaviour. Limitation of Asch’s study because his results can’t be generalised to the behaviours of others.

Question 12

Evaluation: Artificial situation and task

Answer 12

Low ecological validity. Participants knew they were in a research study so maybe just went along with what they thought was expected (demand characteristics). Task of making judgements about lines with strangers doesn’t reflect real life conformity. Limitation because results can’t be generalised to real life situations of conformity (low external validity)

Question 13

Evaluation: high control

Answer 13

Asch’s study uses the experimental method so has control over extraneous variables. In lab experiments the researcher can be sure it’s the IV that is causing the DV. Strength because results about conformity are not affected by confounding variables (internal validity)

Question 14

Evaluation: ethical issues

Answer 14

There are ethical issues in Asch’s procedure. Asch deceived his participants because they were not aware that the other participants were confederates and they could not provide fully informed consent. Limitation because it goes against the current BPS ethical guidelines for conducting psychological research.

Question 15

Variables affecting conformity: Group size

Answer 15

6 confederates, 1 participant = 36.8% vs 1 confederate, 1 participant = 4% conformity
6 confederates, 1 participant = 36.8% vs 3 confederates, 1 participant = 31.8% conformity
Suggests that as group size increases levels of conformity increase

Question 16

Variables affecting conformity: Unanimity

Answer 16

1 confederate always gives the correct answer = 5.5% conformity
1 confederate gives a different wrong answer = 9% conformity
1 confederate sometimes gave right answer sometimes gave wrong answer =25% conformity
This suggests that breaking the groups unanimity is a major factor in reducing conformity

Question 17

Variables affecting conformity: Task difficulty

Answer 17

Task made more difficult = increased conformity (ISI)
This suggests that ISI plays a role when the task becomes harder because the situation is more ambiguous