types and explanations of conformity Flashcards
what is conformity?
conformity is a form of social influence that results from exposure to the majority position and leads to compliance with that position. it is the tendency for people to adopt the behaviour, attitudes and values of other members of a reference group.
can you name the types of conformity?
**kelman (1958) proposed three types:
compliance
internalisation
identification
can you name the explanations for conformity?
normative social influence, need to be liked
informational social influence, need to be right
what is internalisation?
occurs when an individual accepts influence because the content of the attitude or behaviour proposed **is consistent with their own value system.
**
results in:
- private and public change of opinion.
- permanent change because attitudes have been internalised.
what is identification?
a form of influence where an individual adopts an attitude or behaviour because they want to be associated with a particular person or group.
results in:
- publicly agree, but privately disagreeing.
what is compliance?
a superficial and temporary type of conformity where we outwardly go along with the majority view, but privately disagree with it.
- behaviour stops as soon as group pressure stops.
what is informational social influence?
it is a cognitive process because it is to do with what you think. we agree with the opinion of the majority because we believe it is correct, and is accepted because one feels they are likely to be right.
most likely to happen:
* in situations that are new to a person
* in situations where there is some ambiguity
* in crisis situations; decisions have to be made quickly
what is normative social influence?
it is an emotional process. we agree with the opinion of the majority because we want to be accepted, gain social approval and be liked.
most likely to occur:
* in situations with strangers where you may feel concerned about rejection
* in stressful situations where people have a greater need for social support
what can ISI lead to?
internalisation
what can** NSI** lead to?
compliance
evaluation points
- difficult to distinguish between compliance and internalisation
- normative influence may not be detected
- research support for informational influence
evaluation point for types of conformity weakness
difficult to distinguish between compliance and internalisation.
; difficulties in knowing when each is actually taking place.
it is possible that acceptance of groups views has occured in public, yet dissipates later when in private.
this could b because they have forgotten information given by the group or becausw they have received new info that changes their mind. this demonstrates the difficulty in determining wht is, and what is not, simple compliance rather than internalisation.
evaluation point for normative influence weakness
normative influence may not be detected.
possible individual does not recognise the behaviour of others as a causal factor in their own behaviour.
nolen et al investigated whether people detected th einfluence of social norms on their energy conservation behaviour. ppl believed that the behaviour of neighbours had the least impact on their own energy conservation, yet results showed that it had the strongest impact.
suggests people rely on beliefs about what should motivate their behaviour, and so under detect the impact of NI.
evaluation point for informational influence strength
research support for informational influence.
studies have demonstrated how exposure to other ppls beliefs and opinions can shape many aspects of social behaviour and beliefs.
wittenbrink and henley found that participants exposed to negative info about african americans later (which they were led to believe was the view of the majority) reported more negative attituds towards black individals.
this info produced large shifts in their judgements, and thus shows importance of informational influence in shaping social behaviour.
