Types And Explanations Of Conformity Flashcards
What is internalisation?
When a person genuinely accepts the group norms. It results in private as well as public change of behaviour. The change is usually permanent and persists in the absence of group members
What is identification?
Identifying with a group that we value as we want to be a part of it. Publicly changing behaviour even if we don’t privately agree
what is compliance?
involves going along with others in public but not changing private behaviour. results in a superficial change and behaviour stops as soon as group pressure stops
what is informational social influence?
going along with the group as you believe they are right. can lead to internalisation. it occurs in situations that re ambiguous
what is normative social influence?
agreeing with the opinion of the majority in order to gain social approval
what is a strength of explanations of conformity?(research support for NSI)
One strength of NSI is that there is research support it as an explanation of conformity. For example, in Aschs line study, he found that many pps conformed and gave an incorrect answer as they were afraid of disapproval and felt self conscious giving the correct answer. This is a strength because it shows that at least some conformity is a result of a fear of rejection as a result of disagreeing with the group, which is NSI
what is a limitation of explanations of conformity? (Naffiliators)
One limitation is that there are individual differences in NSI, and it doesn’t predict conformity in every case. For example, some people are extremely concerned with being liked by others, and these are called nAffiliators. They have a strong need for affiliation, and want to relate to others. These people are more likely to conform. This is a limitation because it shows that NSI underlies conformity for some people more than others and differences in conformity can’t be fully explained by one theory.
What is a strength of explanations of conformity? (Research support for ISI)
One strength is that there is evidence to support ISI. For example, one study was conducted that involved solving maths problems, which concluded that when the problems were difficult, ppts conformed more often to incorrect answers they were given. This is because the situation became ambiguous, and the pps didn’t want to be wrong. This is a strength because it demonstrates that ISI is a valid explanation of conformity as the results are what ISI would predict.
