Types and explanations of Conformity

Question 1

What are the three type of conformity?

Answer 1

Compliance, identification and internalisation

Question 2

Define conformity

Answer 2

Thought of as going along with others in the sense that you yield to group pressure

Question 3

Define majority influence (/compliance)

Answer 3

When you conform with a majority

Question 4

What did Kelman (1958) identify the three type of conformity are?

Answer 4

Compliance
Identification
Internalisation

Question 5

What is compliance?

Answer 5

When you change your behaviour to ‘fit in’ with the majority even though you do not believe that they are correct.

Question 6

What are the characteristics of compliance and provide an example (4)

Answer 6

-changing behaviours to ‘fit in’
-perhaps to gain majority’s approval
-internal beliefs do not match your public behaviour
-temporary, as ends as you’re not with the majority
E.g saying you support one football team but in reality you support another

Question 7

What was Asch’s observation in (1951/2) and what did he find in his later study in 1955?

Answer 7

He observed the compliance where in public (giving answers out loud) the conformity to the majority was 36.8%, however in 1955 ppts could give a private response (writing their answers on paper), conformity dropped to 12.5%

Question 8

Define confederate

Answer 8

Individuals (actors) who seem to be participants but in reality are part of the research team to see how the real ppts are affected.

Question 9

What is identification?

Answer 9

Occurs when you adjust both your behaviour and opinions to those of the majority because being apart of group is desirable.

Question 10

What are the characteristics of identification and provide an example. (3 C )

Answer 10

-adjusting both behaviour and opinions to be liked by the majority
-congruence between internal beliefs and external behaviours
-temporary as it ends as soon as you leave the majority
E.g relationship with a vegan, you obtain a vegan diet like them and their friends’, however you may stop being vegan at the end of the relationship

Question 11

What is internalisation? (True conformity )

Answer 11

When an individual genuinely adjusts their beliefs, opinions, and behaviours to match the majority

Question 12

What are the characteristics of internalisation and provide an example. (3)

Answer 12

• genuinely adjusts beliefs, opinions and behaviours to match majority
  -you internalise the theories and belief systems of the majority and maintain them, so are conforming because you believe its the right thing to do
  -mostly permanent
  -e.g converting to a religious faith

Question 13

What was Moscovivi’s study which is a good example of internalisation as agreement to the majority?

Answer 13

The blue / green coloured squares- people were more likely to say the colours were what the rest of the group were say they were

Question 14

What two part explanation regarding human needs did Deutsch and Gerard (1955) propose as to why people conform?

Answer 14

Based on the two central human needs:
-the need to be right (informational social influence)
-the need to be liked (normative social influence)

Question 15

What are the 6 characteristics that make up Informational Social Influence?

Answer 15

-desire to be right in what you do and say
-majority view is most likely to be right, so you’re influenced by it
-cognitive process where we think about what the majority view is and this is then internalised
-involves internalisation
-congruence between internal beliefs and external behaviour
-more permanent behaviour change

Question 16

What are the four things that ISI is more common in?

Answer 16

• tackling a new situation
  -when its unclear what the correct behaviour / belief is
  -when a situation is more ambiguous
  -when there is a crisis, where responses are needed quickly

Question 17

What did Lucas Et al (2006) do which involved conformity and ISI?

Answer 17

Asked ppts to solve ‘easy’ and ‘hard’ maths problems. They were given the answers from three other students that weren’t correct (not real answers) that they could then us to answer the questions.

Question 18

What was the result from Lucas et al. (2006) study?

Answer 18

The ppts were more likely to conform to the three students when the questions were harder

Question 19

Define self efficacy

Answer 19

Confidence in ones own abilities

Question 20

What did Fein et al. (2007) do in a study regarding conformity and ISI? ( two steps ) and what was the result?

Answer 20

-ppts watched US presidential candidates and at the same time the majority’s beliefs on a tv screen.
-each ppt was on their own and was able to give a private response (no fear of rejection)

Result- when the ppt changed their minds to agree with the majority, it was because they agreed with what the majority was saying

Question 21

What are the five characteristics of Normative Social Influence (NSI)?

Answer 21

-conformity is based on a fear of social rejection (compliance)
-people do not like appearing to be the ‘odd one out’ and so agree with majority to fit in
-emotional rather than cognitive process
-temporary
-more likely in stressful situations where there is a greater need for social support

Question 22

What is a good example of NSI and why?

Answer 22

Aschs original study (1951) as the ppts complied with the majority, even though they knew the majority were wrong

Question 23

What is Garandeav and Cillessen’s bully study?

Answer 23

In this, researchers found that the members of a bully’s group did whatever the bully wanted as they feared being rejected by the rest of the group.

Question 24

What did Schultz et al. (2008) do to investigate the role of NSi in encouraging people to be more environmentally friendly when staying in hotels?

Answer 24

They put up signs that told guests that ‘75% of gusts reuse their towels each day, rather than asking for a clean one’
-this increases the number of guests who also decided to reuse their towels
-saved the hotel money and reduced the energy needed to clean the towels

Question 25

What is the main evaluation point regarding NSI and ISI?

Answer 25

It is extremely hard to know if it is NSI or ISI that is influencing

Question 26

What did Asch find in his (1955) study that involved a dissenting ppt and why did this occur?

Answer 26

Fond that conformities is reduced (to 5%) when there is one dissenting ppt. They may be reducing the NSI as they provide social support, or they may be providing a different source of social information that reduces the power of the ISI from the majority.

Question 27

What was mentioned in Lucas’ study which affects the amount of ISI or NSI?

Answer 27

The amount of self efficacy one has