Types And Explanations Of Conformity

Question 1

What is conformity?

Answer 1

A change in a person’s behaviour or opinions as a result of real or imagined pressure from a person or group of people

Question 2

What is compliance?

Answer 2

A superficial and temporary type of conformity where we outwardly go along with the majority view, but privately disagree with it. The change in our behaviour only lasts as long as the group is monitoring us.

Question 3

What is identification?

Answer 3

A moderate type of conformity where we act in the same way with the group because we value it and want to be a part of it. But we don’t necessarily agree with everything the majority believes.

Question 4

What is internalisation?

Answer 4

A deep type of conformity where we take on the majority view because we accept it as correct. It leads to a far-reaching and permanent change in behaviour, even when the group is absent.

Question 5

What is informational social influence?

Answer 5

An explanation of conformity that says we agree with the opinion of the majority because we believe it is correct. We accept it because we want to be correct as well. This may lead to internalisation.

Question 6

What is normative social influence?

Answer 6

An explanation of conformity that says we agree with the opinion of the majority because we want to be accepted, gain social approval and be liked. This may lead to compliance.

Question 7

What is social influence?

Answer 7

Social influence is the process by which an individual’s attitudes, beliefs or behaviours are modified by the presence of others. It affects the way we think and our actual behaviour.

Question 8

Name one type of social influence

Answer 8

Conformity

Question 9

Who believed that there were different types/levels of conformity?

Answer 9

Kelman

Question 10

What are the three main types of conformity?

Answer 10

Compliance, identification, internalisation

Question 11

What is the weakest type of conformity?

Answer 11

Compliance

Question 12

Why is it the weakest?

Answer 12

It is the weakest type because it’s only a superficial change and is a temporary form of conformity. You change your beliefs externally but not internally as the behaviour is only shown in the presence of the group and stops as soon as the group pressure stops.

Question 13

What is the strongest type of conformity?

Answer 13

Internalisation

Question 14

Why is it the strongest?

Answer 14

Because the person genuinely accepts the group norms which results in private as well as public change of opinions/behaviours. The change is likely to be permanent because attitudes have been internalised. The change in opinions/behaviours persists even in the absence of the group members.

Question 15

What is the other type of conformity?

Answer 15

Identification

Question 16

Why is it only middling in strength?

Answer 16

It sometimes involves private as well as public acceptance, but is generally temporary and is not maintained when individuals leave the group.

Question 17

Give an example of compliance?

Answer 17

Drinking/smoking with friends, supporting football teams

Question 18

Give an example of identification

Answer 18

Army

Question 19

Give an example of internalisation

Answer 19

Religion/conversion, vegetarianism

Question 20

Kane, Dean and Sam have started hanging out with a gang of lads from the same estate. They spend their evenings smoking,drinking and engaging in petty crime. The group is frequently in trouble with the police, something the older boys see as a ‘badge of honour’ as it makes them look tough. The police are also seem to always be picking on the group just because they come from a tough estate. The three boys have different reasons for joining in with the actions of the group. Dean accepts the groups view that the police target them and sees their behaviour as a way of hitting back. Kane joins in because he doesn’t want to be ridiculed for being immature by the older boys and Sam admires the older boys and wants people to think of him as a member of a tough group.

Which type of conformity is each boy showing? Explain why you came to that decision.

Answer 20

Dean is showing internalisation as he genuinely accepts the group norms that their behaviour is a way of hitting back at the police. And is change of opinion/behaviour is private as well as public so the behaviours will persist even without the presence of the group.

Kane is showing compliance because he is only going along with the others in public so as not to look immature, his personal opinions haven’t changed and he won’t show the same behaviours when he group isn’t there.

Sam is showing identification because he is adjusting his behaviour to that of the group as he values and admires them and wants to be part of the group to look tough.

Question 21

Who developed the two process theory, arguing that there are two main reasons people conform?

Answer 21

Deutsch and Gerard

Question 22

What are the two main explanations of conformity?

Answer 22

Informational social influence and normative social influence

Question 23

What is the motivation underpinning normative social influence?

Answer 23

The desire to be liked and respected and to avoid rejection and ridicule.

Question 24

What type of conformity is normative social influence likely to lead to and why?

Answer 24

It is likely to lead to compliance, because the best way of gaining the acceptance of others is to agree with them however this does not necessarily mean we truly agree with them.

Question 25

In what situations is normative social influence most likely to happen?

Answer 25

Usually with strangers/peers where you feel concerned about rejection. With people you know it’ll be because you want social approval.

Question 26

What is the motivation underpinning informational social influence?

Answer 26

The desire to be right

Question 27

What type of conformity does informational social influence most likely lead to do and why?

Answer 27

Internalisation because when people conform to ISI they tend to believe he opinions adopted. As they are uncertain what to believe, they look to the opinions of others and be converted to their viewpoint.

Question 28

In what situations is informational social influence most likely to happen?

Answer 28

Ambiguous/unfamiliar situations where there is no clear answer. And crisis situations where decisions have to be made quickly, when one person/group is considered more expert than others.

Question 29

It is Oliver’s and Lola’s first day at college and they are keen to make a good impression. Oliver pretends to be interested in the other students’ conversation even though he finds them really boring. Lola watches other students very carefully because she wants to complete her work just like they do, to avoid making any mistakes.
Whose behaviour is being influenced by informational social influence and whose is being influenced by normative social influence?

Answer 29

Lola’s behaviour is influenced by informational social influence because as she is ins strange situation she looking to others for guidance as she believes they know more about the situation than she does. She has a ‘desire to be right’ and to avoid making mistakes in her work, she believes the other students know what they’re doing so copies them.
Oliver is influenced by normative social influence because he wants to fit in and gain social approval so listens to their conversations, even though he finds it boring, as an act of compliance because he doesn’t want to be rejected and wants to fit in with the group.

Question 30

What research study provides support for informational social influence?

Answer 30

Jenness

Question 31

Describe Jenness’ study and how it demonstrates ISI

Answer 31

He gave participants a task with no clear answer: estimating Joe many jelly beans were in a jar. He found that the individual estimates moved towards the estimates of others, showing that they had genuinely believed these estimates.

This demonstrates ISI because it demonstrates a ‘desire to be right’. As the situation was ambiguous and there was no clear answer they looked to other people for the correct answer as the believed they knew more about it and wanted to be right.

Question 32

How did Lucas et al support ISI with their study?

Answer 32

Lucas et al asked students to give answers to maths problems that were easy or difficult. There was greater conformity to incorrect answers when they were difficult rather than the easier ones.

This study supports ISI as it shows that people conform in situations where they don’t know the answer.

Question 33

What famous study supports normative social influence?

Answer 33

Asch

Question 34

How does Asch’s study provide research support for normative social influence?

Answer 34

Ash got participants to conform to answers given by others that were obviously incorrect. If the participants have the correct answers, they risked being ridiculed by the rest of the group (the majority). When questioned afterwards some said that they ‘didn’t want to look stupid’ or ‘be the odd one out’.

This demonstrates normative social influence because they went along with what other people were saying because they didn’t want to be ridiculed and for the desire to be liked, even though the task was easy and there was a clear answer.

Question 35

How do individual differences have an affect on normative social influence?

Answer 35

Some research shows that NSI does not affect everyone’s behaviour in the same way. For example, people who are less concerned with being liked are less affected by NSI than those who care more about being liked. These are people who have a greater need for ‘affiliation’ - a need for being in a relationship with others.

In Asch’s study, students high in need of affiliation were more likely to conform. This shows that the desire to be liked underlies conformity for some people more than others. Therefore there are individual differences in the way people respond.

Question 36

How do individual difference affect informational social influence?

Answer 36

As with NSI, ISI does not affect everyone’s behaviour the same way. For example, Asch’s found that students were less conformist (28%) than other participants (37%). And Perrin and Spencer conducted a study involving science and engineering students and found very little conformity.

This could be because students have more confidence in their own knowledge so are less likely to conform to other people’s views as they know they are right. This shows that there are individual differences in the way people respond.

Question 37

What difficulties are there in distinguishing between compliance and internalisation?

Answer 37

It is assumed that a person who publicly agrees with a majority but disagrees with them in private must be demonstrating compliance. However, it may be possible that internalisation has occurred in public, but may not be the case later when in private because they have new information or they have just forgotten the information they had been given by the group.