Types & Explanations of Comformity

Question 1

Types of conformity

Answer 1

• Compliance - Public not private - going along with others due to peer pressure
• Identification - Public & private (TEMPORARY) - we value the belief of the majority
• Internalisation - Public & private (PERMANENT) - accepts the group norms

Question 2

Explanations for conformity

Answer 2

• Normative social influence - conforming because we want to gain social approval - fear of being rejected - leads to temporary change
• Informational social influence - conforming because we believe the opinion of the majority is right - for informational purposes - leads to permanent change

Question 3

Conformity - Evaluation - Strength

Answer 3

• Research support for ISI
• Research found p’s conformed more often to incorrect answers they were given when the maths questions were difficult
• Because when the questions were easy p’s knew the answer - but when they were hard p’s didn’t want to be wrong so relied on answers given
• Shows ISI is valid

Question 4

Conformity - Evaluation - Limitation

Answer 4

• Individual differences in NSI
• some people want to be liked by others (nAffiliators) - have a strong need for affiliation
• Research showed students who were nAffiliators were more likely to conform
• Shows NSI underlies conformity for some people more than others