Types of Conformity

Question 1

What is Normative Social Influence?

Answer 1

Conforming to fit in or to be liked.

Question 2

What is informational social influence.

Answer 2

Conforming to a group’s norms as they are more knowledgeable than you.

Question 3

What is Compliance?

Answer 3

A short term change in public behaviour but not private beliefs.

Question 4

What is Identification?

Answer 4

A person changes their public and private beliefs whilst in the presence of the group.

Question 5

What is Internalisation?

Answer 5

A person permanently changes their public and private beliefs/behaviour. E.g. changing faith.

Question 6

Give supporting evidence for informational social influence.

Answer 6

• Lucas et al - Conformity was greater for difficult maths questions amongst those who rated their maths skills badly.

Question 7

Give supporting evidence for normative social influence.

Answer 7

• Asch - When answering confidently conformity rates dropped for 37% to 12% - as the pps felt self-conscious when giving out a different answer in the presence of the group.

Question 8

Give a limitation to Normative and informational social influence.

Answer 8

• NSI and ISI are not completely exclusive - Deutsch and Gerrard - ‘two proccess model’ - NSI and ISI complement each other.
• NSI is dispositional - McGhee and Teevan - students with a strong need for affiliaton are more likely to conform.