types of conformity

Question 1

What is conformity

Answer 1

A change in a persons behaviour as a result of real or imagined pressure from a person or group

Question 2

Who proposed the 3 types of conformity and when

Answer 2

Kelman (1958)

Question 3

What are the 3 types of conformity

Answer 3

Compliance
Identification
Internalisation

Question 4

Compliance

Answer 4

• most superficial
• person conforms publicly to gain approval but privately disagrees
• temporary
• result of nsi

Question 5

Identification

Answer 5

• temporary change of views publicly and privately to fit in with a group
• person identifies with a group and feels group membership

Question 6

Internalisation

Answer 6

• deepest level (conversion)
• making the views of others your own on a permanent level
• result of isi

Question 7

How can you explain conformity

Answer 7

Dual process dependency model (deutsch and Gerard 1955)
- views conformity as a cognitive process

Question 8

What are the 2 explanations for conformity

Answer 8

• normative social influence, desire to be accepted
• informational social influence, desire to be right

Question 9

Informational social influence

Answer 9

• seen to have an evolutionary basis as looking to others for guidance in potential dangerous situations has survival value
• in some situations people are unsure of how to behave and may conform or copy others
• cognitive process as you do what you think/ is right

Question 10

Normative social influence

Answer 10

• people conform because of their need to be accepted and belong to their desired group
• emotional process as people don’t want to appear foolish and want approval rather than rejection
• nAffliators: people who have a greater need to be likes than others

Question 11

Strength - RESEARCH SUPPORT

Answer 11

• Lucas et al asked students to give answers to easy and difficult maths questions
• more conformity to incorrect answers when problems were difficult and for students who rated their maths ability unfavourably
• nomothetic approach as provides general principles
• people conform in situations where they feel they don’t know the answer (isi) and look to others assuming they know better than us and must be right

Question 12

Limitation - INDIVIDUAL DIFFERENCES

Answer 12

• asch found that students were fewer conformists than other participants
• also evidence from Perrin and Spencer who found there was less conformity in students
• asch only used male participants showing beta bias
• people who are knowledgeable/more confident are less influenced by the right view of he majority so there are differences in how people respond to isi

Question 13

Limitation - 2 PROCESS APPROACH OVERSIMPLIFIED

Answer 13

• conformity reduced when there was a dissenter in aschs experiment, so dissenter may reduce the power of nsi or isi as they are an alternative source of info
• isn’t always possible to know whether isi or nsi is at work so more beneficial to look at them as complementary rather than independently