Types of conformity and explanations for conformity Flashcards
What are the types of conformity?
- Compliance
- Internalisation
- Identification
What is compliance?
where a person may agree in public with a group of people, but the person privately disagrees with the group’s viewpoint or behavior. The individual changes their views, but it is a temporary change.
What is internalisation?
Publicly changing behavior to fit in with the group while also agreeing with them privately. An internal (private) and external (public) change of behavior. This is the deepest level of conformity were the beliefs of the group become part of the individual’s own belief system.
What is identification?
when someone conforms to the demands of a given social role in society
What are the explanations for conformity
- Normative social influence
- Informational social influence
What is normative social influence?
where a person conforms to fit in with the group because they don’t want to appear foolish or be left out. Normative social influence is usually associated with compliance, where a person changes their public behavior but not their private beliefs.
What is Informational social influence?
where a person conforms because they have a desire to be right, and look to others who they believe may have more information. This type of conformity occurs when a person is unsure of a situation or lacks knowledge and is associated with internalisation.
Study on informational influencing.
Jenness’ Bean Jar Experiment
What did Jenness’ Bean Jar Experiment involve?
Participants were asked to estimate how many beans they thought was in a jar. Each participant had to make an individual estimate, and then do the same as a group.
What did Jenness find?
When the task was carried out in a social group, the participants would report estimates of roughly the same value (even though they had previously reported quite different estimates as individuals).
