Variables Affecting Conformity

Question 1

What are the situational variables that affect conformity?

Answer 1

size of the group
unanimity
task difficulty

Question 2

How does the size of the group affect conformity?

Answer 2

research indicated that conformity rates increase as the size of a majority influence increases, but there comes a point where further increases in the size o the majority doesn’t lead to further increases in conformity

Question 3

How does unanimity affect conformity?

Answer 3

conformity rates have been found to decline when majority influence is not unanimous.

The important factor though would seem to be the reduction in the majority’s agreement

Question 4

How does the task difficulty affect conformity?

Answer 4

greater conformity rates are seen when task difficulty increases, as the right answer becomes less obvious.

This means that individuals will look to others more for guidance as to what the correct response is, suggesting that ISI is the dominant force