Conformity

Question 1

Define conformity

Answer 1

Compliant with standards, rules and laws

Question 2

3 types of conformity

Answer 2

• compliance
• identification
• internalisation

Question 3

Define compliance

Answer 3

Agreeing publicly but disagreeing in private

Question 4

Define Identification

Answer 4

The person conforms publicly as well as privately as they have identified with the group and they feel a sense of group membership.
- the change in behaviour is often temporary

Question 5

Define internalisation

Answer 5

The person conforms publicly and privately they have internalised and accepted the views of the group
Both beliefs and behaviour are changed

Question 6

Define informational social influence

Answer 6

People conform because they want to be right

Question 7

Define normative social influence

Answer 7

People conform because they want to be liked

Question 8

What was Asch’s research procedure

Answer 8

• 123 male students were tested with a group of 6-8 confederates
• on each trial they identified the length of a standard line
• confederates started to make obvious mistakes on 12 of the 18 trials

Question 9

Results of Asch’s research

Answer 9

Naive participants gave a wrong answer 36.8% of the time

• 25% of participants never gave a wrong answer
• 75% conformed at least once
• conformity by the majority

Question 10

Variables affecting conformity

Answer 10

• group size
• task difficulty
• unanimity

Question 11

Evaluation of Asch’s research

Answer 11

• the situation and task were artificial
• findings may only apply to certain situations
• ethical issues

Question 12

Zimbardos research - methods

Answer 12

• mock prison was set up in the basement in the psychology department at Stanford university
• 24 emotionally stable students were recruited and randomly assigned to roles of prisoner or guard
• prisoners were given a loose smock to wear and cap to cover their hair, they were identified by numbers - loss of personal identity - deindividuation

Question 13

Zimbardos aim

Answer 13

Zimbardo wanted to know why prison guards behave brutally - was it because they have sadistic personalities or was it because of social roles

• conformity to social roles

Question 14

Define deindividuation

Answer 14

When an individual losses their sense of self (individuality) this could occur when wearing a uniform, as people conform to the social role of the uniform

Question 15

Findings of zimbardos research

Answer 15

• the guards took their roles seriously and began treating the prisoners harshly
• within 2 days prisoners rebelled, they ripped their uniforms and swore at guards. The guards retaliated with fire extinguishers.
• after the rebeliation the prisoners becam subdued, depressed and anxious.

Question 16

Conclusion of zimbardos aims

Answer 16

Social roles have a strong influence on individuals behaviours. The guards became brutal and prisoners became submissive

Question 17

Ethical issues in zimbardos research

Answer 17

• fully informed consent - participants should give explicit consent to take part in research
• deception - should not lie to the participant
• protection from harm - psychologists have to ensure participants are not harmed
• right to withdraw- participants must be bale to leave whenever they want
• confidentiality - participants must not be identifiable from the write up of the research
• privacy - psychologists should respect patients privacy,

Question 18

Define obedience

Answer 18

The type of social influence whereby somebody acts in response to a direct order from a figure with perceived authority

Question 19

Milgram research - methods

Answer 19

• milgram recruited 40 male participants
• advertised it as a study into memory
• participants played the teacher and confederates played the learner and there was an experimenter in a lab
• the learner was strapped into a chair with electrodes. In a separate room than the teacher.
• every time a learner answered a question wrong they would get shocked.
• shocks varied from 15 volts to 450 .

Question 20

Milgrams research - findings

Answer 20

• no participants stopped below 300 volts
• 12.5% stopped at 300 volts
• 65% continued to 450 volts

Question 21

Obedience - what are the situational variables

Answer 21

• location - if in a run down building obedience fell to 47%
• uniform- if experimenter was in ordinary clothes obedience dropped by 20%
• proximity