2🍅Explanations and Causes of Conformity- Social Influence PAPER1 Flashcards
Informational Social Influence
-person conforms to gain knowledge or because they believe that someone else is ‚right’
-conform due to desire to be right
-ISI usually associated with internalisation, person changes both public behaviour and private beliefs only long term basis
-semi permanent change in behaviour and belief result of person adopting new belief nsystem because genuinley believe beliefs or majority is right
Normative Social Influence
-person conforms to be accepted and feel they belong to group
-conforms because it is socially rewarding or to avoid social punishment eg feeling they dont fit in
-NSI usually associated with complience and identification
-leads to a short term type of conformity motivated by desire to fit in or be liked by majority
Research support for normative influence
-US research shown relationship between peoples normative beliefs and likelihood of them taking up smoking
-Linkenback and Perkins (2003) found that adolescents exposed to simple message that majority of age peers do not smoke were subsequently less likely to take up smoking
-NSI also used to manipulate people to behave more responsibly when comes to energy conservation
-eg. Schuitz et al (2008) found that hotel guests exposed to normative message that 75% of guests reused own towels rather than requiring fresh towels reduced own towel use by 25%
-support claim people shape behaviour out of desire to fit in with their reference group
Research support for informational influence
-Wittenbrink and Henley (1996) found that participants exposed to negative information about African Americans (which they were led to belive was view of majority) later reported more negative beliefs about black individual
-Fein et al (2007) ISI shape political opinion, demonstrated how judgements of candidate performance in US presidential debates could be influenced by knowledge of others reactions, participants saw what was supposedly reaction of fellow participants on screen during debate
-this produced large shifts in participants judgements of candidates performance which supports impact ISI
