Conformity Flashcards
(24 cards)
what is meant by compliance?
- most superficial and least permanent change in attitude
- publicly and privately change b+b ti fit in
- private revert back
- linked to NSI
what is meant by identification?
- stronger type of conformity
- private and public acceptance
- individual looks to a group for guidance
- adjust b+b as membership is desired
- may revert back
what is meant by internalisation?
- deepest most permanent type
- publicly and privately change b+b systems
- accept their attitudes into own cognitions
- eg vegan linked to ISI
explain ISI
- desire to be right
- unsure about how to behave conform and seek guidance
- cognitive process
- leads to internalisation p+p change views to he inline w a group
explain NSI
- desire to be liked want to fit in
- ‘go along’ w group’s behaviour to avoid ridicule
- emotional process
- leads to compliance p+p change views but privately revert back
what is RTS for ISI?
+ conducted by Jenness
+ ppts asked to estimate number of JB in a jar and decide on group estimate
+ and have a private guess
+ private estimate = closer to groups estimate than their own
+ supports ISI task was AMBIGUOUS
What does ISI lack?
- ecological validity took place in lab
- difficult to generalise findings to real life examples
- ppl irl might be less likely to conform as their may be consequences for their actions unlike lab
- reduces external validity questioning ISI as an explanation of conformity
what is RTS for NSI?
- conducted by Asch
- a b c was closest to stimulus line ‘x’
- confederates answered first and gave wrong answer
- ppts conformed gave wrong answer 37% of the time
- task was unambiguous
- ppts wanted to avoid ridicule
What is the downside to NSI?
-gender bias only males tested
-difficult to generalise findings to females
-females may be more conformist
more concerned abt sr / liked by peers
-(NETO 1995)
-weakens external validity
how did group size affect conformity?
- C↑ as group size ↑
- 1 ppt and 1 confederate C 3%
- 1 ppt and 2 confederates C 13%
- 1 ppt and 3 confederates C 32%
- C plateaued after this
- size has an effect only to a certain point
how did unanimity affect conformity?
-means complete agreement from a group about an answer
-varied study C went from 37% to 5.5%
>when confederate gave ✅ answer
-‘lone confederate’ gave a different answer to the majority C dropped to 9%
dissenter breaks a group’s unanimity position as conformity decreases
how does task difficulty affect conformity?
-C ↑ as TD ↑
-Asch made stimulus line and comparison line more similar in length
✅ answer was less obvious
- C rates ↑
- ISI plays a great role when task becomes harder we look for guidance
- we lose confidence more likely to conform
what is RTS for variables affecting conformity?
-conducted by Lucas
-students to solve ‘easy and hard’ maths problems
-ppts given 3 other answers from fake students
ppts C more to harder problems
-supports Asch’s research as task is harder C ↑
what is the counter argument to lucas?
- C more complex
- ppts high confidence on maths abilities conformed less than those w low confidence
- individual level factor can influence C and interact w situational variables
- limiting Asch’s research into sv
how can Asch’s study be criticised?
- culture bias
- conduced in 🇺🇸 western individualistic culture
- difficult to generalise findings to non western, collectivst cultures like 🇨🇳
- Bond and Smith 1996 found that ppl from china more likely to conform as they want to be liked by them (NSI)
- weakens external validity
what happened to the prisoners in zimbardo’s study?
- arrested from their homes
- taken to prison and searched
- deloused and dressed in smocks
- referred to as numbers rather than their names
what happened to the guards in zimbardo’s study?
- given uniforms nightstick mirrored 👓
- instructed to keep prisoners under strict control
- not to use physical violence
- uniforms created loss of personal identity encouraging ppts to conform
what were the findings of zimbardo’s study?
- within a day prisoners rebelled ripped off numbers
- punishments of guards escalated
- 2 weeks went for 6 days
- prisoners became depressed subdued
- some were released early
give the conclusion for z study
- guards researches and prisoners conformed to their role w in group
- social roles have an extraordinary power over individuals
- making even the well adjusted capable of brutality towards others
give a criticism of zimbardo’s study
P - prone to demand characteristics E - Z took on role of superintendent E - Z could have influenced how ppts acted eg ppts may have conformed as they believed Z wanted them to do so 💰also paid for taking part L - ↓ internal validity
give another weakness of z’s study
P - gender bias androcentric sample (24 male)
E - difficult to generalise findings to women
E - stereotypically women are more caring and concerned for others
L - reducing external validity
counter argument for gender bias
- However when Z conducted his study he was interested in explaining
- brutality within American prison systems
- majority guards were male
may explain his choice using male only sample
Give a strength of Z’s study
P - practical applications used to predict and explain behaviour in 🌍
E - actions displayed by soldiers Abu Ghraib military prison in Iraq similar to Z’s as prisoners were tortured humiliated and abused
E - used to develop prevention programmes for training purposes
L - important part of applied psychology good external validity
define conformity
changes in individual’s behaviours and or beliefs as a result of real of imagined group pressure
