Conformity

Question 1

Conformity

Answer 1

1. We conform when we match other people’s beliefs and behaviours because we want to fit in or we do not know how to act in a situation.
2. In 1932, Arthur asked participants to guess how many beans were in a glass bottle
3. He found that participants were likely to change their first guess following a discussion with a group
4. Presumably this was because they did not know the answer, so looked too others as a source of information. This is an example of informational social influence
5. Some people are more likely to conform because of the situation they are in, and personality factors also determine whether a type of person is more likely to conform or not.

Question 2

Situational factors affecting conformity

Answer 2

1. Size of majority
2. Unanimity of the majority
3. Task difficulty/ambiguity

Question 3

Size of majority

Answer 3

1. The greater the majority, the greater the influence they have on your behaviour. However this only happens up to a point
2. During the 1950s, Solomon Asch conducted some experiments looking into conformity where a participant was placed around a table with confederates.
3. The confederates pretended to be genuine participants, but had been instructed on what to do in the experiment
4. The experimenter presented the group with a card displaying three lines of differing lengths labelled A, B, and C
5. They were then shown a second card with a single line on it and asked to say which of the three lines it resembled. The confederates all lied and picked a line that was nothing like the line on the second card
6. The participants heard the confederates’ answers and so some of them also picked the wrong line. When there was only one confederate in the room, the conformity rate was only 3% however with three is rose to 32% showing normative social influence
7. The optimal number for majority to exert an influence appears to be around three to four people
8. More than four tends to arouse suspicion that it is wrong

Question 4

Unanimity of the majority

Answer 4

1. If some people choose to be something, but not everyone then you will be less swayed to do it as well
2. This is because there is disagreement among the majority, the decision to change is not unanimous
3. There is a lack of consensus so there is social support not to do it as well
4. Asch showed this as when there was one person saying the correct line, the participant was less likely to conform to the wrong answer

Question 5

Task difficulty/ambiguity

Answer 5

1. If the task being performed is too difficult or ambiguous, we are more likely to look to others for the right answer
2. This is an example of informational social influence - we are unsure how to behave so we mimic others around us
3. Asch’s experiment showed this as in the original easier experiment, people were less likely to conform however in the harder one people started to conform more.

Question 6

Personal factors affecting conformity

Answer 6

Locus of control

Question 7

Confederate

Answer 7

a researcher or other person who is acting in a study but does not know what the study is about

Question 8

Locus of control

Answer 8

1. Locus of control is the part of our personality that refers to how much control we believe we have over our own behaviour
2. Splits into internal locus of control and external locus of control
3. A person with an internal locus of control is less likely to be influenced by others are them and therefore less likely to conform. Whereas, someone with an external locus of control is more likely to be influenced by other people’s behaviour and conform
4. Whether we conform also depends on the situation and other personality factors such as peer pressure and unfamiliar situations

Question 9

Internal locus of control

Answer 9

1. when we feel we have personal control over our own behaviour
2. for e.g. if we passed a test, we would believe that it was due to working hard, competence, and getting what we deserved

Question 10

External locus of control

Answer 10

1. when we feel that factors external to us control our behaviour
2. e.g. we would believe that we passed a test because good questions came up or we were lucky

Question 11

Majority Influence

Answer 11

Majority influence refers to the majority trying to produce conformity on the minority

Question 12

minority influece

Answer 12

minority influence is converting the majority to adopt the thinking of the minority group.

Question 13

Age

Answer 13

Since conformity is the act of behaving in accordance with social rules or norms, it follows that conformity behaviour should increase with age until the child reaches the stage at which rules are internalised, and decrease thereafter.

Question 14

Collectivist and Individualistic cultures

Answer 14

1. In collectivist cultures, conformity brings positive feelings of harmony and connectedness
2. whereas in individualist cultures people enjoy the feelings of freedom and independence from being unique