Explanations For Conformity Flashcards
What is normative social influence (NSI)
Going along with the majority to avoid rejection and disapproval from the group
What is this action know as NSI
Compliance
What are human beings
They are social species who have a fundamental need for social companionship and a fear of rejection
What is informational social influence
When an individual accepts information from others as evidence about reality
When does an individual accept information from others as evidence about reality ?
When the situation is ambiguous (uncertain)
When we believe the individual to be an expert
What is this action referred to as ISI
Internalisation
As we believe others to be experts and have the right answers
E.g Covid 19,education
What is a strength related to normative influence
P:One strength to explaining conformity is normative influence .
E:Evidence for this is that researchers found that adolescents exposed to the simple message that majority of their age peers did not smoke were subsequently less likely to take up smoking
E:this shows that majority go along with others to fit in with a certain group of society, therefore it is valid
Why might NSI not be detected as a weakness
P: one weakness of explanations for conformity is that many don’t see their behaviour as a casual factor of other behavinormative influence may not be detected)
E: researchers found that people judged the behaviour of neighbours as having the least effect on their own energy conservation. However, results showed that this has the strongest effect.
E: This suggests that people rely on beliefs about what should motivate their behaviour and so under-detect the impact of NSI this show it lacks reliability
How is ISI a strength of explainations of conformity
P: one strength of explanations for conformity is informational influence
E: evidence for this is that researchers found that participants exposed to negative information about African-Americans reported more negative attitude towards black individuals
E: many people judgement shifts depending on what the majority agree on therefore providing it with validity
How is it difficult to distinguish between compliance and internalisation a weakness
P: one weakness of explanations for conformity is that difficulty distinguish between compliance and internalisation
E: a person may publicly agree with the majority but also disagree publicly. However some may accept a groups views and then later disagree on their views
E: This implies that individuals may have forgotten information by a group or new information has been released therefore the explanation lacks reliability.
