Section 1 : Social Influence - Conformity Flashcards
What is conformity
yielding to group pressure
What are the 3 types of conformity
Compliance
Internalisation
Identification
What is compliance
-publicly but not privately going along with the majority influence to gain approval/avoid ridicule
-Weak/temporary and only shown in presence of a group
What is internalisation
-true conformity
-public and private acceptance of majority influence, through adoption of the majority group’s belief system
-stronger, permanent form of conformity, as it maintained outside of the groups presence
What is identification
- public and private acceptance of majority influence in order to gain group acceptance
- stronger form of conformity but still temporary, don’t always agree with the group
what is information social influence (ISI)
a cognitive process, it is to do with what you think. we agree with the opinion of the majority because we believe it is correct
why does information social influence happen
- Uncertain
- agree with the majority and believe that is right
- want to be right
- cognitive process
- public and private agreement
when does ISI happen
situations that are new to a person
some ambiguity
in crisis situations
one person in the group is regarded as being more of an expert
what is NSI (normative social influence)
- NSI is an emotional process
- says we agree with the opinion of the majority because we want to be accepted, gain social approval and be liked.
- the person may publicly change their behaviour/view but will privately disagree
why does NSI happen
- agree with the opinion of majority
- need for acceptance
- gain social approval/be liked
- emotional process
- public and private views differ -> compliance
when does NSI happen
-situations with strangers
-occur with people you know
-pronounced in stressful situations
Who tested the effects of information social influence (ISI)
Sherif (1935)
What type of experiment was Sherif (1935) - Conformity and the auto kinetic effect
A Laboratory experiment
Did Sherif allow his experiment to be repeated
Yes
What is the auto kinetic effect
An effect where a stationary spot viewed in a dark room, appears to move
What were participants told before they underwent the experiment
They were falsely told that the experimenter would move the light
What happened to the participants after doing the experiment
They made their own individual repeated estimates. Then they were put in groups of 3 where they said their estimates with others present. They were then retested.
What were the results of this experiment
-Participants made their own stable estimates when they were alone, which varied
-When the participants were in a group, the estimates tended to converge and become more alike
-When participants were retested by themselves their estimates became more alike the group estimates rather than their own estimates
What was the conclusion of this experiment
-Participants were influenced by the estimates of other people, group norm developed
-Estimates converged because articulates used information from others to help them
-They were affected ISI
What was the significance of laboratory experiment
There was strict control of the variables, meaning results are unlikely to have been affected by a third variable. Possible to establish cause and effect
What did the repeated measure design of the experiment mean
Means participant variables that could’ve affected results were kept constant.
Why was the method flawed
- Participants asked to judge the movement of a stationary light - rarely happens in real life
- Created an artificial situation
-Lacks ecological validity
-Results cannot be generalised as all participants were male
-Participants were deceived - ethical problem
Who tested the effects of Normative Social Influence
Asch (1951)
