social influence Flashcards
(15 cards)
What is social influence?
“the scientific field which seeks to understand the nature & cause of individual behaviour in social situations” - Baron et al (1989)
what is conformity?
a type of social influence involving a change in self-belief or behaviour to be in line with a group due to a real or imagined group pressure
what does ISI stand for?
Informational Social Influence
what is Informational social influence?
“conforming to be right”
When an individual is unsure, they may seek the opinion of others, especially if they believe them to be better informed
It is more likely to happen in an unfamiliar or ambiguous situation
what does NSI stand for
Normative social influence
what is normative social influence?
“conforming to be liked”
when an individual conforms to fit in due to a desire not to be left out or appear foolish. One way to be accepted is to agree with their ideas and beliefs
What are the three types of conformity?
compliance, identification & internalisation
what is compliance
An individual goes along with the group to gain approval. This leads to a change in social behaviour but not their private beliefs. This type of conformity only results in short term change.
what is identification
identification has elements of both compliance and internalisation as the individual accepts the attitudes and behaviours they are adopting as true but the purpose of doing so is to be accepted as a member of the group.
what is internalisation
The individual goes along with a group because of an acceptance of their values/views, this can lead to an acceptance of a groups point of view both physically and privately, this is true conformity.
what research supports Normative Social Influence?
Asch’s study found that pps said that they conformed because they felt self-conscious and were afraid of disapproval
What research supports the concept of informational social influence?
Jeness’ (1932) study asked 101 students to individually estimate the number of white beans in a jar. They where then split into 3’s and asked to discuss and come up with a group estimate. They then asked for another individual estimate. It was concluded that because of the ambiguous nature of the task, pps were likely to change their answer
are NSI and ISI nomothetic or ideographic?
nomothetic because they are general laws of behaviour that apply to everyone
What is the counterargument for NSI & ISI being nomothetic?
The theory does not account for individual differences.
nAffiliators are individuals who are more concerned with being liked by others & have a strong need for social connection. So, they are more likely to conform
