SOCIAL INFLUENCE-conformity

Question 1

What is social influence?

Answer 1

-the process by which our thoughts,feelings and behaviours are influenced by other people

Question 2

Define conformity

Answer 2

-When a person changes their attitude or behaviour due to real or imagined group pressure

Question 3

What is compliance?

Answer 3

-The lowest level of conformity
-A person changes their public behaviour but not their private beliefs
-Usually a short-term change

Question 4

What is Identification?

Answer 4

-The middle level of conformity
-The person changes their public behaviour and private beliefs but only in the presence of the group they identify with
-Usually a short-term change

Question 5

What is internalisation?

Answer 5

-The deepest level of conformity
-The person changes their public beliefs and private beliefs
-Usually long term

Question 6

Is compliance NSI or ISI?

Answer 6

NSI

Question 7

Is identification NSI or ISI?

Answer 7

NSI

Question 8

Is internalisation NSI or ISI

Answer 8

ISI

Question 9

What are the two explanations for conforming?

Answer 9

Normative social influence (NSI) and informational social influence (ISI)

Question 10

What is NSI?

Answer 10

-Conforming so you feel accepted and belong to a group
-Socially rewarding
-Avoid punishment

Question 11

What is ISI?

Answer 11

-Conforming to gain knowledge and be right
-To act appropriately
-To avoid standing out

Question 12

Give a strength of ISI and NSI (research support)

Answer 12

-There is good research support for both ISI and NSI
-Asch (1951):
Participants who gave the wrong answer to an unambiguous line-length task were likely succumbing to NSI as giving a different answer would have risked rejection by the group
-Lucas et al (2006):
Participants showed higher rates of conformity when confronted with difficult maths questions compared to when the questions were easier thus ISI was demonstrated in the students not wanting to give the wrong answer publicly

Question 13

Give a strength of NSI and ISI (Real world application)

Answer 13

-NSI has good application to global/historical events e.g. the behaviour of normal German people involved in the Holocaust

Question 14

Give a limitation off NSI and ISI

Answer 14

It is often difficult sometimes to differentiate between NSI and ISI (e.g. in Asch’s research both explanations could apply)

Question 15

Give a limitation of ISI and NSI

Answer 15

Both explanations cannot explain why some people refuse to or resist conformity