Social Influence: Explanations of Conformity

Question 1

Asch’s study only used males in the sample for his experiment. What type of bias does the study have?

Answer 1

Gender Bias

Question 2

Asch’s study is gender bias, how do you know?

Answer 2

Because he used a male only sample

Question 3

Asch’s study was only conducted on males, why is this a problem?

Answer 3

It is difficult to generalise the findings to females

Question 4

Does research by Neto (1995) suggest females conform more or less?

Answer 4

Females may conform more

Question 5

What does Neto (1995) suggest females are more concerned about that causes them to conform more?

Answer 5

Social relationships & being liked by peers

Question 6

Who does Asch’s research explain conformity for?

Answer 6

Some groups (males) more than others (females)

Question 7

Give two ways in which the methodology can be criticised in Asch’s research into conformity.

Answer 7

1) Gender Bias

2) Lacks Ecological Validity

Question 8

In Asch’s study, the participant was joined by…

Answer 8

7 - 9 confederates

Question 9

Asch’s sample?

Answer 9

123 American Male Students

Question 10

When did participants give their answer?

Answer 10

Last or second to last - heard all the confederate answers first

Question 11

Asch’s Task

Answer 11

Match the comparison line to the standard lines a/b/c in terms of length

Question 12

How many times did they confederates give the identical wrong answer?

Answer 12

12/18 times - called the critical trials

Question 13

Asch’s findings…

Answer 13

Participants gave the wrong answer 37% of the time

Question 14

Post-experiment interviews on Asch’s participants found hat they conformed ….

Answer 14

publicly not privately to avoid ridicule.

Question 15

Asch’s research supports which explanation of conformity?

Answer 15

NSI

Question 16

Why did Asch’s results support NSI?

Answer 16

As the task was unambiguous, participants conformed publicly to be accepted by the group

Question 17

Name the two explanations of conformity

Answer 17

ISI

NSI

Question 18

ISI stands for…

Answer 18

Informational Social Influence

Question 19

NSI stands for…

Answer 19

Normative Social Influence

Question 20

ISI is driven by the desire…

Answer 20

To be right

Question 21

When does an individual conform according to ISI?

Answer 21

When they lack knowledge

Question 22

In ISI, when we lack knowledge, what do we seek from who?

Answer 22

Information from the group on how to behave and assume it is right

Question 23

What kind of process is ISI?

Answer 23

Cognitive

Question 24

ISI is linked to which type of conformity?

Answer 24

Internalisation

Question 25

NSI is driven by a desire...

Answer 25

To be liked

Question 26

According to NSI, why will a person go along with the groups behaviour? Give 3 reasons

Answer 26

* Avoid ridicule * Gain acceptance * Fit in

Question 27

What kind of process is NSI?

Answer 27

An emotional process

Question 28

NSI is linked to what type of conformity?

Answer 28

Compliance

Question 29

Conformity is changes in individuals...

Answer 29

beliefs & behaviours

Question 30

Why do individuals change beliefs & behaviours according to the definition of conformity...

Answer 30

Real or imagined group pressure

Question 31

Who conducted research to support NSI?

Answer 31

Asch

Question 32

Who supported research to support ISI?

Answer 32

Jenness

Question 33

How did Asch vary group size?

Answer 33

Varied the number of confederates//the majority

Question 34

What did Asch find about conformity rates when group size was varied?

Answer 34

As the number of confederates increased, conformity rates increased

Question 35

In the group size variation, when do the conformity rates plateau?

Answer 35

When there are 3 confederates

Question 36

When there is complete agreement from the group - this is called?

Answer 36

Unanimity

Question 37

How did Asch break Unanimity?

Answer 37

Adding a dissenting confederate

Question 38

What answer did the dissenting confederate give?

Answer 38

The correct answer - different to the majority's view

Question 39

What happened to conformity rates when Asch broke unanimity?

Answer 39

Conformity rates decreases (5.5%)

Question 40

How did Asch vary the task difficulty?

Answer 40

Made the stimulus and comparison lines more similar in length

Question 41

What happens to the rate of conformity as task difficulty increases?

Answer 41

Conformity rates increase

Question 42

Why do conformity rates increase as the difficulty of the task increases?

Answer 42

The answer becomes less obvious so we lose confidence so conform

Question 43

What kind of task was Jenness's study?

Answer 43

Ambiguous

Question 44

What were participants unsure of in Jenness's study?

Answer 44

The correct answer (number of jellybeans)

Question 45

What did participants of Jenness's study seek?

Answer 45

Information from the group

Question 46

How did participants in Jenness's study change their estimates? Why?

Answer 46

Publicly and privately to be right

Question 47

What does Jenness's study increase the validity of?

Answer 47

ISI as an explanation of conformity

Question 48

Why does research to support ISI as an explanation for conformity, by Jenness, lack ecological validity?

Answer 48

The experiment took place in a lab setting / artifical

Question 49

What is the finding of Jenness's study?

Answer 49

Individuals conform due to the desire to be right.

Question 50

Why are people less likely to conform to the group in real life settings, unlike what Jenness suggests?

Answer 50

There may be consequences for their actions

Question 51

What does the lack of ecological validity reduce for Jenness's study?

Answer 51

External validity

Question 52

What does Jenness's study bring into question do to the reduced external validity?

Answer 52

ISI as an explanation of conformity

Question 53

What kind of task was Asch's study?

Answer 53

Unambiguous task

Question 54

What did participants reveal in post interviews in Asch's experiment?

Answer 54

They knew the answer, but conformed to avoid ridicule from the group

Question 55

What do post interviews increase the validity of as an explanation of conformity?

Answer 55

NSI