Types And Explanations Of Conformity Flashcards
Who proposed the explanations of conformity
Deutsch and Gerard (1955)
Who proposed the types of conformity
Kelman (!958)
What are the types of conformity
-Internalisation
-Compliance
-Identification
What are the explanations of conformity
-Normative social influence
-Informational social influence
What is compliance (type)
-Compliance is a type of conformity where an individual publicly goes along with the group, but privately disagrees with them.
Example of compliance (type)
Laughing at a joke that your friends find funny even though you don’t actually think it’s funny- just to fit in
What is Identification (type)
Identification is when an individual conforms both publicly and privately because they want to be accepted by a group they value or admire — but the change might not be permanent. (Short term)
What is Internalisation
Internalisation is when an individual genuinely accepts the group’s beliefs or behaviour as their own. The change is both public and private, and usually permanent. (Long term_
Example of identification
-Zimbardo’s Stanford Prison Experiment- Participants identified with the roles of guard or prisoner and conformed to group norms
Example of internalisation
You become a Buddhist after living in a Buddhist country, and continue practising even after leaving- because you truly believe in it now
Explanation of compliance
Normative Social influence
What is Normative social influence
-When someone conforms in order to fit in and gain approval or avoid disapproval from other group members
Explanation of identification
-Normative social influence
-Informational social influence (sometimes)
What is informational social influence
-When people conform because they are uncertain about what to do in a particular situation so they look to others or guidance (believe that they are right)
Evaluation of types and explanations of conformity
-Research support for NSI
-Research support for ISI
-Individual differences in NSI
-Is the NSI/ISI distinction useful???
Who provides research support for NSI
Asch (1951)
How does Asch (1951) provide research support for NSI
-When he interviewed his participants, some said that they conformed because they were afraid of disapproval instead of giving the correct answer.
-When normative pressure was reduced by asking participants to write their answers down, conformity fell to 12.5%. Supporting the idea that some conformity is due to the desire not to be rejecting by the group for disagreeing with them.
Who provide research support for ISI
Lucas et al (2006)
How does Lucas et al (2006) provide research support for ISI
-Participants were more likely to conform to incorrect answers when math problems were difficult, especially if they rated their own maths ability as low.
-Supports Informational Social Influence – people conform when they doubt their own knowledge, and so they look to others for guidance, believing that they ‘know better’
Evidence that NSI does not predict conformity in every case (doesnt account for individual differences)
-Research by McGhee and Teevan (1967) found that individuals who are nAffiliators – people with a high need for affiliation – are more likely to conform due to Normative Social Influence (NSI).
-This suggests that not everyone is equally affected by NSI. Some people may be more driven to seek social approval, while others may be more confident in their own judgments and less likely to conform.
-Therefore, the theory lacks generalisability, as it does not apply equally to all individuals and fails to explain why some people are more likely to conform than others.
