Psychology - Social Influence: Conformity

Conformity

Choosing a course of action due to a majority favouring it

Two types of Conformity

Compliance and internalisation

Compliance Conformity

The change in opinion/behaviour changes in the absence of other group members but does not result in any change in a persons underlying attitude; only in the views and behaviour they express in public.

Internalisation Conformity

The change in opinion/behaviour persists even in the absence of other group members

Two explainations for conformity

Normative social influence and Informational social influence

Normative social influence (NSI)

Behaviour that is motivated by the desire to gain social acceptance and approval

informational social influence (ISI)

The influence of other people that results from taking their comments or actions as a source of information about what is correct, proper, or effective

Asch effect

The human tendency for us to sometimes do as others do rather than what we feel is right

Asch (1951, 1955) set up a study to investigate majority influence (conforming to the group). Why?

Asch was interested in seeing the extent to which group pressure could influence an individual to go against what their eyes were telling them

What was the sample size of Asch's study?

123 male students from the USA

Who were the other participants in Asch's study?

6-8 other male students who were confederates of Asch

What was the main task participants had to perform in Asch's study?

To say which of the three lines on the right of the card was the same length as the line shown on the left of the card

What was the main task participants had to perform in Asch's study?

Participants had to say which of the three lines on the right was the same length as the line on the far left.

How many trials were conducted per group in Asch's study?

There were 18 trials per group.

What did the confederates do during the initial trials of Asch's study?

The confederates gave the right answer on the first few trials.

How many critical trials were included in Asch's study?

There were 12 critical trials.

What was the behavior of confederates during the critical trials in Asch's study?

The confederates all gave the same incorrect answer.

What percentage of the time did participants give the wrong answer on critical trials in Asch's study?

Participants gave the wrong answer on 36.8% of the critical trials.

What percentage of participants conformed at least once in Asch's study?

75% of participants conformed at least once.

What conclusion did Asch draw from his study regarding conformity?

Asch concluded that people will conform to the majority even when the situation is unambiguous.

What was notable about the participants' responses despite the clarity of the correct answer in Asch's study?

Some participants still gave the wrong answer after hearing the confederates give the same wrong answer.

What percentage of participants never conformed in Asch's study?

25%

What does NSI stand for in the context of conformity?

Normative Social Influence

What does ISI stand for in the context of conformity?

Informational Social Influence

Is conformity to the majority inevitable according to Asch's study?

No, it is common but not inevitable.

What type of procedure did Asch use in his study?

A standardised procedure

What is a benefit of using a standardised procedure in a study?

It allows the study to be replicated many times over.

What does high reliability in a study indicate?

Repeated replications show consistent results.

What did replications of Asch's study (Smith & Bond, 1996) help identify?

Cross-cultural differences in conformity.

What concept is linked to conformity according to Asch's study?

Group cohesion.

Which cultures showed the highest rates of conformity in Asch's study?

Collectivist cultures.

What do collectivist cultures value more than individual needs?

The needs of the group.

When did Asch's research take place?

1940s - 1950s

What historical context influenced Asch's research?

It took place directly after World War II and before the civil rights and feminist movements.

What label has been given to Asch's study due to its historical context?

It has been labelled 'a child of its time'.

What is a limitation of Asch's study regarding its applicability over time?

The study lacks temporal validity.

What might have influenced participants' responses in Asch's study?

Some participants may have guessed the aim of the study due to the ease of the task.

What is response bias in the context of Asch's study?

It occurs when participants go along with giving the wrong answer because they think it is what is required of them.

How does response bias affect the findings of Asch's study?

Response bias reduces the validity of the findings.

What was the effect of one confederate on conformity in Asch's variations?

Conformity dropped to just 3% of the critical trials.

What was the effect of two confederates on conformity in Asch's variations?

Conformity was 12.8% of the critical trials.

What was the effect of three confederates on conformity in Asch's variations?

Conformity rose to 31.8% of the critical trials.

How does conformity change with group size in Asch's variations?

Conformity peaks with three confederates, once majority pressure is established.

What does unanimity refer to in Asch's study?

Unanimity refers to the extent of agreement or consensus across a group.

What was the response of the confederates in Asch's original procedure?

In Asch's original procedure, the confederates all gave the same incorrect answer on the critical trials.

What effect did introducing a confederate who gave the correct answer have on conformity in Asch's study?

Conformity dropped to 5% when one confederate gave the correct answer.

What does the finding of a confederate giving the correct answer suggest about conformity?

It shows that support from another person makes it easier to resist the pressure to conform to the majority.

What was the effect of a confederate giving a different incorrect answer in Asch's study?

Conformity dropped to 9% when one confederate gave a different incorrect answer.

How can disrupting group unanimity affect conformity?

Disrupting group unanimity is one way to reduce conformity.

How did Asch test the effect of task difficulty in his experiment?

He minimized the difference between the lengths of the lines, making it harder to detect which line was longer or shorter.

What effect did task ambiguity have on conformity in Asch's experiment?

Conformity increased

What does ISI stand for in the context of conformity?

ISI stands for Informational Social Influence, which is the need to be right.

What does NSI stand for in the context of conformity?

NSI stands for Normative Social Influence, which is the need to be liked.

Why do people conform to incorrect answers in an easy task according to NSI?

Won't risk rejection by going against the group.