Social influence

Social influence

The process by which individuals’ thoughts, feelings, or behaviours are changed by the real or imagined presence of other people.

Conformity

A type of social influence involving a change in behaviour or belief to fit in with a group, due to real or imagined group pressure.

Majority influence

A form of social influence in which the majority persuades others to adopt their beliefs or behaviours.

Compliance

Superficial conformity where individuals publicly change their behaviour to fit in, but privately disagree. Behaviour stops when group pressure is removed.

Identification

A deeper form of conformity where individuals adopt behaviours and beliefs of a group they value, often temporarily, while maintaining their original beliefs.

Internalisation

The deepest form of conformity where individuals genuinely accept group norms as their own, resulting in public and private agreement.

Normative social influence

Conformity based on the desire to be liked, accepted, or avoid social rejection by the group.

Which type of conformity is linked to NSI?

Compliance

When is NSI most likely to occur?

In situations where group membership is important and responses are public.

Informational social influence

Conformity based on the desire to be correct, where individuals accept information from others as evidence about reality.

What type of conformity is linked to ISI?

Internalisation

When is ISI most likely to occur?

In ambiguous situations, crisis situations, or when others are perceived as experts.

What was the aim of Asch’s study?

To investigate the extent to which people conform to majority influence in an unambiguous task.

What was the procedure of Asch’s line study?

Participants judged line lengths while seated with confederates who deliberately gave incorrect answers on critical trials.

What are critical trials?

Trials where confederates unanimously gave the same incorrect answer.

What were the findings of Asch’s study?

Participants conformed on about 33% of critical trials; 75% conformed at least once.

What happened in the control condition?

Participants made virtually no errors, showing the task was unambiguous.

What did Asch conclude?

People are willing to conform to a clearly incorrect majority due to normative social influence.

How does group size affect conformity?

Conformity increases with group size up to around three to five people, after which it levels off.

How does unanimity affect conformity?

Conformity decreases if the majority is not unanimous, even if the dissenter gives a different wrong answer.

How does task difficulty affect conformity?

Conformity increases as task difficulty increases due to greater reliance on ISI.

What was the aim of the Stanford Prison Experiment?

To investigate the extent to which people conform to social roles within a simulated prison.

What was the procedure of the study?

Volunteers were randomly assigned to prisoner or guard roles in a mock prison at Stanford University.

What were the findings?

Guards became increasingly authoritarian and prisoners increasingly passive and distressed.

What did Zimbardo conclude?

People conform strongly to social roles, particularly when supported by situational factors.