Types and explantions of conformity

A01-Types of conformity

• Compliance - when a person changes their public behaviour but not their private beliefs. This is often a short-term change that only occurs in the presence of the group.

• Internalisation- when a person changes both their public behaviour and their private beliefs. This is often a long-term change that the individual continues with even when they are away from the pressure of the group.

A01-Two- process’s theory

• Deutsch and Gerard (1955) developed

• Normative Social Influence (NSI) – this is when a person conforms to be accepted or to belong to a group. It is to do with ‘norms’, meaning what is normal or typical behaviour of a social group. A person conforms because it is socially rewarding or to avoid social punishment.Associated with compliance.

  
  

• Informational Social Influence (ISI) – this is when a person conforms to gain knowledge or because they believe someone else is right. An individual follows the group in this situation because they want to be right.Associated with internalisation.

A03-NSI + ISI Work Together

• however, it is unclear whether it is NSI or ISI at work in research studies

• For example, ash found that conformity is reduced when there is one other dissenter participant present that they dissenter may reduce the power of NSI by providing social support or they may reduce the power of ISI because they provide an alternative source of information.

A03-Individual Differences in NSI

• A limitation of the NSI explanation of conformity is that there are individual differences in how people behave.

• For example, research has shown that people who are less concerned about being liked are less affected by NSI than those that care more about being liked, who are known as Affiliators. These individuals have a greater need for ’affiliation’, a need for being in relationship with others and are therefore more likely to conform