Types and Explanations of Conformity

What is the definition of Conformity?

= A Change in a person’s behaviour or opinions as a result of real or imagined pressure from a person or group of people.

Method and Purpose of Jenness’ Bean Study (1932)

He used an ambiguous situation, involving a glass bottle filled with 811 white beans.

Sample of 101 Psychology students.

1. Individually estimate the number of beans.

2. In a group of three, discuss the task and provide a re-thought group estimate.

3. Second opportunity to individually estimate.

Purpose : to see if they changed their original answers.

What were the findings of Jenness’ Bean Study?

• Nearly all participants changed their answers.

• Males changed their answers less than females.

• Demonstrates the power of conformity in an ambiguous situation and are likely to be the result of the informational social influence.

What are the 3 types of conformity?

• Compliance

• Internalisation

• Identification

Explain the type of conformity - Compliance.

‘Going along with others’ in public, but privately not changing personal opinion. So, compliance results in only a superficial change and the behaviour will stop as soon as group pressure stops.

Done because of a desire to fit in / be liked in the group.

The weakest form of conformity, temporary as it is dependent on group membership.

Eg. eating vegetarian food at a vegetarian dinner party because everyone else is.

Explain the type of conformity - Internalisation.

The person genuinely accepting the group norms. This change is likely to be permanent, the change persists even in the absence of group members.
Eg. becoming permanently fully vegetarian because you find that you agree with your roommates opinions.

Explain the type of conformity - Identification.

Conforming to the opinions / behaviour of a group because there is something about that group we value. We identify with the group, so we want to be part of it. This means we may publicly change our opinion / behaviour to achieve this goal even if we don’t privately agree with everything the group stands for.

Eg. becoming vegetarian temporarily because you want to be friends / included with a group of vegetarians.

What are the 2 explanations of conformity?

• Normative Social Influence (NSI)

• Informational Social Influence (ISI)

Normative Social Influence (NSI)

• Typical behaviour from a social group, norms regulate the behaviour of groups and individuals.

• People prefer to gain social approval rather than be rejected. Therefore NSI is EMOTIONAL rather than cognitive.

Most likely to occur in :

• Situations with strangers where you may feel concerned about rejection.

• With people you know, seeking social approval from our friends.

• In stressful situations, where we have a greater need for social support.

Informational Social Influence (ISI)

 

• Who has better information you or the rest of the group?

• The reason people follow the behaviour of the group (majority) is because people want to be right.

• ISI is a COGNITIVE process, as it is to do with thinking.

Most likely to occur in :

• New situations, or situations with some ambiguity, so it isn’t clear what is right.

• Crisis situations where decisions have to be made quickly.

• When one person (or group) is regarded as being more of an expert.

Evaluating the explanations of Conformity - Strengths.

• Research support for ISI, Lucas et al asked students to give mathematical problems that were easy or more difficult. There was greater conformity to incorrect answers when they were difficult rather than easy. This shows that people conform in situations where they feel they don’t know the answer, which is the exact outcome predicted by the ISI explanation.

• Research support for NSI, in Asch’s line study the participants went along with a clearly wrong answer as they were afraid of disapproval from the majority group. When Asch asked participants to privately record their answers instead of privately, conformity levels drastically decreased. This shows that NSI is a valid explanation of at least some conformity as the anxiety disappears when you don’t have to publicly give your responses.

Evaluating the explanations of Conformity - Weaknesses.

• Individual differences in ISI, Perrin and Spencer found that an engineering student sample found very little conformity compared to the original Asch.

• Individual differences in NSI, There are people who are less concerned with being liked / accepted, and therefore NSI can affect everyone differently.