Conformity - created from Mind Map

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Process of yielding to group pressure. (Tendency to change behaviour or attitude in response to real or imagined group pressure.)

Types

Explanations

Evidence

Variables (from Asch's study)

Internalisation

Identification

Compliance

Change of public and private views to match those of the group. (Permanent change)

New attitudes and behaviours become part of value system and are not dependant of presence of the group.

Temporary change of behaviour and opinions to match the group because membership of said group is desirable.

Conformity is not maintained when group is absent.

Publically conforming to behaviour of the group to avoid disapproval but privately maintain own view.

Normative Social Influence (NSI)

Informational Social Influence (ISI)

Strengths

Weaknesses

Strong desire to be liked or accepted as a member of the group

Produces compliance (publically going along with majority but privately sticking to own viwes

Change our behaviour or ideas because we want to be right

Look to others who we believe to be correct

Occurs particularly in novel or ambiguous situations where correct answer or behaviour is unclear

Produces internalisation (genuine and long-lasting change of private and public ideas and behaviour)

Supported by research evidence

Individual differences are ignored/ not considered (eg. not all people conform to group pressure)

Lucas et al (2006)

Asch (1956)

(Students answer math problems). Found greater conformity to incorrect answers when questions were difficult rather than easy, particularly true in students who rated math ability as poor.

Majority of participants went along at least once with a clearly incorrect answer. When asked why, some said they felt self-conscious of giving correct answer and were afraid of disapproval.

Group size

Unanimity of the majority

Difficulty of the task

Conditions

Brown and Byrne (1997)

Campbell and Fairey

1: 1 real participant + 1 confederate (3%conformity)

2: 1 real participant + 2 confederates (13% conformity)

3: 1 real participant + 3 confederates (32% conformity)

Further increases of group size did not lead to further increase in conformity = size of majority is important up to a certain point

(Group size mattered to a certain point because) with large number of confederates, people began to suspect confederates were colluding with the experimenter

(Group size) may have different effect depending on type of judgement being made and motivation of the individual.

When there is no obvious right answer, more people conform to fit in.

When there is a correct answer and person wants to be right, only one or two other people are needed to sway them

Unanimity = everyone agrees

In original study, all confederates gave unanimous answer

1: Asch broke up unanimity by introducing a confederate that gave correct answers.

2: Confederate gave answer that was different to the majority and different to the true answer

Breaking group's unanimous position was the major factor in conformity reduction

33% conformity (on all critical trials)

5% conformity (on all critical trials)

9% conformity

Asch made difference between line lengths much smaller (correct answer less obvious) - conformity level increased

Lucas et al investigated further - participants given easy and hard math problems, greater conformity to incorrect answers when the questions were difficult