Conformity

• What is conformity?


  Changing behavior or beliefs to fit in due to real or imagined group pressure.
• What is internalisation in conformity?


  Changing public and private views genuinely
• What is identification in conformity?


  Changing public views to match a valued group
• What is compliance in conformity?


  Changing public behavior without private change
• What is informational social influence (ISI)?


  Looking to others for guidance in new and ambiguous situations.
• What is normative social influence (NSI)?


  Conforming to fit in and gain approval
• What did Lucas et al. (2006) find about ISI?


  Participants conformed more on difficult problems
• What did Asch (1951) demonstrate about NSI?


  People conformed to a majority even when wrong
• What is a limitation of conformity explanations?


  They ignore individual differences in conformity
• What was the aim of Asch's research (1951)?


  To see if people conform to a majority
• How many American males participated in Asch's study?


  123 American males
• What was the procedure of Asch's study?


  Participants answered which line matched a control line
• What percentage of answers were conforming in Asch's study?


  36.8%
• What was a significant finding regarding group size in Asch's study?


  A majority of 3 increased conformity significantly to around 30%
• What effect did introducing a dissenting confederate have in Asch's study?


  It caused conformity to drop significantly
• What is a limitation of Asch's task?


  It lacks ecological validity in real-life situations
• What is a limitation regarding the population in Asch's study?


  Results are hard to generalize beyond American men
• What historical context may affect Asch's results?


  Fear of communist spies in 1950s USA
• What was the aim of Zimbardo's research?


  To investigate behavior in prisons and social roles
• Where was Zimbardo's study conducted?


  In the basement of Stanford University
• How were participants assigned in Zimbardo's study?


  Randomly assigned to prisoner or guard roles
• What did the guards wear in Zimbardo's study?


  Uniforms and sunglasses to hide their eyes
• What was the initial behavior of the prisoners in Zimbardo's study?


  They were rebellious and did not take it seriously
• What extreme behavior did the guards exhibit in Zimbardo's study?


  They acted brutally and controlled the prisoners
• What happened to the study duration in Zimbardo's research?


  It was stopped after 6 days instead of 14
• What psychological effects did prisoners experience in Zimbardo's study?


  They showed signs of psychological disturbance
• What conclusion can be drawn from Zimbardo's study?


  Behavior can be shaped by conformity to roles
• What is a strength of Zimbardo's study regarding internal validity?


  Random assignment increased control over variables
• What criticism was made about participants' behavior in Zimbardo's study?


  Participants acted in stereotypical ways
• What ethical issue arose in Zimbardo's study?


  Participants experienced psychological harm
• How did Zimbardo's role affect participants' ability to withdraw?


  It made it difficult for prisoners to withdraw
• What percentage of participants conformed at least once?


  75%