Conformity

• What is conformity defined as?


  Yielding to group pressures.
• How is conformity characterized in terms of behavior or opinion?


  As a change due to real or imagined pressure from a person or group.
• What is the difference between real and imagined pressure in conformity?


  Real pressure has consequences for not conforming, while imagined pressure does not.
• What are the three types of conformity proposed by Kalman?


  • Internalisation
  • Identification
  • Compliance
• What is internalisation in the context of conformity?


  Making the beliefs, values, attitude, and behavior of the group your own.
• What is an example of internalisation?


  Becoming religious after being brought up in a religious household.
• What is identification in conformity?


  A temporary change of behavior and beliefs only in the presence of a group.
• What is an example of identification?


  Acting more professional at work.
• What does compliance mean in the context of conformity?


  Following others' ideas to gain approval or avoid disapproval.
• What is an example of compliance?


  Drinking alcohol due to friends' pressure.
• What is informational social influence?


  Conforming because one wants to be right and looks to others for information.
• What is an example of informational social influence?


  Following the crowd in an emergency.
• What did Fein et al. demonstrate in their study?


  Participants changed their vote after seeing others vote differently, showing informational social influence.
• What is normative social influence?


  Conforming to be liked and accepted by a group.
• What is an example of normative social influence?


  Starting to smoke because others smoke.
• What did Grandeau and Cillissen find regarding bullying and conformity?


  A boy can be manipulated by a bully to victimize another child to avoid disapproval from friends.
• What did Lucas et al. find about conformity in difficult tasks?


  Conformity increased when participants rated their math ability unfavorably and faced difficult questions.
• What does Deutsch and Gerard's Two Process Model suggest about NSI and ISI?


  • NSI and ISI are not mutually exclusive.
  • A dissenting confederate can provide social support.
  • This support can reduce the effects of both NSI and ISI.
• What are the variables affecting conformity according to Asch's study?


  • Group size
  • Unanimity of majority
  • Task difficulty
• What was the aim of Asch's study?


  To investigate conformity and majority influence.
• How many participants were in Asch's study?


  123 male American undergraduates.
• What was the procedure of Asch's study?


  Participants stated which of three lines matched a standard line, with confederates giving incorrect answers.
• What percentage of participants conformed in Asch's study?


  36.8% conformed.
• What was the control trial result in Asch's study?


  Only 1% of responses were incorrect.
• How does group size affect conformity?


  • Higher conformity with larger groups.
  • Low conformity with fewer than 3 confederates.
  • Optimal group size for conformity is 3-4 members.
• How does unanimity affect conformity?


  • Conformity decreases when joined by a participant giving the correct answer.
  • Unanimity increases confidence in the group's correctness.
  • Conflicting answers reduce conformity.
• How does task difficulty affect conformity?


  • Increased difficulty leads to higher conformity.
  • Individuals look to others for confirmation in ambiguous situations.
  • Informational social influence is significant in difficult tasks.
• What are the strengths of Asch's study?


  • High internal validity due to control over extraneous variables.
  • Easy replication due to lab experiment design.
  • Supports normative social influence findings.
• What are the weaknesses of Asch's study?


  • Lacks ecological validity due to artificial task.
  • Ethical issues regarding deception and informed consent.
• What is the significance of controlling extraneous and confounding variables in a lab experiment?


  It allows for valid and reliable 'cause and effect' relationships to be established.
• How does successful replication of an experiment affect its findings?


  It increases the reliability of the findings by reducing the likelihood of one-off results.
• What ethical guideline did the researchers breach in the study mentioned?

  They breached the BPS' ethical guideline of deception.
• What was done to address the ethical issues in the study?

  Participants were debriefed after the study.
• Do ethical issues affect the validity or reliability of findings?


  No, they suggest that a cost-benefit analysis is required.
• What does normative social influence suggest about participants' behavior in the study?


  Participants conformed to fit in with the group, even when privately disagreeing.
• What is a major weakness of the study regarding ecological validity?


  It lacks ecological validity because it does not reflect the complexity of real-life conformity.
• Why does the study lack population validity?


  It only included American male undergraduates, leading to gender bias.
• What are the ethical issues identified in the study?


  • Deception regarding the study's true nature
  • Potential psychological harm to participants
  • Need for a cost-benefit analysis to evaluate ethical costs versus benefits
• How did the social context of the 1950s affect the study's validity?


  The anti-Communist sentiment may have influenced participants' behavior, affecting results.
• What was the aim of Zimbardo's study on conformity to social roles?


  To investigate how readily people conform to social roles in a simulated environment.