Conformity

• Conformity is a change in a person's behaviour or opinion as a result of real or imagined pressure from a person or a group of people.
• Internalisation is when a person accepts the behaviour of the group as your own. Change of view is permanent. We accept it as correct.
• Identification is we change behaviour in the presence of a group as want to be a part of it. Don't really agree with the majority. Temporary. as want to be liked.
• Compliance is when go along with the group to gain approval or avoid disapproval. Publically agree but privately disagree. Only lasts when the group is there.
• Informational Social Influence is when we conform/agree with the opinion of the majority as we believe it is correct
• Normative Social Influence is when someone wants to be liked and gain social approval by others
• Asch's Study (1951) Aim and Procedure

  To investigate conformity and majority influence. 123 male American undergraduates in groups of 6; 1 true 5 confederates. Were presented with 4 lines; 3 comparison lines and 1 standard line. State which lines were the same length as the stimulus line. Real answered last or second to last. Confederates would give the same incorrect answer for 12/18 trials. Observed how often true would give same incorrect answer as the confederates vs correct answers.
• Asch's Study (1951) Variations


  Group size: Individuals are more likely to conform to a larger group. Low conformity with a group of confederates less than 3, more than 3 rose to 30%, they want to be correct

  Unanimity: Individuals are likely to conform when the group is unanimous. Confederates who disagreed with others fell from 32% to 5.5%. More confidence, preventing any conflicting views NSI.

  Task Difficulty: An individual is likely to conform when the task is difficult. Altered the lines, conformed. Look at others for confirmation. the situation is ambiguous ISI.
• Asch's Study (1951) Findings


  36.8% conformed

  25% never conformed

  75% conformed once

  1% responses where incorrect
• What are the strengths of Asch's study?

  • High Internal Validity: control over timing and task
  • Lab Experiment: easy replication increases reliability
  • Ethical Issues: participants were debriefed, maintaining validity and reliability
  • Normative Social Influence (NSI): participants conformed to fit in despite private disagreement
• What are the weaknesses of Asch's study?

  • Lack of Ecological Validity: task does not reflect real-life complexity
  • Lacks Population Validity: only American participants, gender bias
  • Ethical Issues: psychological harm and deception involved
  • Lacked Validity: results cannot be generalized across time periods
• What was the context of Perrin and Spencer's study related to Asch's findings?


  It was conducted during the anti-communist McCarthyism era in America.
• Zimbardo's Study (1973) Aims and Procedure


  People would conform to social roles in a stimulated environment. Basement at Stanford, 24 American Male undergraduates, paid, randomly guard or prisoner, uniforms, props and sunglasses, not allowed to leave, no physical violence, 8hr shifts, allowed to control behaviour. Arrested in homes, blindfolded, strip searched
• Zimbardo's Study (1973) Findings


  Identification on both sides. Guards harrassed and tormented, later reported they enjoyed doing so. Prisoners talk about prison life -> believe it was real as no previous life. Defended guards reinforce social roles. Guards more demanding of obedience, increasingly internalised.
• Zimbardo's Study (1973) Evaluation


  Strengths

  • Methodology: Randomly assigned roles
  • Mundane Realism: talked about prison life
  • Situational Factors: good people do bad things in bad places

  Weaknesses

  • Lacks Ecological Validity: Knew it wasn't real, demand characteristics
  • Lacks Population Validity: American males, generalised
  • Ethical Issues: Lack of informed consent as deception, psychological harm