Social influence

• Internalisation = Making the beliefs, values, attitude and behaviour of the group your own

  2 of 18 (the strongest type of conformity, and often occurs as a result of informational social influence). An individual's change of view is permanent e.g. being brought up in a religious household.
• Identification = Temporary/short term change of behaviour and beliefs only in the presence

  of a group (middle level) e.g. acting more professional and less silly when you arrive at your office to work.
• Compliance = This means to follow other people's ideas/to go along with the group to gain

  their approval or avoid disapproval. You publically agree but privately disagree (lowest/ weakest level of conformity) An individual's change of view is temporary and is likely to occur as a result of normative social influence.
• Informational Social Influence - When someone conforms because they want to be right, so they look to others by copying or obeying them, to have the right answer in a situation; when a person is uncertain or unsure, they would look to others for information. It usually leads to internalisation and occurs in situations where we do not have the knowledge or expertise to make our own decisions.
• Normative Social Influence - when someone conforms because they want to be liked and be part of a group; when a person's need to be accepted or have approval from a group drives compliance. It often occurs when a person wants to avoid the embarrassing situation of disagreeing with the majority.
• 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 group
• What is the difference between real and imagined pressure in conformity?

  Real pressure has consequences for not conforming, while imagined pressure does not
• Who proposed the three types of conformity?

  Kelman
• What are the three types of conformity proposed by Kelman?

  • Internalisation: Permanent change of beliefs and values
  • Identification: Temporary change in behavior in the presence of a group
  • Compliance: Public agreement with private disagreement
• What is internalisation in the context of conformity?

  Making the beliefs and values of the group your own
• What is identification in conformity?

  A temporary change of behavior and beliefs in the presence of a group
• What does compliance mean in terms of conformity?

  Following others' ideas to gain approval or avoid disapproval
• What type of social influence leads to compliance?

  Normative social influence
• What is informational social influence?

  Conforming to be right by looking to others for information
• What did Fein et al. demonstrate in their study?

  Participants changed their vote after seeing others' votes
• What is normative social influence?

  Conforming to be liked and accepted by a group
• How does Garandeau and Cillissen's study relate to NSI?

  It shows how bullying can manipulate conformity to avoid disapproval
• What did Lucas et al. find regarding task difficulty and conformity?

  Conformity increased when the task was more difficult
• What does Deutsch and Gerrard's Two Process Model suggest about NSI and ISI?

  They may not be mutually exclusive and can complement each other
• What was the aim of Asch's study?

  To investigate conformity and majority influence
• How many participants were involved 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
• What percentage of participants conformed in Asch's study?

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

  Only 1% of responses were incorrect
• What factors affect the level of conformity according to Asch's study?

  • Size of majority: Larger groups increase conformity
  • Unanimity of majority: More unanimous groups increase conformity
  • Task difficulty: More difficult tasks increase conformity
• What is the optimal group size for conformity according to Asch's findings?

  Groups larger than four do not significantly increase conformity
• How does unanimity affect conformity?

  Conformity decreases when there is a dissenting voice
• What happens to conformity when the task is made more difficult?

  Conformity increases
• 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
  • Lacks population validity due to male-only sample
  • Ethical issues regarding deception and psychological harm
• What was the aim of Zimbardo's study?

  To investigate conformity to social roles in a simulated environment
• How were participants assigned roles in Zimbardo's study?

  They were randomly assigned to be guards or prisoners
• What was a significant finding regarding the guards in Zimbardo's study?

  Guards began to harass and torment prisoners
• How did prisoners behave in Zimbardo's study?

  They internalized their roles and snitched on each other
• What are the strengths of Zimbardo's study?

  • Real-life applications in prison management
  • Participants were fully debriefed
  • Led to recognition of ethical guidelines
• What are the weaknesses of Zimbardo's study?

  • Lacks ecological validity due to demand characteristics
  • Lacks population validity due to male-only sample
  • Ethical issues regarding informed consent and psychological harm
• What ethical guideline was breached in Zimbardo's study?

  Lack of fully informed consent due to deception
• What psychological harm did participants face in Zimbardo's study?

  Stress, anxiety, and emotional distress
• What did Zimbardo's study suggest about social roles?

  People readily conform to social roles, leading to harmful behavior