Explanations for conformity

• Normative social influence

  • An emotional process
  • A need to be loved - gain acceptance and approval from the group
  • Occurs in situations with strangers as to not be rejected and with people we know because we seek social approval
• Informational social influence

  • A cognitive process
  • A need to be right/do the right thing
  • May believe you don’t have the right information so you look to others for better information
  • Occurs in confusing, new or crisis situations
• Jenness

  • asked students to estimate individually the number of beans in a bottle
  • Then put students in small groups and asked them to estimate the number of beans again
  • Finally, he asked them individually to estimate again
  • found that in the group setting students moved to A position that remained even when they were alone
  • supports informational social influence as students believed the other people in the group had more knowledge than them and therefore agreed with those who they assumed were right
• schultz

  • Found they were able to change the behaviour of hotel guests by using printed messages encouraging them to save energy
  • The messages that suggested other guests were using fewer towels were most successful- 25% increase in people reusing their towels
  • Supports normative social influence because guests believed that if others were using fewer towels they should be too