Conformity: Social and Dispositional factors

• What do social factors include in explaining conformity?

  Stimuli and influences from outside the person
• How does group membership influence conformity?

  Individuals wish to blend in and belong
• What evolutionary mechanism may explain conformity?

  Safety in numbers reduces vulnerability
• Why do people conform beyond survival needs?

  They benefit from a sense of belonging
• What is the consequence of conforming to the majority?

  Inclusion rather than exclusion and isolation
• What are the specific social factors that explain conformity?

  • Group size
  • Anonymity
  • Task difficulty
• How does group size affect conformity?

  Larger groups increase likelihood of conformity
• What happens to conformity rates as group size increases?

  Rates rise swiftly but plateau after four
• What effect does anonymity have on conformity?

  Conformity rates fall when answers are anonymous
• How does task difficulty influence conformity?

  Increased difficulty leads to higher conformity
• What did Asch find when he made the task more difficult?

  Conformity increased as expected
• What are the strengths and weaknesses of social factors explaining conformity?

  Strengths:

  • Valid explanations for conformity

  Weaknesses:

  • Group size effects vary by context
  • Anonymity effects differ with familiarity
  • Individual differences affect task difficulty
• What does disposition refer to in the context of conformity?

  Characteristics and personality traits of an individual
• What are examples of dispositional factors?

  Outgoing, competitive, and reserved traits
• How does an external locus of control affect conformity?

  It tends to increase levels of conformity
• How does an internal locus of control affect conformity?

  It tends to decrease levels of conformity
• What did Burger & Cooper find regarding external LOC and conformity?

  High external LOC participants laughed along more
• What did Lucas et al. find about Maths specialists and conformity?

  Maths specialists conformed less to majority answers
• How does expertise influence conformity?

  Higher expertise is linked to lower conformity
• What did Perrin & Spencer find in their study of engineering students?

  They showed lower levels of conformity in trials
• What are the strengths and weaknesses of dispositional factors explaining conformity?

  Strengths:

  • Valid explanations for conformity

  Weaknesses:

  • Difficulty in measuring personality variables
  • Reductionist view on expertise and conformity