Types of conformity and explanations for conformity

• P: The relationship between compliance and internalisation is complicated because of difficulties in knowing when each is actually taking place.

  E: For example, it is assumed that a person who publicly agrees with a majority yet disagrees with them in private must be demonstrating compliance rather than internalisation. However, it is also possible that acceptance of the group's views has occurred in public yet dissipates later when in private.
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  This could be because they have forgotten information given by the group or because they have received new information that changes their mind. This demonstrates the difficulty in determining what is, and what is not, simple compliance rather than internalisation.
• P:US research has supported the important role played by people's normative beliefs in shaping behaviours such as smoking and energy conservation.

  E:Linkenbach and Perkins (2003) found that adolescents exposed to the simple message that the majority of their age peers did not smoke were subsequently less likely to take up smoking.

  Likewise, Schultz et al. (2008) found that hotel guests exposed to the normative message that 75% of guests reused their towels each day (an indication of energy conservation behaviour) reduced their own towel use by 25%.
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  L: These studies support the claim that people shape their behaviour out of a desire to fit in with their reference group, and as such demonstrate the power of normative influence.
• P: Studies have demonstrated how exposure to other peoples beliefs and opinions can shape many aspects of social behaviour and beliefs.

  E: Wittenbrink and Henley found that participants exposed to negative information about

  African Americans later reported more negative attitudes toward black individuals. Research has also shown how informational social influence can shape political opinion. In a study by Fein participants saw what was supposedly the reaction of their fellow participants on screen during a presidential debate
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  L: This information produced large shifts in their judgements of the candidates' performance,

  and shows the importance of informational influence in shaping social behaviour.