AO3 ISI + NSI

• STRENGTH: Research support for ISI

  • Lucas et al (2006) asked students to give answers to mathematical problems that were easy or more difficult
  • Greater conformity to incorrect answers when they were difficult rather than when they were easier
  • Study shows that people conform in situations where they feel they don't know the answer
• WEAKNESS: Individual differences in NSI

  • Some research shows that NSI does not affect everyone's behaviour in the same way
  • For example, people who are less concerned with being liked are less affected by NSI than, those who care about being liked
  • McGhee and Teevan found that students high in need of affiliation were more likely to conform
• WEAKNESS: ISI and NSI work together

  • The idea of Deutsch and Gerrard's 'two-process' approach is that behaviour is either due to NSI or ISI
  • But the truth is that, more often, both processes are involved
  • For example, conformity is reduced when there is one other dissenting participant in the Asch experiment
  • The dissenter may reduce the power of ISI or NSI
• STRENGTH: Research Support for NSI

  • Asch (1951) found that many of his participants went along with a clearly wrong answer just because other people did
  • So he asked them why they did this
  • Some of the participants said they felt self-conscious about giving the correct answer and they were afraid of disapproval
  • When Asch repeated the study but asked participants to write down their answers instead of saying them out loud, conformity rates fell to 12.5%