Explanations for Conformity

• Deutsch & Gerald (1955) developed 2 explanations (theories) of why people conform: Normative Social Influence & Informational Social Influence.
• Normative Social Influence= driven by the need to fit in & be accepted.
• Informational Social Influence= driven by the need to be right/ do the right thing.
• Normative Social Influence:

  1. Humans have evolved as social animals dependent on group acceptance.
  2. We need acceptance from reference group.
  3. We look to group 'social norms'
  4. Behaviour is changed in line with social norms to facilitate acceptance.
  5. Resulting conformity is compliance (public behaviour is different from private beliefs, change is only temporary).
• Informational Social Influence:

  • We are motivated to feel we are doing or thinking the right thing & we are uncomfortable about uncertainty.
  • We feel uncertain about what to do/ think & we want to reduce that uncertainty.
  • We refer to social group for information, especially when we think they are experts, or the situation is unclear.
  • Resulting conformity is internalisation (private beliefs change along with public behaviour, & change is permanent).
• Evaluation for Explanations for Conformity- Strength:

  • There's research support for NSI- Asch (1951) study (line length study) found that PPs would give obviously wrong answers on easy tasks just to fit in with the other group members, because PPs said they didn't want the group to judge them.
  • Indicates the validity of the theory, as it shows individuals wanted to fit in due to normative social influence.
• Evaluation for Explanations for Conformity- Weakness:

  • Both NSI & ISI are subject to individual & situational differences, eg people who are more concerned with group membership are more likely to be affected by NSI- this is true for people with low self-esteem, eg people are more likely to be affected by ISI in emergency situations.
  • Indicates that NSI & ISI only provide basic explanations of conformity, as there are more complex effects to consider.
• Evaluation for Explanations for Conformity- Strength:

  • There is research to support Informational Social Influence.
  • Jenness (1932) asked PPs to guess the number of beans in a jar.
  • They found that when people were made aware of others' estimates, they tended to move towards the group from their own independent guess.
  • This indicates the validity of the theory, as it shows individuals will use the information of others in ambiguous situations due to Informational Social Influence.