conformity (booklet)

• conformity

  a change in a persons behaviour or opinions as a result of real or imagined pressure from a person or group of people (elliott aronson, 2011)
• compliance

  • superficial and temporary
  • change in views or behaviour publicly but not privately
  • change only lasts as long as group monitors it
  • 'going along' with crowd, without agreeing

  for example - not eating meat when with vegans, but eat meat alone
• identification

  • moderate
  • adopting groups attitudes and behaviours, as they value the group and wants to be a part of it
  • attitudes and behaviour are temporary, change once leaving the group
  • publicly agree but change to private beliefs may not be permanent

  example - liking a pop group to fit it
• internalisation

  • deep
  • public and private views changed
  • change in views and behaviours is permanent and remain the same when the group isn't around

  example - becoming vegan after leaving university
• types of conformity

  shallowest compliance

  $\downarrow$ identification

  deepest internalisation
• explanations for conformity

  • normative social influence (nsi)
  • informational social influence (isi)
• normative social influence (nsi)

  • wish to be liked by majority of group, so go along with them
  • may not privately agree
  • follow crowd to fit in with 'norm' and be liked by the group

  example - pretending to like pop star to fit in with friends

  
  

  • most likely to be compliance
• informational social influence (isi)

  • look to majority group for information, as we are unsure about how to behave
  • person conforms as they genuinely believe the majority to be correct - look to them for right answer

  example - copying the group on a test as you don't know the answer

  • most likely to be internalisation
• nsi - conform as they like to be LIKED

  isi - conform as they like to be RIGHT
• lucas (2006)

  p - asked students to give answers to mathematical problems that were easy or more difficult

  f - greater conformity to incorrect answers when they were difficult, rather than when they were easier. most true for those who rated their mathematical ability as poor. shows that people conform when they don't know the answer

  c - supports isi, as they don't know the answers, so assumes others are correct
• schultz (2008)

  p - gathered data from 132 hotels and 794 hotel rooms where guests stayed for a week

  control condition - door hanger informed guests of environmental benefits of reusing towels

  experimental condition - additionally informed that 75% of guests choose to reuse towels each day

  f - in comparison to control group, guests reduced need for towels by 25%

  c - supports nsi, as the experiment encouraged guests to behave the same way as everyone else
• individual differences in nsi

  • nsi doesn't affect everyones behaviour in the same way
  • people who are less concerned with being liked are less affected by nsi than those who care about being liked
  • n'Affiliators - have a greater need for affiliation (being in a relationship with others)
  • mcghee and teevan (1967) - found that students with a high need of affiliation were more likely to conform

  theory of nsi, suggests that some people have a personality that makes them more likely to conform
• not always a distinction between isi and nsi

  • lucas study was both nsi and isi
  • sometimes both, not one or the other