explanations of conformity

• One explanation of conformity is Informational social influence - suggests that we agree with the opinion of the majority group as we believe it to be correct , we accept the opinion as we also want to be correct - can lead to internalisation
• One explanation of conformity is normative social influence- suggesting that we agree with the opinion of the majority because we want to be liked and accepted by the group - can lead to compliance
• Research support for normative social influence- Asch interviewed Participants from his study, some said they felt self-conscious to give the right answer. When participants wrote their answers down, conformity fell to 12.5%
• research support for informational social influence- Lucas et al found that conformity to an obviously incorrect maths answer was greater when the question was more difficult and the participant rated their own maths ability unfavourably. This shows that individuals are more likely to turn to others when they lack the information to make their own informed decisions