Why People Conform

• Normative Social Influence


  NSI is when individuals go along with the majority through the fear of rejection- desire to be liked. This leads to compliance. Temporary change in behaviour- public views but not private. Conformity for emotional reasons. Likely to occur with known people- we are concerned with social approval of our friends. It is more likely in stressful situations where we need social support.
• Informational Social Influence 


  ISI is when an individual goes along with the majority through acceptance of new information- a desire to be right. This leads to internalisation (permanent change in behaviour- public and private views). Conforming for cognitive reasons. This is more likely to happen in ambiguous situations (unclear) if a group is assumed to have superior knowledge.
• Asch (1951) Supporting NSI

  In an unambiguous situation, people wanted to fit in. When he interviewed participants afterwards, they said they felt self-conscious giving the correct answer. Furthermore, when he made the lines closer, conformity increased supporting ISI, so evidence for both
• Individual Differences Will Affect Conformity

  McGhee + Tevon found students who were affiliators (need to be liked) were far more likely to conform . Furthermore, research (Cooper, 1979) suggests women conform more than men (possibly to prevent social disagreement). It is difficult to explain all behaviour using NSI/ISI.
• Lucas Supported the role of ISI


  Lucas found that students showed greater conformity to incorrect answers to mathematical problems if they were harder- in particular if they thought their own ability was poor- suggesting we look to others for the answer. However, it is hard to distinguish whether ISI or NSI is taking place. Perhaps both could be happening at the same time.