BASICS

• WHAT IS CONFORMITY?

  type of social influence where individuals change their behaviours/ opinions due to real or imagined pressure from a person or group
• WHAT ARE THE TWO EXPLANATIONS FOR CONFORMITY?

  • informational social influence (ISI)
  • normative social influence (NSI)
• WHAT IS INFORMATIONAL SOCIAL INFLUENCE (ISI)?

  when someone conforms because they don't know what to do but want to be correct
• WHY MAY SOMEONE FOLLOW THE MAJORITY IN ISI?

  because they assume the majority know what the right thing is to do
• WHAT IS NORMATIVE SOCIAL INFLUENCE (NSI)?

  when someone conforms because they want to be accepted by a group of people around them
• WHY MAY SOMEONE FOLLOW THE MAJORITY IN NSI?

  because they don't want to stand out
• WHAT ARE THE THREE TYPES OF CONFORMITY?

  internalisation, identification, compliance
• WHAT IS INTERNALISATION?

  when the individual accepts the behaviour/ belief of the majority to the extent that it becomes part of their own belief system
• WHAT IS THE MOST PERMANENT FORM OF CONFORMITY?

  internalisation
• WHEN DOES INTERNALISATION LAST FOR?

  even if majority no longer present
• WHAT IS IDENTIFICATION?

  when individual behaves same way as majority as they value the group and identify with the members of it (like members of group but don't necessarily agree with everything)
• WHAT TYPE OF CONFORMITY IS A MODERATE LEVEL?

  identification
• WHEN WILL THE BEHAVIOURS OF IDENTIFICATION LAST?

  only some last when majority not present
• WHAT IS COMPLIANCE?

  where the individual changes their own behaviour to fit into the group (do not necessarily agree but go along with it publicly)
• WHAT IS THE LEAST PERMANENT FORM OF CONFORMITY?

  compliance
• HOW LONG DOES COMPLIANCE LAST?

  as long as majority is present
• WHEN IS INFORMATIONAL SOCIAL INFLUENCE MOST COMMON?

  • ambiguous situations
  • in a crisis
  • when we believe others are experts
• WHAT IS INTERNALISATION MOST LIKELY CAUSED BY?

  ISI
• WHAT IS IDENTIFICATION MOST LIKELY CAUSED BY?

  NSI
• WHAT IS COMPLIANCE MOST LIKELY CAUSED BY?

  NSI
• WHAT DO EXPLANATIONS OF CONFORMITY HAVE?

  real world application
• WHAT POSITIVE BEHAVIOURS CAN CONFORMITY ENCOURAGE?

  help us be environmentally friendly and keep fit
• WHO DID RESEARCH ON THE REAL WORLD APPLICATION (KEEPING FIT) OF CONFORMITY?

  Priebe and Spink
• WHAT DID PRIEBE AND SPINK STUDY?

  participants from a Pilates class doing a plank exercise (half were not told anything in between planks, half were told that they were below average)
• WHAT DID PIEBE AND SPINK DISCOVER?

  • those who were told they were below average held the plank for 4.14% longer than the first time
  • those who were not told anything held the plank for 15.97% shorter than the first time
• ETHICAL ISSUES THAT RESEARCHERS IN PRIEBE AND SPINK'S MUST HAVE CONSIDERED?

  • confidentiality
  • right to withdraw
  • informed consent & deception
  • protection from harm
• WHY IS PRIEBE AND SPINK'S RESEARCH NOT VERY GENERALISABLE?

  group already attended gym