social influence

• Internalisation 


  When a person genuinely accepts the group norms. Results in a public as well as a private change of behaviour and this change is usually permanent because the attitudes have become apart of who the person is. The change in opinions and behaviour still continue when group members are not present.
• Identification


  Sometimes we conform to the opinions of other because there's something we value about the group. We identify with the group and want to be apart of it. Publicly change behaviours and opinions even if we don't privately agree everything the group stands for.
• Compliance


  Involves simply going along with it in public but privately not changing any personal opinions. Result in a superficial change which means the behaviour stops as soon as the group pressure stops.
• Explanations for conformity: Informational social influence

  • Is about who has the better information.
  • Often we are unsure what beliefs and values are correct so we follow the behaviour of the majority because they are more likely to be right and we want to be right to.
  • a cognitive process because it involves thinking and its usually permanent (internalisation).
  • More likely to occur in situations that are new to a person (they don't know what is right or wrong)
  • or in crisis situations where decisions have to made quickly and we trust the person who has the better information.
• Explanations for conformity: Normative social influence

  • About norms and what behaviour is considered normal or typical for a social group
  • don't like to appear foolish and would rather have social group approval than rejection
  • Emotional process rather than cognitive
  • likely to occur with strangers when there are concerns over rejection
  • may be more pronounced in stressful situations when people need more social support
  • leads to a temporary change in behaviour (compliance)
• Strength for informational social influence

  Research support

  • Lucas et al found participants conformed more when maths problems became more difficult.
  • when the problems were easy the participants 'knew their own minds' but when the situation became unclear..
  • participants did not want to be wrong and stuck to the answer on their sheet
• strength for normative social influence

  Research evidence

  • Asch's line study
  • interviewed his participants and some said they felt self conscious giving the correct answer because of disapproval
  • when they were asked to right down their answers, conformity fell to 12.5%
  • this happened because there was no normative group pressure
• Weakness for NSI and ISI

  • Often unclear whether whether NSI or ISI is at work in research studies
  • Asch found conformity is reduced when a dissenter is present
  • dissenter may reduce the power of ISI because they are another source of information.
  • or they may reduce the power of NSI because they can provide social support.
  • both interpretations are possible and its hard to separate both because they both work together in the real world
• weaknesses of normative social influence 


  Individual differences In NSI

  • some people are greatly more concerned with being liked by others and they are called nAaffilators.
  • they have a strong need to affiliate (a need to relate to people)
  • McGhee and Teevan found students who were nAaffilators are more likely to conform.
• Conformity to social roles- Zimbardo's research

  • Conducted in the basement of the psychology department at Sandford university (The Sandford prison experiment)
  • 21 men who were tested as 'emotionally stable' were randomly assigned to play either 'guards' or 'prisoners'.
  • all were encouraged to conform to their role through uniforms and instructions abt behaviour.
  • Uniforms: prisoners wore loose smocks and caps and were identified by numbers and guards wore shades, own uniform and had wooden clubs & handcuffs - created loss of identify (de-individualisation) so more likely to conform
• Conformity to social roles- Zimbardo's research findings

  • 'Guards' took up their role with enthusiasm, treating prisoners harshly.
  • Within 2 days, prisoners rebelled- ripped their clothes, shouted, swore at the guards who retaliated with fire extinguishes.
  • After rebellion was put down, prisoners became subdued and depressed- one was released because they showed signs of psychological distress. One went on an hunger strike and guards tried to force feed him & punished him by putting him a dark closet
  • Guards became more brutal and prisoners became submissive - identified with their roles