Types and explanations of conformity

• What is internalisation?


  Genuinely accepting the group norms privately and publicly. Leads to permanent change of behaviour.
• What is identification?


  Conforming to the behaviour of a group because we value the group. Publicly change behaviour but may not privately agree with the group.
• What is compliance?


  Going along with the group in public, but privately not changing behaviour. Behaviour stops as soon as public pressure stops.
• A03: Research support for ISI


  - There was greater conformity to incorrect answers when mathematical questions were more difficult

  - This was most true for students who had a poor mathematical ability

  - This shows that people conform in situations when they feel they don't know the answer
• A03: Individual Differences in NSI

  - NSI doesn't affect everyone in the same way

  - Some people are less concerned with being liked

  - nAffiliators have a greater need for affiliation - a need for being in a relationship with others

  - People in high need of affiliation are more likely to conform that those who are not

  - There are individual differences in the way people respond
• A03: ISI & NSI work together

  - Conformity is reduced when there is one other dissenting participant in Asch's study

  - This dissenter may reduce the power of NSI (provides social support) OR reduce the power of ISI

  - It isn't always possible to be sure whether NSI or ISI is working

  - This is the case in lab studies, but even truer in real life outside the lab

  - This casts doubt over the view of ISI and NSI as two processes operating independently in conformity
• A03: Individual Differences in ISI

  - ISI doesn't affect everyone's behaviour in the same way

  - eg, Asch found that students were less conformist (28%) than other participants (37%)

  - Similar study was carried out on science and engineering students and found very little conformity.
• A03: Research support for NSI

  - Asch found that many of his PPs went along with the wrong answer because other people did

  - When asked why, they said they felt self-conscious giving the correct answer and were afraid of disapproval

  - When Asch repeated his study but asked PPs to write their answers, conformity rates fell to 12.5%
• What is conformity?


  A change in a person's behaviour due to pressure from a group
• What is Informational Social Influence?

  Conforming to a group's behaviours due to the desire to be correct. People tend to be uncertain of what is right or wrong
• What is Normative Social Influence?

  Conforming to a group's behaviour due to the desire to fit in with the group. People want to gain social approval and not be rejected