Social influence

• What is conformity?

  A form of social influence
• How does conformity occur in a group?

  The minority aligns with the majority's views
• What are the three types of conformity?

  Compliance, internalisation, identification
• What is compliance in conformity?

  Public view changes, private view remains
• What is internalisation in conformity?

  Both public and private views change
• What is identification in conformity?

  Public views change to identify with a group
• What is normative social influence?

  Desire to be liked by the group
• What is informational social influence?

  Desire to be correct by following the group
• What was the aim of Asch's 1955 study?

  To see if a minority will conform
• What was the sample used in Asch's study?

  123 male undergraduates
• How many trials were conducted in Asch's study?

  18 trials
• What was the critical trial in Asch's study?

  Majority gave incorrect answers
• What percentage of responses conformed in Asch's critical trials?

  36.8%
• What percentage of participants never conformed in Asch's study?

  25%
• What did qualitative findings from Asch's interviews reveal?

  Independent participants had more confidence
• What conclusion can be drawn from Asch's study?

  People conform due to desire for acceptance
• What is a criticism of Asch's sample?

  Limited to undergraduate students
• What does ethnocentric findings mean in Asch's research?

  Findings may only apply to American culture
• What did Smith et al (2006) find about conformity rates?

  Higher in collectivist cultures
• What is temporal validity in research?

  Findings may not apply to different time periods
• What did Perrin and Spencer (1980) find in their replication of Asch's study?

  Reduction in conformity rates
• What is a criticism of Perrin and Spencer's study?

  Used a specific sample of British students
• What is the conformity rate when there is one dissenter in Asch's study?

  5% conformity rate
• What is the effect of group size on conformity according to Asch?

  Optimum size is 3 for conformity
• What did Williams and Sogon (1984) find about conformity?

  Higher conformity with friends than strangers
• What is the effect of unanimity on conformity?

  Reduces conformity when there is a dissenter
• What did Allen and Levine (1971) find about social support?

  Effect depends on the validity of the partner
• What is task difficulty's effect on conformity?

  Increased difficulty leads to higher conformity
• What are the key factors affecting conformity according to Asch's research?

  • Group size
  • Unanimity
  • Task difficulty
• What are the differences between compliance, internalisation, and identification?

  • Compliance: Public change, private remains
  • Internalisation: Both public and private change
  • Identification: Change to fit in with a group
• What are the strengths and weaknesses of Asch's methodology?

  Strengths:

  • Highly controlled lab experiment
  • Replicable with consistent findings

  
  

  Weaknesses:

  • Lacks ecological validity
  • Lacks mundane realism
• What ethical issues are raised in Asch's research?

  • Deception about confederates
  • Lack of informed consent
  • Potential psychological harm
• What is the difference between normative and informational social influence?

  • Normative: Desire to be liked
  • Informational: Desire to be correct
• What is the significance of qualitative findings in Asch's study?

  • Showed confidence levels of participants
  • Indicated reasons for conformity
• What does the term 'ecological validity' refer to in research?

  • The extent to which findings can be generalized to real-life settings
• What does 'mundane realism' mean in the context of conformity research?

  • The extent to which tasks reflect real-life situations
• What is the role of confidence in conformity according to Asch's findings?

  • Higher confidence leads to lower conformity rates
• How does the presence of a dissenter affect conformity rates?

  • Reduces conformity significantly
• What is the impact of cultural differences on conformity rates?

  • Collectivist cultures show higher conformity rates
• What percentage of conformity was found in Asch's research?

  28.5%