Types and explanations for conformity

• Conformity

  A change in a persons behaviour/opinion due to group pressure (real or imagined) so that he or she fits in with the group
• What are the types of conformity?

  -Compliance -Identification -Internalisation
• What is compliance?

  This when the group norms are openly accepted by the individual and acted upon by them but the person doesn't actually change what they believe

  -i.e. Behaviour and expressed opinion changes but private opinion stays the same
• What is compliance motivated by?

  Compliance is motivated by the desire to be accepted
• Is compliance temporary?

  Yes, compliance is normally temporary
• What is identification?

  This is when someone wants to belong to a group -They change their public behaviour AND they change their private beliefs to match those of the group -BUT the effect is temporary and will change when the person leaves the group
• What is Identification motivated by?

  Identification is motivated by the desire to belong to the group
• Is identification temporary?

  Yes, as private beliefs and public behaviour change temporarily in identification
• What is internalisation?

  Internalisation occurs when a person genuinely changes their behaviour and personal opinion to match the group/majority - They accept the majority view as more valid then their own -This is a permanent change which no longer requires the group to maintain it
• What is internalisation motivated by?

  Its motivated by genuine belief e.g. conviction, faith
• Is internalisation temporary?

  No, internalisation is permanent as it permanently changes beliefs
• What are the explanations of conformity:

  -Normative Social Influence -Informational Social Influence
• What is Normative Social influence?

  It is based on the idea that individual wants to belong to a social group and be a part of the majority e.g. to avoid being teased we say or do whatever fits the norm but don't change our private beliefs
• What is Normative Social Influence linked to?

  Compliance
• What is Normative social influence motivated by?

  The desire to be accepted
• What is Informational social influence?

  When the correct behaviour is uncertain we look to the majority for guidance on how to behave as we want to be correct - survival value
• What is Informational social influence motivated by?

  The desire to do the right thing
• Informational Social influence is linked to?

  Internalisation and identification as ISI tends to lead to either of them
• Evaluation of NSI +

  -Evidence to support the NSI explanation comes from Asch's conformity research. - He found that, when a group of confederates unanimously have the same incorrect answer on an ambiguous line judgement task, there was a mean conformity rate of 32% -It was concluded that they conformed to avoid standing out from the crowd

  - This is positive for the NSI explanation as it suggests we do conform out of a desire to be accepted as we will publicly conform to gain approval from the group
• Evaluation of NSI -

  -However, the NSI explanation may struggle to explain individual differences -In Asch's original research, although he found a mean conformity rate of 32%, there were wide variations between participants. -For example, 25% remained completely independent, going against the majority and giving the correct answer on all the critical trials despite considerable group pressure.. -This is negative for the explanation as it does not consider the personality differences between people that might make some people more susceptible to NSI than others.
• Evaluation of ISI +

  -Support for ISI from Lucas et al (2006) conformity research

  -They found that, when students were asked to give answers to mathematical problems that were easy or difficult, there was greater conformity to incorrect answers when they were difficult rather than easier ones. -This was most true for students who rated their mathematical ability as poor. -This support the ISI explanation that we do conform by looking to others with seemingly more information to help us identify correct behaviour