Conformity

• Compliance


  Going along with others to gain approval. Publicly conform but privately disagree
• Internalisation


  Going along with others because you have accepted their point of view because it is consistent with your own. A permanent change in beliefs
• Identification


  Going along with others because you have accepted their viewpoint but only because of a desire to be like them. Accept behaviours as true because you want to fit in
• Normative Social Influence


  A person conforms to be accepted because it is socially rewarding, or to avoid social rejection
• Informational Social Influence


  A person conforms to be right because we are often uncertain about what is right or wrong
• Asch's line experiment

  • Found 36.8% conformity rate and 75% conformed at least once
• Variations of Asch's study

  • Group size
  • Unanimity
  • Task difficulty
• Perrin and Spencer's replication of Asch's study


  • Found only 1 person conformed
• Asch's study had limitations - unrepresentative (male) sample, artificial task and demand characteristics, ethical issues (deception and protection from harm)
• Stanford Prison Experiment (Procedure)

  24 male students who volunteered were randomly assigned the role of guard or prisoner and given uniform to match - set to run for 2 weeks
• Stanford Prison Experiment (Findings)

  • Participants quickly identified with their roles - prisoners attempted rebellion but were crushed by the abusive guards - guards dehumanised the prisoners with punishments - 5 prisoners were released early due to adverse reactions to torment - the experiment was terminated after 6 days
• Reicher and Haslam's replication of the SPE


  • Found no conformity to social roles automatically, and the prisoners banded together to successfully overthrow the guards