2. Types and explanations for conformity

• Two explanations for conformity - AO1

  - Normative social influence (NSI)

  - Informational social influence (ISI)
• Normative social influence - AO1

  -Conforming to gain approval from a certain group of people. - To get accepted and avoid rejection.

  - Don'st necessarily believe in what they are saying.

  - Among friends and strangers - wherever we feel we will be rejected.

  - Often leads to Compliance
• Informational social influence - AO1

  - Conforming when we belive we are incorrect

  - The task is too hard so we look to others who we deem as smarter and more able.

  - When task is ambiguous.

  - Often leads to internalisation
• Three types of conformity - AO1

  - Compliance

  - Identification

  - Internalisation
• Compliance - AO1

  - A superficial and temporary type of conformity

  - 'going along with others'

  - Changing your views in public but not private

  - There is usually a group pressure required and the behaviour stops when the group is not present.

  - Temporary change so belief in ideas is weak

  - Reason - To gain approval , avoid rejections ans disapproval .
• Identification - AO1

  - A moderate type of conformity

  - Views are maintained in public but sometimes private

  - Only there when part of the group.

  - Often because we value the group and want to feel a part of it

  - Permanent whilst in group but may star processing the behaviour .

  - Often around friends and people we feel obligated to be agreeing with.
• Internalisation - AO1

  - A deep type of conformity

  - Both private and public acceptance

  - Group presence not always required

  - Opinion/ way of life always maintained

  - Permanent change and belief in views is strong

  - You may want to accept group norms and not feel left out
• Research support for NSI - AO3

  - Asch's research in 1951

  When asked his participants why they felt they needed to conform they said they felt like they needed to be feel a part of the group

  - When participants didn't have any pressure and wrote answers down overall conformity fell by 12.5 %
• Research support of ISI - AO3


  - Study conducted by Lucas et al (2006)

  - Asked participants to give answers to both easy and hard maths problems

  - Conformity was higher when maths questions were harder

  - When the answer became more ambiguous they relied on each other to figure out what the answer was.

  - Shows that ISI is a valid explanation for conformity.
• COUNTERPOINT - research support for ISI - AO3

  - It can be hard to distinguish between ISI and NSI

  - Asch found that conformity decreased when there was only one confederate

  - This may be because it reduces the power of NSI as there is less of a social pressure to conform to the majority

  - OR it may reduce the power of ISI as there is less people to ultimately believe we are incorrect for our opinions .
• Kelman (1958)


  Suggested there were three ways people conform
• Deutsch and Gerard (1955)

  • Developed the two-process theory - suggested there were two reasons why people conform