psychology

• Conformity


  Occurs when an individual changes their behaviours and/or beliefs in order to fit in with the majority
• Types of conformity


  • Compliance
  • Identification
  • Internalisation
• Compliance


  Occurs when an individual publicly, but not privately, goes along with the behaviours and/or beliefs of the majority in order to gain approval from them in the short term (NSI . Lowest level of conformity
• Identification


  Occurs when an individual publicly and privately accepts the behaviours and/or beliefs of the majority the short term (NSI) . Middle level of conformity.
• Internalisation


  Occurs when an individual publicly and privately accepts the behaviours and/or beliefs of the majority in the long term (ISI) . highest level of conformity
• Informational social influence (ISI)


  Based upon the desire to be right, occurs when an individual looks to the majority to give them information to gain knowledge in an unknown situation to avoid standing out
• Normative social influence (NSI)


  Based upon the desire to be liked, occurs when an individual changes their behaviours and/or beliefs in order to be liked and accepted by the majority
• ISI is likely to result in internalisation
• NSI is likely to result in compliance
• Asch (1956) conducted research into conformity
• Asch's procedure


  1. 123 American male undergraduate students took part

  2. Tested in groups of seven

  3. Only one participant in each group was a real participant, the others were confederates

  4. Shown two cards, one with a standard line and one with comparison lines

  5. Participants had to state which comparison line matched the standard

  6. Six confederates gave a unanimous incorrect answer on 12 of the 18 trials
• Participants conformed to the unanimous incorrect answer on 37% of the critical trials
• 74% of the participants conformed at least once
• Only 26% of the participants never conformed
• Asch suggested his participants had conformed due to NSI, resulting in compliance
• Variables affecting conformity


  • Group size
  • Unanimity
  • Task difficulty
• Conformity rate increased as group size increased up to 3 confederates, but further increases in group size did not significantly increase conformity
• Conformity rate fell significantly to 25% when the real participant was given the support of a lone a non conforming confederate
• Conformity rate increased significantly when the task was made more difficult, as more difficult increases up to 80%
• Zimbardo (1973) conducted the Stanford Prison Experiment to investigate conformity to social roles
• Procedure of the Stanford Prison Experiment


  1. A mock prison was set up

  2. Male student volunteers were randomly assigned to be guards or prisoners

  3. Prisoners were unexpectedly arrested and processed

  4. Guards were given uniforms and instructions to maintain order

  5. The study was planned to last 2 weeks
• On the second day, the prisoners staged a rebellion which the guards then brutally suppressed
• From then on, the prisoners came under the total control of the guards
• Rights given to prisoners


  • Three meals a day
  • Three supervised toilet trips a day
• Guards were not allowed to use physical violence
• Otherwise, the guards were free to do whatever they thought was necessary to maintain law and order within the prison
• Zimbardo took on the role of Prison Superintendent
• The first day of the study passed without incident
• On the second day, the prisoners staged a rebellion
• Prisoner rebellion


  1. Removed stocking caps

  2. Ripped off ID numbers

  3. Barricaded themselves inside cells by putting beds against doors
• The guards retaliated by spraying the prisoners with a fire extinguisher
• Guards' actions after rebellion


  1. Stripped prisoners naked

  2. Removed prisoners' beds

  3. Forced ringleaders into solitary confinement
• From then on, the prisoners came under the total control of the guards, who began to harass the prisoners constantly
• Guards' harassment of prisoners


  • Frequent head counts, sometimes in the middle of the night
  • Forced prisoners to carry out degrading activities like cleaning toilets with bare hands and doing push-ups and jumping jacks
• The guards became so enthusiastic in their roles that they volunteered to do extra hours without pay
• The participants appeared to forget that this was only a study, and that they were merely acting
• Participants forgetting it was a study


  • One prisoner asked for parole rather than asking to withdraw
  • Five prisoners had to be released early due to extreme reactions
  • One prisoner had to be released less than 36 hours after the study began
• The study was finally terminated after six days when a postgraduate student who arrived to interview the participants made clear her horror at the conditions in which the prisoners were living
• The postgraduate student reminded the researchers that this was a psychological study and therefore the abuse being inflicted on the prisoners could not be justified
• There is evidence that conformity to social roles is not automatic