Conformity: types and explanations

• internalisation

  when a person genuinely accepts group norms. it results in a private as well as public change of opinions/behaviour.

  the change is more likely to be permanent and persist in the absence of group members because attitudes have become part of how the person thinks (internalised).
• identification

  when we identify with a group that we value, we want to become part of it.

  so we publicly change our opinions/behaviour, even if we don't privately agree with everything the group stands for.
• compliance

  involves 'going along with others' in public, but privately not changing opinions/behaviour.

  this results in only a superficial change and the opinion/behaviour stops as soon as group pressure ceases.
• informational social influence (ISI)

  often we are uncertain about what behaviour or beliefs are right or wrong. you may not know the answer to a question in class, but if most other students agree, you got along with them because you feel they are probably right.

  ISI is a cognitive process- people generally want to be right.
• when is ISI most likely to occur?

  ISI is most likely in situations which are new or where there is some ambiguity, so it isn't clear what is right.

  it may happen when decisions have to be made quickly, and when one person or group is regarded as being more expert.
• normative social influence (NSI)

  NSI concerns what is 'normal' or typical behaviour for a social group (i.e. norms). norms regulate the behaviour of groups and individuals so it is not surprising that we pay attention to them.

  NSI is an emotional rather than cognitive process- people prefer social approval rather than rejection.
• when is NSI most likely to occur?

  NSI is most likely in situations where you don't know the norms and look to others about how to behave.

  it is important with people you know rather than strangers because people are concerned about the social approval of friends.

  it may be more pronounced in stressful situations where people have a need for social support.
• strength of ISI: research support

  Lucas et al. asked students to give answers to easy and more difficult maths problems. there as more conformity to incorrect answers when the problems were difficult. this was most true for students who rated their maths ability as poor. people conform in situations where they feel they don't know the answer (ISI). we look to others and assume they know better than us and must be right.
• strength of ISI: research support

  Asch asked participants to explain why they agreed with the wrong answer. some said they felt self-conscious giving the right answer and were afraid of disapproval. when Asch asked participants to write down their answers, conformity fell to 12.5%. this supports the participants' own reports that they were conforming because of NSI.
• limitation of NSI and ISI: 'two-process' approach is oversimplified

  this approach states that behaviour is due to either NSI or ISI. however, conformity was reduced when there was a dissenting partner in the Asch experiment. the dissenter may reduce the power of NSI (by providing social support) or reduce the power of ISI (because they are an alternative source of information). therefore it isn't always possible to know whether NSI or ISI is at work. this questions the view of ISI and NSI as operating independently in conforming behaviour.
• limitation of NSI: individual differences

  people who care more about being liked are more affected by NSI. they are nAffiliators- people who have a greater need for social relationships. McGhee and tavern found that students who were nAffiliators were more likely to conform. the desire to be liked underlies conformity for some people more than others. one general theory doesn't cover the fact there are differences