SI - Conformity

• Compliance is where you superficially conform with the group publicly but hold a different view privately it is a temporary change
• Identification is where you conform to the group because you value it, you change your views to be accepted by the group
• Internalisation is where you conform to the group because you accept its norms, you agree publicly and privately and it is a permanent change
• Normative Social Influence is agreeing with the majority because we want to be accepted and liked - Leads to compliance
• Informative Social Influence is agreeing with the majority because we believe they know better or are more likely to be right - Leads to identification
• Examples of NSI is Asch's original study
• Examples of ISI is Asch's task difficulty variation and Latane and Darleys smoke room study
• Asch's baseline procedure: 123 American men in groups with 5-7 confederates, confederates gave wrong answers on some trials and right answers on others, actual participants gave answers last or second to last - naive participants conformed about 37% of the time
• Unanimity Variable - conformity rate dropped with a dissenter, whether the dissenter gave a right or wrong answer didn't matter
• Group Size Variable - with 3 or more confederates conformity stayed at 37% - with 1-2 confederates conformity decreased
• Task difficulty variable - the standard and comparison lines are more similar in length - conformity increased due to ISI
• Limitations of Asch's Research - Lacks generalisability (research only performed on Male American Participants so findings cannot apply to other genders and cultures)

  Ethical guidelines were broken - Deception - participants were lied to about the aim of the study so could not give informed consent
• Zimbardo's Procedure - 24 'emotionally stable' male American students were randomly allocated to either the role of a guard or a prisoner in a mock prison. Guards wore khakis and had handcuffs and a baton and the prisoners wore a loose smock and cap and were only referred to by numbers this was done to reinforce social roles. There were also rules about behaviour such as prisoners having to apply for parole to leave the study. Zimbardo played a dual role as the prison warden and main psychologist. The study had to end after 6 days even though it was meant to last 2 weeks
• Zimbardo's Findings - Guards treated prisoners harshly and harrassed prisoners constantly - Prisoners formed a rebellion which failed and they then became depressed and disorientated.

  Zimbardo's Conclusions - Social roles have a strong effect on behaviour (harsh guards and submissive prisoners) OR social roles can be easily adopted if heavily stereotyped
• Zimbardo's Research Strengths: Good control over variables - Participants were randomly assigned to roles which reduced individual differences
• Zimbardo's Research Weaknesses: Ethical guidelines -lack of informed consent (participants were not told they would be arrested from their homes), psychological harm caused to participants

  Lacks generalisability (only male American participants used)