T1: Social influence

• What is conformity defined as?

  Conformity is defined as 'yielding to group pressures'.
• How is conformity characterized in terms of pressure?

  Conformity is characterized as a change in behavior or opinion due to real or imagined pressure from a person or group.
• What is the difference between real and imagined pressure in conformity?

  Real pressure involves consequences for not conforming, while imagined pressure does not.
• Who proposed the three types of conformity?

  Kelman proposed the three types of conformity.
• What are the three types of conformity proposed by Kelman?

  • Internalisation: Permanent change of beliefs and values.
  • Identification: Temporary change in behavior in the presence of a group.
  • Compliance: Public agreement with private disagreement.
• What is internalisation in the context of conformity?

  Internalisation is making the beliefs, values, attitudes, and behaviors of the group your own, resulting in a permanent change.
• What is an example of internalisation?

  An example of internalisation is becoming religious after being brought up in a religious household.
• What does identification refer to in conformity?

  Identification refers to a temporary change of behavior and beliefs only in the presence of a group.
• Provide an example of identification.

  An example of identification is acting more professional when arriving at the office.
• What does compliance mean in the context of conformity?

  Compliance means to follow others' ideas to gain approval or avoid disapproval, often involving public agreement but private disagreement.
• What is an example of compliance?


  An example of compliance is drinking alcohol when pressured by friends, despite not wanting to.
• What is informational social influence?

  Informational social influence occurs when someone conforms because they want to be right and look to others for information.
• In what situations does informational social influence typically occur?


  It typically occurs in situations where a person is uncertain or lacks knowledge to make their own decisions.
• How did Fein et al. demonstrate the impact of informational social influence?


  Fein et al. found that participants changed their vote for a presidential candidate after seeing others vote for someone else, wanting to be 'correct'.
• What is normative social influence?

  Normative social influence occurs when someone conforms to be liked and accepted by a group.
• Provide an example of normative social influence.

  An example of normative social influence is starting to smoke because others in the group smoke.
• What did Garandeau and Cillissen find regarding normative social influence and bullying?


  They found that a boy can be manipulated by a bully into victimizing another child to avoid disapproval from friends.
• What did Lucas et al. discover about conformity in difficult tasks?

  Lucas et al. found that conformity increased when participants rated their math ability unfavorably and faced difficult questions.
• What is the Two Process Model proposed by Deutsch and Gerrard?


  • Suggests that NSI and ISI are not mutually exclusive.
  • A dissenting confederate can provide social support, reducing NSI.
  • The confederate can also provide alternative information, reducing ISI.
• What was the aim of Asch's study?

  The aim of Asch's study was to investigate conformity and majority influence.
• How many participants were in Asch's study?

  There were 123 male American undergraduates in Asch's study.
• What was the procedure of Asch's study?

  Participants were presented with four lines and asked to state which of three lines matched the length of a standard line.
• What was the finding regarding conformity in Asch's study?

  36.8% of participants conformed, while 25% never conformed, and 75% conformed at least once.
• What was the control trial result in Asch's study?

  In a control trial, only 1% of responses were incorrect, indicating high validity of the findings.
• How does group size affect conformity according to Asch's findings?

  An individual is more likely to conform when in a larger group, with conformity rising by 30% when the group size exceeds three.
• What is the optimal group size for conformity?

  The optimal group size for conformity is considered to be four.
• How does unanimity affect conformity?

  An individual is more likely to conform when the group is unanimous in their answers.
• What was the effect of having a dissenting confederate in Asch's study?

  When joined by a dissenting confederate, conformity fell from 32% to 5.5%.
• How does task difficulty influence conformity?

  An individual is more likely to conform when the task is difficult.
• What happens to conformity when comparison lines are made more similar in length?

  Conformity increases when the comparison lines are made more similar in length.
• What does the evaluation of Asch's study highlight about its internal validity?


  Asch's study has high internal validity due to strict control over extraneous variables.
• Why is the lab experiment design of Asch's study significant?

  The lab experiment design allows for easy replication, increasing the reliability of the findings.
• What ethical issues were raised in Asch's study?

  Ethical issues included deception and the inability to give informed consent, although participants were debriefed.
• How does Asch's study support normative social influence?

  Participants reported conforming to fit in with the group, supporting the idea of normative influence.
• What is a weakness of Asch's study regarding ecological validity?

  Asch's study lacks ecological validity as it does not reflect the complexity of real-life conformity.
• What is a weakness of Asch's study regarding population validity?

  Asch's study lacks population validity due to sampling issues, as it only included American male undergraduates.
• What ethical issues were present in Zimbardo's study?

  Ethical issues included deception and potential psychological harm to participants.
• What was the aim of Zimbardo's study?

  The aim of Zimbardo's study was to investigate how readily people conform to social roles in a simulated environment.
• What was the procedure of Zimbardo's study?

  Participants were randomly assigned roles of guard or prisoner in a simulated prison environment.
• What were the findings regarding the behavior of guards in Zimbardo's study?

  Guards began to harass and torment prisoners, enjoying their newfound power and control.