Social Influence:
Types of conformity:
Conformity is known as the majority influence. It occurs when a larger group of
people influences a smaller group of people. There are 3 types of conformity.
● Internalisation - this is the deepest level of conformity. It's when a
person changes both their public behaviour (the way they act) and their
private beliefs. This is usually a long term change and often the result of
informational social influence.
● Identification - this is a moderate type of conformity. It is when a person
acts in the same way as a group because they value the group and
want to be a part of it. They do not necessarily agree with everything
that the majority believes.
● Compliance - this is the lowest level of conformity. It is when a person
changes their public behaviour but not their private beliefs. This is
usually a short term change and often the result of normative social
influence.
Explanations for Conformity:
Deutsch and Gerard devised the dual process model of conformity. They
identified 2 explanations for conformity.
● Normative social influence - following the crowd, this occurs when an
individual conforms because they want to be liked by the other
members of the group, and also want to avoid being rejected.
Normative social influence is not likely to change private opinion, it only
affects public opinion. People may do this because they want to seem
attractive to others or want to protect themselves.
➔ A researcher investigated youth subcultures and the use of drugs
and alcohol.
➔ He used a questionnaire - quick and easy, people can lie.
➔ 6000 participants aged 16-20 in Denmark.
➔ Those who identified themselves as skater, hip-hop, techno,
hippie were most likely to use drugs.
➔ Those who identified themselves as nerdy, sporty, religious were
less likely to do so.
➔ The more strongly people identified as part of their group, the
more they conformed to their group norms, mostly for normative
reasons.
● Informational social influence - accepting the majority’s point of view.
Occurs when an individual conforms because of the perceived superior
, knowledge or judgements of others. Informational social influence tends
to lead to a change in private opinion. An example of this would be that
if a teacher gives out wrong answers, students would assume they are
wrong themselves.
➔ A researcher devised a study where participants had to identify
which musical notes were the same. However there was a
confederate (someone who knows they are in a research study
and knows the purpose of the study in the room and at the same
time.
➔ The confederate was introduced as a musical expert.
➔ This led to conformity increasing as participants believed the
other person had superior knowledge and so went along with
their view.
➔ Lab experiment - can establish cause and effect, controlled and
repeatable, low ecological validity so results cannot be
generalised.
● Evaluation - Deutsch and Gerard’s explanation is sometimes criticised
for implying that the two types of social influence are separate and
independent. In reality, these two forms of social influence often work
together to affect levels of conformity. For example, if a teacher tells you
something, you may change your opinion because you are persuaded
by their argument and because everyone in the class also agrees.
● Evaluation/ practical application - a researcher changed the behaviour
of hotel guests by using printed messages encouraging them to save
energy. The messages suggested that other guests were using fewer
bath towels. People conformed and used fewer bath towels as this
behaviour would be approved by others. This is an example of
normative social influence.
Asch:
Aim - Asch wanted to know whether people would conform to the majority
opinion even when the majority opinion was obviously incorrect.
Procedure - Asch set up a situation in which seven males all sat looking at a
display. They were given a task of saying out loud which one of the three lines
A, B, or C was the same length as a given stimulus line, with the experimenter
working his way around the group members in turn. All but one of the
participants was a confederate of the experimenter. Most of the time the
confederates gave the right answer but on some ‘critical’ trials were instructed
to unanimously give the wrong answer. The one genuine participant was the
last but one to answer.
Types of conformity:
Conformity is known as the majority influence. It occurs when a larger group of
people influences a smaller group of people. There are 3 types of conformity.
● Internalisation - this is the deepest level of conformity. It's when a
person changes both their public behaviour (the way they act) and their
private beliefs. This is usually a long term change and often the result of
informational social influence.
● Identification - this is a moderate type of conformity. It is when a person
acts in the same way as a group because they value the group and
want to be a part of it. They do not necessarily agree with everything
that the majority believes.
● Compliance - this is the lowest level of conformity. It is when a person
changes their public behaviour but not their private beliefs. This is
usually a short term change and often the result of normative social
influence.
Explanations for Conformity:
Deutsch and Gerard devised the dual process model of conformity. They
identified 2 explanations for conformity.
● Normative social influence - following the crowd, this occurs when an
individual conforms because they want to be liked by the other
members of the group, and also want to avoid being rejected.
Normative social influence is not likely to change private opinion, it only
affects public opinion. People may do this because they want to seem
attractive to others or want to protect themselves.
➔ A researcher investigated youth subcultures and the use of drugs
and alcohol.
➔ He used a questionnaire - quick and easy, people can lie.
➔ 6000 participants aged 16-20 in Denmark.
➔ Those who identified themselves as skater, hip-hop, techno,
hippie were most likely to use drugs.
➔ Those who identified themselves as nerdy, sporty, religious were
less likely to do so.
➔ The more strongly people identified as part of their group, the
more they conformed to their group norms, mostly for normative
reasons.
● Informational social influence - accepting the majority’s point of view.
Occurs when an individual conforms because of the perceived superior
, knowledge or judgements of others. Informational social influence tends
to lead to a change in private opinion. An example of this would be that
if a teacher gives out wrong answers, students would assume they are
wrong themselves.
➔ A researcher devised a study where participants had to identify
which musical notes were the same. However there was a
confederate (someone who knows they are in a research study
and knows the purpose of the study in the room and at the same
time.
➔ The confederate was introduced as a musical expert.
➔ This led to conformity increasing as participants believed the
other person had superior knowledge and so went along with
their view.
➔ Lab experiment - can establish cause and effect, controlled and
repeatable, low ecological validity so results cannot be
generalised.
● Evaluation - Deutsch and Gerard’s explanation is sometimes criticised
for implying that the two types of social influence are separate and
independent. In reality, these two forms of social influence often work
together to affect levels of conformity. For example, if a teacher tells you
something, you may change your opinion because you are persuaded
by their argument and because everyone in the class also agrees.
● Evaluation/ practical application - a researcher changed the behaviour
of hotel guests by using printed messages encouraging them to save
energy. The messages suggested that other guests were using fewer
bath towels. People conformed and used fewer bath towels as this
behaviour would be approved by others. This is an example of
normative social influence.
Asch:
Aim - Asch wanted to know whether people would conform to the majority
opinion even when the majority opinion was obviously incorrect.
Procedure - Asch set up a situation in which seven males all sat looking at a
display. They were given a task of saying out loud which one of the three lines
A, B, or C was the same length as a given stimulus line, with the experimenter
working his way around the group members in turn. All but one of the
participants was a confederate of the experimenter. Most of the time the
confederates gave the right answer but on some ‘critical’ trials were instructed
to unanimously give the wrong answer. The one genuine participant was the
last but one to answer.
