This document covers the following sub-topics:
1. Conformity - Kelman’s types of Conformity/ Dual Process Model
2. Conformity - Asch (1951) – The Line Experiment
3. Conformity - Zimbardo (1973) – The Stanford Prison Experiment (SPE)
4. Obedience - Milgram’s research into obedience - 1...
Conformity (1)
(a form of majority influence where the attitudes, beliefs and behaviours of people in a particular group are adopted
in response to real or imagine group pressure)
Kelman’s types of Definition
Conformity
• Publicly conforming
• Privately maintaining one’s own views
Compliance • Going along with the group, even if we do no really agree with them
• Temporary change in behaviour
• Lasts as long as the group pressure is present
• Adjust behaviour/ opinions to group – generally temporary
Identification • Membership is desirable – members are role models
• Private and public acceptance
• Not maintained when individuals leave the group
• Conversion/ change of private views
Internalisation • Behaviour/ beliefs of majority are accepted by individual
• Lasts even if the majority is no longer present (permanent)
Dual Process Model – Explanations for Conformity
Deutsch & Gerard developed a dual process model – arguing that there are 2 main reasons people conform.
Normative Social Influence (NSI) Informational Social Influence (ISI)
Desire to be liked – Desire to be right –
following the crowd (part of the norm) accepting the majority’s viewpoint
• Desire to be liked • Desire to be right
• Avoid being rejected • Turn to others who believe to be correct
• Acceptance & approval • Attempt to gain information
• Associated with compliance • Uncertain about own opinions or how to
behave
• Associated with internalisation
STRENGTHS LIMITATIONS
Evidence to support ISI: Individual differences are ignored:
• Lucas asked students to give answers to • NSI explains everyone’s behaviour in the same
mathematical problems that were easy or more way (fails to account for individual differences)
difficult • Desire to be liked influences conformity for
• They were more likely to give the wrong some people but not others – individuals who
answer (conform to the majority) when the care more about being accepted by others are
questions were difficult more likely to be influenced by the majority –
• This was especially true for students who rated therefore likely to conform due to NSI
their mathematical ability as poor • People less concerned with being liked are less
Evidence to support NSI: likely to be influenced by the majority
• Asch (1951) • Does not explain why different people may
• Participants conformed 37% of the time even respond in different ways
when the answer was obviously wrong
The benefits of buying summaries with Stuvia:
Guaranteed quality through customer reviews
Stuvia customers have reviewed more than 700,000 summaries. This how you know that you are buying the best documents.
Quick and easy check-out
You can quickly pay through credit card for the summaries. There is no membership needed.
Focus on what matters
Your fellow students write the study notes themselves, which is why the documents are always reliable and up-to-date. This ensures you quickly get to the core!
Frequently asked questions
What do I get when I buy this document?
You get a PDF, available immediately after your purchase. The purchased document is accessible anytime, anywhere and indefinitely through your profile.
Satisfaction guarantee: how does it work?
Our satisfaction guarantee ensures that you always find a study document that suits you well. You fill out a form, and our customer service team takes care of the rest.
Who am I buying these notes from?
Stuvia is a marketplace, so you are not buying this document from us, but from seller psych123. Stuvia facilitates payment to the seller.
Will I be stuck with a subscription?
No, you only buy these notes for £2.99. You're not tied to anything after your purchase.
