Summary
Summary Social influence in Psychology
- Module
- Social influence
- Institution
- AQA
Social influence in psychology including : conformity, obedience
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Some examples from this set of practice questions
1.
What is conformity?
Answer: following the majority or group to fit in
2.
What is obedience?
Answer: following and listening to an authority figure
3.
What is Compliance?
Answer: people change their opinion to fit in with the group but privately disagree with the behaviours of the group.e.g bullying
4.
What is identification?
Answer: believe the group\'s opinions privately and publicly but revert to original beliefs once removed from the group/ situation. e.g adopting the same personality as your friends but when you move away you change into your original self again
5.
What are the three types of conformity?
Answer: Compliance,identification,internalisation
6.
What was Asch\'s procedure?
Answer: 123 male participants put in groups with 7-9 confederates(‘actors’) They were shown a collection 3 lines and they had to identify which line was the closet to the original line
7.
Results of Asch\'s Study
Answer: Participants conformed to the incorrect majority 32% of the time 75% conformed to at least one incorrect answer
Content preview
Social InfluenceConformity- following the majority or group to fit in.
Obedience-following and listening to an authority figure.
Types of Conformity
Compliance-shallow- people change their opinion to fit in with the group but privately
disagree with the behaviours of the group.e.g bullying.
Identification- believe the group's opinions privately and publicly but revert to original
beliefs once removed from the group/ situation. e.g adopting the same personality as your
friends but when you move away you change into your original self again
Internalisation- strongest type- they permanently change their opinions publicly and
privately whether with the group or away from the group.
e.g religion
Asch 1965
The aim was to see if the minority would conform to the majority if the answers were
wrong.
Procedure- 123 male participants put in groups with 7-9 confederates(‘actors’)
They were shown a collection 3 lines and they had to identify which line was the
closet to the original line
- Each person went through 18 trials, where they were shown sets of lines (A, B, or C) and
had to decide which line matched the original. In 12 of these trials, the actors all
intentionally chose the wrong line. The real participant always gave their answer last or
second to last, allowing them to hear the group's incorrect answers first.
Results
Participants conformed to the incorrect majority 32% of the time
75% conformed to at least one incorrect answer
Factors affecting conformity
Group Size
Conformity tended to rise with the size of the group, but only up to a certain point. In trials
with only one actor and one real participant, conformity rates were low. When the number
of actors increased to two, conformity rose to 12.8%. With three actors, conformity climbed
to 32%, which matched the results of the original study. However, adding more actors
(whether 4, 8, or 16) did not further increase conformity rates.
, While Asch's findings on group size and conformity have been confirmed in other studies,
Difficulty
The difficulty of the task also played a role in increasing conformity. Asch varied the lengths
of the lines in the study to make it either easier or harder to identify which line matched the
original. When the differences between the lines were very subtle and harder to discern,
participants were more likely to go along with the incorrect answers given by the group.
Unanimity
Conformity among participants dropped from 32% to 5.5% when one confederate, acting as
a 'partner,' was instructed to provide the correct answer, opposing the majority's incorrect
choice.
Asch's results align with other studies showing that conformity decreases when the majority
is not unanimous. Simply put, a participant is more likely to conform to the group if
everyone in the group agrees than if there is some level of disagreement.
EXPLANATIONS OF CONFORMITY
Deutsch and Gerard (1955) identified two main reasons why people conform: informational
social influence and normative social influence.
INFORMATIONAL SOCIAL INFLUENCE (ISI)
Informational social influence stems from people's desire to be correct in their opinions and
beliefs. This motivation drives individuals to rely on information provided by others in the
group, assuming that it represents the correct or best way to act.
For instance, if you're at a formal dinner and unsure which cutlery to use, you might observe
and mimic someone else who appears knowledgeable. This is an example of conforming
based on informational social influence.
NORMATIVE SOCIAL INFLUENCE (NSI)
Normative social influence, on the other hand, arises from the desire to be accepted and not
rejected by others. This drive to fit in leads individuals to adopt the beliefs and behaviors of
a group to avoid standing out. Unlike informational social influence, which is about being
correct, normative social influence is about being liked and accepted.
An example of normative social influence is feeling pressured to agree with your friends'
political views to avoid being ostracized or considered an outsider.
Conformity to Social Roles
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