Psychology Chapter on Conformity

Conformity

• Conformity is a type of social influence where individuals adjust their beliefs or behaviours to align with a group.
• It can be categorized into different types:
  • Compliance: Individuals adjust their behaviour to gain group approval or avoid disapproval. This doesn't necessarily mean a change in attitude.
  • Internalisation: Individuals genuinely accept the group's viewpoint, adjusting both behaviour and beliefs publicly and privately.
  • Identification: Individuals conform to the group to be accepted and associated. It's a more temporary form of conformity.

Informational Social Influence

• Occurs when individuals accept information from others as evidence about reality.
• This happens in ambiguous situations, when individuals are unsure of the correct course of action, or when they perceive others as experts.
• Individuals conform publicly and privately; internalisation takes place as a result.

Normative Social Influence

• Refers to conformity when individuals go along with the group majority without personally accepting their views.
• Driven by the need for social companionship, fear of rejection, desire for approval or avoid disapproval.
• Individuals conform to certain social norms and values. It's about following and fitting in.

Variables Affecting Conformity

• Group size: Conformity increases with larger groups, but only up to a certain point.
• Unanimity: Conformity decreases when the group is not unanimous; if one person disagrees, others are more likely to resist conforming.
• Task difficulty: Conformity increases as task difficulty increases. This is because people look to others for guidance when the correct response is unclear.

Solomon Asch's Line Study

• A classic experiment illustrating conformity in perceptual tasks about line length
• Participants conformed in the presence of confederates giving wrong answers, more likely when the confederates where consistent.
• The study showed the impact of group pressure on individual judgments, even in situations of objective reality.

Zimbardo's Stanford Prison Experiment

• A study investigating individuals interaction in different social roles (guards and prisoners)
• Demonstrated the power of social roles in influencing behaviour
• Participants readily took on their assigned roles and behaviours escalated to extreme levels of aggression and abuse

Stanley Milgram's Obedience Experiment

• A landmark experiment focusing on obedience to authority.
• Investigated the willingness of participants to administer electric shocks to another person (a confederate) when ordered by an authority figure.
• Results: A significant proportion of participants obeyed even when the actions were potentially harmful.

Situational Variables Affecting Obedience

• Proximity: Obedience decreased when the teacher and learner were closer together (physically or emotionally). Reduced proximity led to an increase in obedience.
• Location: Obedience varied depending on the location of the experiment; prestigious locations led to higher levels.
• Uniform: Perceived authority of the experimenter increased with a lab coat (uniform).

Authoritarian Personality

• A dispositional explanation for obedience that suggests that certain personality traits predispose individuals to obey authority figures.
• Individuals with authoritarian personalities were raised in harsh environments with strict rules.
• Adorno's F-scale: a measurement tool to identify people with authoritarian personalities.

Social Support

• This is an important social influence, helping individuals resist conformity or obedience.
• If people witness others resisting, it reduces the pressure, making it easier to dissent.
• Social support is important for resisting conformity or obedience in groups.

Locus of Control

• A personality factor that describes how much individuals believe they control their lives.
• Individuals with internal locus of control believe their actions have a direct effect on outcomes. They are more likely to resist pressure to conform or obey.
• Individuals with external locus of control believe external factors, like fate, influence their lives. They are more susceptible to pressure.

Minority Influence

• A change in the behaviour or thinking of a majority group due to an influential minority.
• Key elements for minority influence: consistency, commitment, flexibility & the augmentation principle.
• Minority influence operates through informational social influence.

Test your knowledge on the various forms of conformity, including the Asch Effect and normative social influence. This quiz covers definitions, key studies, and cultural differences in conformity behaviors. Challenge yourself and understand the dynamics of how group behavior influences individual actions.