AS Psychology

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Conformity (Majority Influence)

• A change in behaviour due to real or imagined
  pressure from other people

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Asch (1951)

• A research study of conformity to group pressure
• Will someone go along with an answer that is
  obviously wrong?
• What is more important being right or fitting
  in?

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Asch (1951)

• When all the confederates gave the right answer,
  the PPs made almost no errors
• When the confeds gave the wrong answer, the PP
  went along with it 37 of the time
• Of the PPs
• 75 conformed at least once
• 5 conformed every time
• 25 never conformed

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• Why would someone go along with an answer they
  knew to be wrong?

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Asch (1951)

• PPs reported conforming for different reasons
  including
• Genuinely doubted own judgement
• Didnt want to upset the experiment
• Fear of rejection by confeds

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Factors that Affect Conformity

• Size of majority?
• Not particularly important above 3 people
• Unanimity of majority?
• More important dissent reduces conformity
• Difficulty/ambiguity of situation?
• More ambiguity gives higher conformity
• Relative status of majority?
• Higher status leads to greater conformity

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Other Studies of Conformity

• Situations where there is no clear cut right
  answer
• Jenness (1932) estimating the number of beans
  in a jar
• Sherif (1935) estimating how far a light
  appeared to move

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Conformity Processes

• Informational Influence
• Motivated by desire to be correct
• Normative Influence
• Motivated by need to fit in with group
• Leading to
• Compliance
• Internalisation

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Conformity Processes

• Informational influence
• Motivated by a desire to be correct

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Internalisation
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Conformity Processes

• Normative influence
• Motivated by a desire to be accepted

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Compliance
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