Social Psychology: Conformity And Minor Influence
Module 3
Social Psychology - Conformity & Minor Influence
Definition of Conformity
Crutchfield defined conformity as "yielding to group pressure".
Aronson defined conformity as "a change in a person's behaviour or opinions as a result of real or imagined pressure from a person or group of people.
Why do People conform?
INFORMATIONAL INFLUENCES because they lack information or do not know the answer. People assume that others probably know more than the do. This may apply to the Jenness and Sherif studies.
NORMATIVE INFLUENCES people want to be accepted as part of the group, don't want to be different. This may apply to the Asch studies.
Types of conformity
Kelman believed there were three types of conformity:
COMPLIANCE …show more content…
Asch 1950's
Asch studied a group of six subjects (now called participants, due to political correctness). He projected a straight line onto a screen, then a group of three lines of differing lengths: A, B and C, where B was exactly the same size as the original line, but A and C were very obviously different lengths. He then asked which line was nearer to the first in length.
Only one of the group of six was a real subject, the other five being associates of Asch. The real subject was second to last to be asked, and the four preceding gave false answers (e.g. "A"). The subject would generally follow the answer the other "subjects" had given, even if plainly incorrect.
This did not happen every time, but 74% went along with what the group said at least once, producing a level of 32% conformity. When debriefing the actual subjects, they said they knew the answer they were giving was wrong, but they still followed the group.
Asch carried out this study in many ways, varying the numbers of subjects and position of the real subject in the line up with differing …show more content…
When the test was repeated with a more typical group of ordinary people, the conformity level returned to the 32% that had arisen from Asch's studies.
Perrin & Spencer 1980
Perrin & Spencer decided to carry out their studies in the UK, believing that UK citizens would conform less than Americans. Their studies showed a very low level of conformity, and they published a report stating that the British were less conformist, and not at all like sheep.
These studies too, were faulty. Perrin & Spencer had selected their subjects from universities, specifically engineering students, who are trained to make exact measurements!
Again, when the test used ordinary people, the result was 32% conformity.
Zimbardo 1973
Zimbardo worked as a psychology lecturer at Stanford University in the USA. He conducted the prison test, where subjects were allocated the role of prisoner or prison guard, and the study was run in the basement of the university for two weeks. This was to study Conformity to Role
Social Psychology - Conformity & Minor Influence
Definition of Conformity
Crutchfield defined conformity as "yielding to group pressure".
Aronson defined conformity as "a change in a person's behaviour or opinions as a result of real or imagined pressure from a person or group of people.
Why do People conform?
INFORMATIONAL INFLUENCES because they lack information or do not know the answer. People assume that others probably know more than the do. This may apply to the Jenness and Sherif studies.
NORMATIVE INFLUENCES people want to be accepted as part of the group, don't want to be different. This may apply to the Asch studies.
Types of conformity
Kelman believed there were three types of conformity:
COMPLIANCE …show more content…
Asch 1950's
Asch studied a group of six subjects (now called participants, due to political correctness). He projected a straight line onto a screen, then a group of three lines of differing lengths: A, B and C, where B was exactly the same size as the original line, but A and C were very obviously different lengths. He then asked which line was nearer to the first in length.
Only one of the group of six was a real subject, the other five being associates of Asch. The real subject was second to last to be asked, and the four preceding gave false answers (e.g. "A"). The subject would generally follow the answer the other "subjects" had given, even if plainly incorrect.
This did not happen every time, but 74% went along with what the group said at least once, producing a level of 32% conformity. When debriefing the actual subjects, they said they knew the answer they were giving was wrong, but they still followed the group.
Asch carried out this study in many ways, varying the numbers of subjects and position of the real subject in the line up with differing …show more content…
When the test was repeated with a more typical group of ordinary people, the conformity level returned to the 32% that had arisen from Asch's studies.
Perrin & Spencer 1980
Perrin & Spencer decided to carry out their studies in the UK, believing that UK citizens would conform less than Americans. Their studies showed a very low level of conformity, and they published a report stating that the British were less conformist, and not at all like sheep.
These studies too, were faulty. Perrin & Spencer had selected their subjects from universities, specifically engineering students, who are trained to make exact measurements!
Again, when the test used ordinary people, the result was 32% conformity.
Zimbardo 1973
Zimbardo worked as a psychology lecturer at Stanford University in the USA. He conducted the prison test, where subjects were allocated the role of prisoner or prison guard, and the study was run in the basement of the university for two weeks. This was to study Conformity to Role