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(2026 Exams) Conformity

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Conformity

Conformity is a type of social influence that can be described as changing your behaviour to go along with the group even if you do not agree with the group.

The Asch Effect

The Asch Effect

  • Solomon Asch conducted several experiments in the 1950s to determine how people are affected by the thoughts and behaviours of other people.
  • He identified many variables affecting conformity including group size, unanimity and task difficulty.
  • The Asch effect is the influence of the group majority on an individual’s judgement.
Motivation to conform

Motivation to conform

  • The researchers, Deutsch & Gerard (1955) categorised the motivation to conform into two types: normative social influence and informational social influence.
Types of conformity

Types of conformity

  • Researchers have identified three types of conformity: internalisation, identification and compliance.
Stanford prison experiment & Milgram

Stanford prison experiment & Milgram

  • In 1971, Philip Zimbardo conducted a famous experiment called the Stanford prison experiment. He claimed to demonstrate the power of conformity in social roles.
  • In 1963, Milgram found that normal members of the public would think they were giving 'learners' (volunteers) stronger and stronger electric shocks, just because the psychologist overseeing the study asked them to.

Internalisation, Identification and Compliance

Internalisation, identification and compliance are all forms of conformity.

Compliance

Compliance

  • When someone votes differently in public to when they vote privately, this is known as compliance.
  • Compliance is going along with a request or demand in public whilst disagreeing with the group's viewpoint or behaviour in private.
  • This change in people's expressed views is temporary.
  • In Asch’s (1951) studies, participants would comply in public and answer questions incorrectly. But in private, they did not agree with the incorrect answers they supplied in public.
Internalisation

Internalisation

  • When an individual changes their behaviour to fit in with a group publicly while also agreeing with them privately.
  • This is the strongest form of conformity as the group beliefs become part of the individual's belief system.
Identification

Identification

  • When someone conforms to the demands of a social role in society.
  • A good example of identification is the Zimbardo (1971) Stanford prison experiment.
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Option 3: Addiction (A2 only)

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