Explain conformity, including normative and informational social influence, and the factors affecting it, with reference to Asch's line study

What this dot point is asking

SCSA asks you to define conformity, distinguish the two types of social influence behind it, describe Asch's evidence, and explain the factors that raise or lower conformity. The marked skill is identifying which type of influence is operating and citing Asch's findings precisely.

What conformity is

Conformity is a change in behaviour or belief in order to match the responses or expectations of a group, in response to real or imagined group pressure. Unlike obedience, conformity is a response to peers of equal status rather than to an authority figure, and the pressure is often implicit.

There are two main reasons people conform.

• Normative social influence is conforming to be liked and accepted and to avoid rejection. It typically produces public compliance (going along outwardly) without genuine private change.
• Informational social influence is conforming because we believe the group has accurate information, especially in ambiguous or unfamiliar situations. It can produce genuine private acceptance.

Asch's line-judgement study

Solomon Asch tested conformity with an unambiguous task. Participants judged which of three comparison lines matched a standard line, an easy perceptual judgement. Each real participant sat with several confederates who, on certain trials, all gave the same obviously wrong answer.

On these critical trials, about 75 percent of participants conformed to the wrong majority at least once, and around 32 to 37 percent of all critical responses went along with the incorrect group. In control conditions without group pressure, error rates were tiny. Because the task was easy, the conformity was largely normative: participants knew the right answer but went along to avoid standing out.

Factors affecting conformity

Asch and later researchers identified factors that change conformity rates.

• Group size: conformity rises as the majority grows to about three or four, then levels off.
• Unanimity: a single dissenter (an ally giving a different answer) sharply reduces conformity, because the participant is no longer alone.
• Task difficulty: harder or more ambiguous tasks increase conformity, because informational influence grows when we are unsure.
• Anonymity: conformity drops when responses are private rather than public, reducing normative pressure.

Compliance, identification and internalisation

It helps to distinguish three levels of conformity, because they differ in how deep and lasting the change is.

• Compliance is going along with the group publicly while privately disagreeing. It lasts only while the group is present and is typically driven by normative influence.
• Identification is conforming to a role or group we value, adopting its behaviour because we want to belong to it. The change may last while we identify with the group but can fade if we leave it.
• Internalisation is genuinely accepting the group's view as our own, so the change is private and lasting. It is most often driven by informational influence, when we come to believe the group is right.

Naming the level of conformity, not just that conformity occurred, lifts the quality of an exam answer and connects conformity to the later topics on attitude change.

Conformity across situations and cultures

Conformity is not fixed; it shifts with the situation and the culture. Asch's later variations showed conformity falls when responses are anonymous (reducing normative pressure) and when the task is easy and the answer obvious. Cross-cultural research suggests conformity tends to be higher in collectivist cultures, which value group harmony and interdependence, than in individualist cultures, which prize standing out and personal independence. This links conformity to the cross-cultural and culture-and-community dot points.

Why conformity matters

Conformity explains fashion, peer pressure, social norms and the smooth running of groups, but also the danger of going along with harmful group behaviour. It sets up the obedience, group influence and bystander topics, where the pressure of others shapes individual action.