Why do people change their behaviour to match a group, and what factors increase conformity?
Explain conformity, including normative and informational social influence, and the factors affecting it, with reference to Asch's line study
WACE Year 12 Psychology Unit 4: conformity, normative and informational social influence, the factors that increase or decrease conformity, and Asch's line-judgement experiments on group pressure.
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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.
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.