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Psychology: Social Influence & Conformity
Question
What is conformity?
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Answer
A change in behaviour or belief as a result of real or imagined group pressure — moving towards the norms of a group.
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Question
What is normative social influence (NSI)?
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Answer
Conforming to be liked and accepted by a group — motivated by a desire to avoid rejection. Leads to compliance (public change only, not private belief).
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Question
What is informational social influence (ISI)?
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Answer
Conforming because we believe others have more accurate information, especially in ambiguous situations. Can lead to internalisation (genuine private belief change).
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Question
What were the key findings of Asch's conformity experiment (1951)?
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Answer
Around 75% of participants conformed at least once to an obviously wrong answer on a line-judging task when confederates gave the same wrong answer.
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Question
What factors affect conformity rates according to Asch?
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Answer
Group size (up to 3 people increases conformity), unanimity (one dissenter dramatically reduces conformity), and task difficulty (harder tasks increase conformity).
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Question
What are the three types of conformity identified by Kelman (1958)?
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Answer
Compliance (public agreement, private disagreement), identification (conforming to a group you value), and internalisation (genuine belief change — deepest level).
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Question
What did Milgram's obedience experiment (1963) find?
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Answer
65% of participants gave what they believed to be a 450V electric shock to a confederate when instructed by an authority figure — demonstrating high obedience to authority.
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Question
What factors increase obedience in Milgram's research?
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Answer
Proximity of authority figure (same room = more obedience), institutional prestige (Yale setting), and graduated commitment (small steps escalate).
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Question
What factors decrease obedience in Milgram's research?
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Answer
Authority figure leaves the room, other "teachers" refuse (peer disobedience), victim is in the same room — all reduce obedience rates significantly.
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Question
What is the agentic state?
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Answer
Milgram's explanation for obedience — a psychological state where a person sees themselves as an agent executing another's orders, transferring moral responsibility to the authority.
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