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    examBoard: AQA
    examType: GCSE
    lessonTitle: Review and Practice - Conformity
Psychology - Social Context and Behaviour - Social Influence - Conformity - Review and Practice - Conformity - BrainyLemons
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Conformity » Review and Practice - Conformity

What you'll learn this session

Study time: 30 minutes

  • Review key theories of conformity (Asch, Zimbardo, Milgram)
  • Understand types of conformity: compliance, identification, internalisation
  • Examine factors affecting conformity (group size, unanimity, task difficulty)
  • Apply knowledge to real-world examples and scenarios
  • Test your understanding through practice questions

Reviewing Conformity: Key Concepts

Conformity is a fundamental concept in social psychology that helps explain how and why people adjust their behaviour to match others. It's something we all experience in our daily lives, from following fashion trends to agreeing with friends' opinions.

Key Definitions:

  • Conformity: A type of social influence where individuals change their attitudes, beliefs, or behaviours to match those of others or to adhere to social norms.
  • Majority influence: When the opinions or behaviours of the larger group influence an individual.
  • Social norms: The unwritten rules that govern behaviour in groups and societies.

📖 Types of Conformity

Compliance: Going along with others publicly while privately disagreeing. This is the most superficial type of conformity.

Identification: Adopting the behaviours and beliefs of a group you admire or want to be associated with.

Internalisation: Truly accepting and believing in the group's values and incorporating them into your own belief system.

💡 Why Do People Conform?

Normative Social Influence: Conforming to be liked and accepted by others.

Informational Social Influence: Conforming because you believe others know better than you do.

Social Identity: Conforming to strengthen your sense of belonging to a particular group.

Classic Conformity Studies

Several landmark studies have shaped our understanding of conformity. Let's review the most influential ones:

Asch's Line Study (1951)

Solomon Asch investigated how individuals conform to obviously incorrect majority opinions. Participants had to match the length of a line to one of three comparison lines.

Key findings: About 75% of participants conformed at least once and 32% conformed consistently. However, when just one confederate gave the correct answer, conformity dropped dramatically.

Real-world application: Shows how peer pressure can make people doubt their own judgement, even when the correct answer seems obvious.

Zimbardo's Stanford Prison Experiment (1971)

Philip Zimbardo created a mock prison and randomly assigned participants to be either "guards" or "prisoners." The experiment had to be stopped after just 6 days.

Key findings: Participants quickly conformed to their assigned roles. Guards became increasingly cruel, while prisoners became passive and depressed.

Ethical concerns: This study is now considered highly unethical due to the psychological harm caused to participants.

Milgram's Obedience Study (1963)

While primarily about obedience, Milgram's study also demonstrated conformity to authority. Participants were ordered to deliver increasingly severe electric shocks to a "learner" (actually an actor).

Key findings: 65% of participants administered the maximum 450-volt shock when pressured by an authority figure.

Connection to conformity: Shows how people conform to the expectations of authority figures, even when it conflicts with their personal values.

Factors Affecting Conformity

Research has identified several key factors that influence whether and how much people conform:

👥 Group Factors
  • Size: Larger groups typically produce more conformity, up to about 3-5 people
  • Unanimity: Conformity decreases if even one person disagrees with the majority
  • Cohesion: People conform more in groups they value or want to join
👤 Individual Factors
  • Self-confidence: People with lower self-esteem tend to conform more
  • Prior commitments: Public statements reduce likelihood of conforming later
  • Culture: Collectivist cultures show higher conformity rates than individualist ones
📝 Task Factors
  • Difficulty: More difficult or ambiguous tasks lead to greater conformity
  • Importance: People conform less on issues they consider personally important
  • Public vs. private: Public responses lead to more conformity than private ones

Real-World Applications

Understanding conformity helps explain many everyday phenomena and can be applied in various contexts:

Conformity in Adolescence

Teenagers are particularly susceptible to conformity pressures as they develop their identities. Peer influence can lead to both positive behaviours (studying hard, volunteering) and negative ones (risky driving, substance use).

Research shows that adolescents are more likely than adults to take risks when observed by peers, due to increased activation in brain regions associated with reward processing.

Conformity in Digital Spaces

Social media creates new forms of conformity pressure through likes, shares and comments. Online "filter bubbles" can reinforce existing beliefs and discourage exposure to diverse viewpoints.

Studies show that seeing the number of likes on social media posts can influence our own opinions and likelihood of engaging with content, demonstrating digital conformity in action.

👍 Positive Aspects of Conformity

Conformity isn't always negative. It can:

  • Create social cohesion and group harmony
  • Establish helpful social norms (like queuing or saying "please" and "thank you")
  • Help newcomers learn appropriate behaviours in unfamiliar situations
  • Promote cooperation in achieving group goals

👎 Negative Aspects of Conformity

However, conformity can also lead to:

  • Suppression of creativity and innovation
  • Groupthink and poor decision-making
  • Bystander effect (failing to help in emergencies)
  • Participation in harmful behaviours due to peer pressure

Resisting Conformity

Understanding how conformity works can help us recognise when it's happening and decide whether to conform or resist:

  • Awareness: Simply knowing about conformity pressures makes you less susceptible to them
  • Finding allies: Having even one person who supports your view makes resistance easier
  • Private reflection: Taking time to consider your true beliefs before responding to group pressure
  • Gradual commitment: Starting with small acts of independence can build confidence for larger ones

Case Study: Minority Influence

While conformity involves individuals changing to match the majority, minority influence occurs when a small group causes the majority to change. This typically happens when the minority is:

  • Consistent in their position over time
  • Flexible in their approach rather than rigid
  • Committed to their position, showing willingness to face social disapproval

Historical examples include the suffragette movement, civil rights campaigners and environmental activists, who all started as minority voices but eventually changed mainstream views.

Review Questions

Test your understanding of conformity with these practice questions:

  1. Explain the difference between compliance, identification and internalisation.
  2. How did Asch's study demonstrate the power of majority influence?
  3. What factors might increase or decrease conformity in a classroom setting?
  4. How might understanding conformity help someone resist negative peer pressure?
  5. Describe a real-life example of minority influence leading to positive social change.

Remember that conformity is a complex process influenced by multiple factors. Being able to recognise when and why it occurs gives you more control over your own responses to social pressure.

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