4.9 Discuss factors influencing conformity

4.9 Discuss factors influencing conformity

Informational conformity (informational influence)	Normative conformity (normative social influence)	Conformity (referent informational influence)
When an individual turns to members of a group to obtain information about what is right. Example of research study: Sherif (1935)	When an individual conforms in order to be accepted or liked by other members of the group as people have a need for social approval and acceptance Example of research study: Asch (1951)	When an individual identifies with a particular social group (ingroup) and conforms to a prototypical group norm → increase in similarity between ingroup members as well as difference to outgroup

Situational factors in conformity: group size and group unanimity

Group size: Asch made variations of the original study by altering the amount of confederates. When there was only one confederate, the participant answered correctly. With two confederates, the minority participant’s errors rose to 13.6%. With three confederates, the errors jumped to 31.8%. Further increases in confederates did not increase errors so Asch concluded that the size of opposition is important only up to a point. Asch suggested that with larger groups, participants may become resistant to conform if they suspect that members of the majority are working together on purpose.

Group unanimity: Asch introduced social support to the naive participant, either another naive participant or a confederate who had been instructed to go along with the naive participant. The presence of a supporter reduced errors from 35% to around 5.5%. This is particularly the case if the supporter responds before the majority. This effect was seen even if the supporter was more incorrect than the majority, so it seems that breaking group unanimity is the main factor in reducing conformity.

Cultural norms as a factor in conformity

Bond and Smith (1996) performed a meta-analysis of 133 studies in 17 different countries on the Asch paradigm. They found higher conformity levels in collectivistic cultures than in individualistic cultures. The level of conformity (i.e. percentage of incorrect answers) raged from 15% in an experiment with Belgian student (Doms, 1983) to 58% among Indian teachers in Fiji (Chandra, 1973). They also found that generally, the conformity was higher when the majority group was large.

Berry (1967) used a variation of Asch’s conformity experiments to study whether conformity rates among the Temne in Sierra Leone in Africa and the Inuits of Baffin Island in Canada could be linked to social norms and socialization practices. He found that the Temne, who had an agricultural economy, had high conformity levels. The culture emphasized obedience in child-rearing practices because the culture is dependent on cooperation in farming. The Inuits are hunters and often hunt alone. They therefore need to be able to make decisions for themselves. Child-rearing practices emphasize self-reliance because this is needed within this culture. This could perhaps explain why the Inuits tend to conform less.

Kagitcibasi (1984) studied socialization patterns in nine different countries (Indonesia, South Korea, the Philippines, Singapore, Taiwan, Thailand, Turkey, the USA, and Germany). The study included 20000 interviews with parents on the qualities they considered most desirable in children. Parents from Turkey and Indonesia found it important that children obeyed them and did not emphasize independence or self-reliance. The opposite pattern was found in the USA. Parents in Singapore, Taiwan, and Thailand also tended to emphasize self-reliance rather than obedience. The consequence of modernization is, to some extent, a breakup of the extended family system seen in collectivist cultures and placing more emphasis on individual effort and responsibilities.