What is conformity and why do people conform?
Conformity is when a person changes their behaviour or opinion to match a group, because of real or imagined group pressure. Nobody orders them to; that would be obedience.
Two reasons people conform
- Normative social influence: we want to be liked and not look odd, so we go along in public, even if we privately disagree.
- Informational social influence: we are unsure and think the group knows better, so we copy them and may truly change our mind.
Deep or shallow conformity
Compliance is going along on the outside while disagreeing inside. Internalisation is truly accepting the group's view, so it lasts even when the group is not there.
The Asch line study
Aim
Solomon Asch (1951) wanted to see if people would conform to a group's answer even when the right answer was obvious.
Method
About 50 male American college students each sat in a group of 7β9 people who were secretly confederates (actors working for the researcher). Everyone looked at a standard line and three comparison lines and said aloud which matched. The real participant answered last or second to last. There were 18 trials; on 12 'critical' trials the confederates all gave the same wrong answer. A control group did the task alone.
Results
- Alone, people made mistakes less than 1% of the time.
- In the group, about 37% of critical answers were wrong, matching the group.
- About 75% conformed at least once; about 25% never conformed.
Afterwards, many said they knew the answer was wrong but did not want to stand out (normative influence). A few began to doubt their own eyes (informational influence).
Evaluation
- Strength: it was a controlled lab study, so it can be repeated and cause and effect is clearer.
- Weakness: the line task is artificial; real decisions matter more.
- Weakness: only American male students from the 1950s, so results may not apply to women, other cultures or today (later studies found lower conformity in some places).
- Ethics: participants were deceived and some felt stressed.
Situational factors
Situational factors are features of the setting, not of the person.
- Group size: with 1 confederate conformity was very low (about 3%); with 2, about 13%; with 3, about 32%. Adding more people beyond 3β4 made little difference.
- Unanimity / an ally: if just one other person gave the right answer, conformity dropped to around 5%. Breaking the group's agreement gives people courage.
- Anonymity: when the participant could write the answer privately, conformity fell a lot, because nobody would see them disagree.
- Task difficulty: when the lines were made more similar (harder), conformity rose, because people were less sure and looked to others.
Dispositional factors
Dispositional factors are features of the person.
- Personality β locus of control: people with an internal locus of control believe they control what happens to them, and tend to conform less. People with an external locus of control believe luck or others control their lives, and tend to conform more.
- Confidence and self-esteem: people who feel sure of themselves are less likely to give in.
- Expertise: someone who knows a lot about the topic is more confident in their answer and conforms less, especially when informational influence would otherwise apply.
Most psychologists say behaviour comes from both the situation and the person working together.
Try it: ask a friend a simple question, like which of two pencils is longer, after two other friends (in on it) give the wrong answer. Then tell your friend the truth straight away and explain the study. Notice how they felt. Never make anyone uncomfortable or embarrassed.
Key formulas and definitions
- Conformity: changing behaviour or opinion to match a group because of group pressure.
- Normative social influence: conforming to be accepted and liked.
- Informational social influence: conforming because you think others are right.
- Confederate: an actor who works for the researcher and pretends to be a participant.
- Situational factor: part of the setting (group size, ally, anonymity, task difficulty).
- Dispositional factor: part of the person (locus of control, confidence, expertise).
Worked examples
1. Riya is new in class. Everyone says a song is great, so she says she likes it too, though she doesn't. Which type of influence is this?
Normative social influence. She wants to fit in and be liked; she has not changed her private view (compliance).
2. In Asch's study, why did conformity fall when one confederate gave the right answer?
The group was no longer unanimous. The ally broke the pressure and gave the participant support, so they felt safer giving the right answer.
3. Explain why making the lines more similar increased conformity.
A harder task makes people less certain. When unsure, they rely more on others for the right answer, so informational influence grows.
Common mistakes
- Mixing up conformity and obedience. Conformity is pressure from equals; obedience is following an order from an authority.
- Thinking bigger groups always mean more conformity. After about 3β4 people, adding more makes little difference.
- Saying everyone conformed in Asch's study. About a quarter never conformed.
- Treating dispositional and situational factors as either/or. Both affect behaviour together.