• Conformity is based on the two central human needs of needing to be right and needing to be liked

Informative social influence

• Usually occurs when the individual is unsure and lacks knowledge about a situation (which is usually new) and so looks to the group for guidance
• It can also occur when there is a crisis situation, a decision needs to be made quickly and we assume the group is more likely to be correct
• The individual accepts it because they want to be correct as well
• This type of conformity usually involves internalization

Normative social influence

• Usually occurs when the individual is uncertain about their beliefs and looks to someone who may be better informed
• It also occurs because the individual wants to fit in with the group and not be rejected by them
• The individual accepts it because they want to gain the social approval of the group
• This type of conformity usually involves compliance

Evaluation of explanations of conformity

Research support for informational social influence

• Lucas et al (2006):
  • Findings: Participants conformed more when the math problems were difficult compared to when math problems were considered easier due to students being ambiguous about the answer and not wanting to appear wrong

Research support for normative social influence

• Asch (1951):
  • Findings: Participants claimed they gave the wrong answer, even when they knew it was wrong as they felt self-conscious and did not want to go against the group and gain disapproval

However:

• It is often difficult to establish if it is Informational or Normative Social Influence within research studies as well as in real life:
  • This shows it is difficult to separate the two and that both processes work together in most real-world situations
• Another limitation is that normative social influence does not predict conformity in every case and therefore does not take into account individual differences
• It cannot explain why some people refuse to conform