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Understanding Social Influence in Psychology

Apr 30, 2025

Lecture Notes: Social Influence in Psychology

Introduction

  • Speaker: Fiona
  • Topic: Social Influence, focusing on types and explanations of conformity (AQA A-Level Psychology, Paper 1)

Types of Conformity

  1. Compliance

    • Definition: Going along with others publicly while privately not changing opinions or behavior.
    • Characteristic: Superficial; behavior stops with group pressure.
    • Example Study: Asch's study on minority influence.

  2. Identification

    • Definition: Adopting behaviors to be part of a group while accepting them as right and true.
    • Example Study: Zimbardo's mock prison study.

  3. Internalization

    • Definition: Genuine acceptance of group norms, causing both private and public change.
    • Characteristic: Likely permanent change.
    • Example Study: Moscovici's study on minority influence.

Explanations of Conformity

  1. Normative Social Influence (NSI)

    • Purpose: To be accepted or belong to a group; avoid social punishment.
    • Associated with: Compliance and identification.
    • Characteristic: Short-term; based on desire to be liked.

  2. Informational Social Influence (ISI)

    • Purpose: To gain knowledge or because others are perceived as correct.
    • Associated with: Internalization.
    • Characteristic: Long-term; conforming to be right.

Evaluations

  • Structure: Use color coding - Red (Point/Strength/Weakness), Purple (Evidence/Explanation), Green (Conclusion), Blue (Issues/Debates/Keywords).
  • Importance: Include issues and debates for higher-level understanding.

Normative Social Influence

  • Limitation: Individual differences; less effect on those not concerned with being liked (e.g., McGee and Tan study).
  • Significance: Shows variability in conformity based on desire to be liked.

Informational Social Influence

  • Strength: Research support (e.g., Lucas et al., 2006, on math problems).
  • Significance: Reliability of ISI explanation reinforced by study outcomes.

Distinguishing NSI and ISI

  • Challenge: Difficulty in distinguishing which influence is at work (e.g., Asch's study limitations, androcentrism).

Exam Practice

  • Question 1: Outline and evaluate NSI as an explanation for conformity (4 marks).

    • Possible Content: Reasons for compliance, research examples, individual differences.

  • Question 2: Discuss explanations for conformity, referencing Steph and Jeff (16 marks).

    • AO1: Discuss NSI (desire for social approval, compliance) and ISI (desire to be right, internalization).
    • AO2: Link to scenario - Steph (informational) and Jeff (normative).
    • AO3: Two evaluations needed; include evidence and discuss explanations.

  • General Advice: Use provided resources for practice and understanding.

Conclusion

  • Encouragement: Engage with material, ask questions, and discuss with peers.
  • Next Steps: Further videos on issues and debates.

Note: Remember to participate in discussions to enhance learning and understanding.

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