A level AQA Psychology Flashcard Tables: Introductory Topics in Psychology AO1 & AO3
Table 1: Social Influence
Define Conformity A change in a person's perspective or opinions as a result of
real or imagined pressure from a person or group of people.
Name a strength of Asch’s research Research support for task difficulty variation- Lucas et al asked
ppts to solve 'easy' and 'hard' maths questions and given
answers from three other students- ppts conformed more
often when the questions were 'hard'. - Asch's claim that task
difficulty affects conformity is correct
Which study suggests Asch's study lacked Williams and Sogan found conformity was higher in groups of
ecological validity? friends than groups of strangers, Asch only used groups of
strangers so the findings can not be applied to situations
beyond the experiment
Which study suggests Asch's study was Smith and Bond carried out conformity studies in other
ethnocentric? cultures and found conformity is more likely in collectivist
rather than individualistic cultures, Asch used all american men
meaning findings lack population validity
,Define Informational influence (ISI) when we agree with the opinion of the majority because we
believe it is correct as well.
Define Normative influence (NSI) when we agree with the opinion of the majority because we
want to gain social approval and be liked.
Name one strength of NSI evidence support- Asch interviewed his ppts and found that
some conformed because they self conscious giving the right
answer and they were afraid of disapproval. - when ppts wrote
their answers down, conformity fell to 12.5% as there was no
normative group pressure
,Name a strength of ISI Research support- Lucas et al found ppts conformed more
often to incorrect answers they were given when the maths
problems were difficult. This is because when the question was
easy, they knew their own minds, but when they were hard the
situation became ambiguous- they didnt want to be wrong
BOOST- It is difficult to differentiate between NSI and ISI, e.g
the dissenter in Asch's study could provide an alternative
answer, as well as relieving pressure, it is not clear which one
Name a weakness of NSI NSI does not predict every conformity case- some people
called nAffiliators are more concerned with being liked than
others and so are more likely to conform. - There are individual
factors generalised theories about conformity do not explain
Define Identification A moderate type of conformity. We act in the same way as the
majority because we value it and want to be a part of it, but we
don't always agree with everything the majority does.
Define internalisation A deep type of conformity. We take on the majority view
because we accept it as correct. This leads to a permanent
change in a person even when the group is absent
, Define compliance a superficial and temporary type of conformity. We
automatically go a long with the majority, but privately
disagree with it. Our behaviour changes only as long as the
group are present.
How did group size affect conformity and The conformity of an individual increases as group size
how did Asch investigate this? increases, but stays the same when the number in a group
goes above 3, with 3 confederates the rate of conformity to
the wrong answer increased 31.8%. Asch investigated this by
varying the number of confederates from 1-15.
How did unanimity affect conformity and Conformity dropped to less than a quarter of the level when
how did Asch investigate this? the majority is not unanimous, breaking group consensus
allows for independent behaviour and vise versa. Asch
investigated this by introducing a confederate who disagreed.
How did task difficulty affect conformity Conformity increases as the task difficulty increases,
and how did Asch investigate this? participants looked for guidance when the answer was unclear.
Asch investigated this by making the lines closer together so it
was more difficult to match the target line.
Table 1: Social Influence
Define Conformity A change in a person's perspective or opinions as a result of
real or imagined pressure from a person or group of people.
Name a strength of Asch’s research Research support for task difficulty variation- Lucas et al asked
ppts to solve 'easy' and 'hard' maths questions and given
answers from three other students- ppts conformed more
often when the questions were 'hard'. - Asch's claim that task
difficulty affects conformity is correct
Which study suggests Asch's study lacked Williams and Sogan found conformity was higher in groups of
ecological validity? friends than groups of strangers, Asch only used groups of
strangers so the findings can not be applied to situations
beyond the experiment
Which study suggests Asch's study was Smith and Bond carried out conformity studies in other
ethnocentric? cultures and found conformity is more likely in collectivist
rather than individualistic cultures, Asch used all american men
meaning findings lack population validity
,Define Informational influence (ISI) when we agree with the opinion of the majority because we
believe it is correct as well.
Define Normative influence (NSI) when we agree with the opinion of the majority because we
want to gain social approval and be liked.
Name one strength of NSI evidence support- Asch interviewed his ppts and found that
some conformed because they self conscious giving the right
answer and they were afraid of disapproval. - when ppts wrote
their answers down, conformity fell to 12.5% as there was no
normative group pressure
,Name a strength of ISI Research support- Lucas et al found ppts conformed more
often to incorrect answers they were given when the maths
problems were difficult. This is because when the question was
easy, they knew their own minds, but when they were hard the
situation became ambiguous- they didnt want to be wrong
BOOST- It is difficult to differentiate between NSI and ISI, e.g
the dissenter in Asch's study could provide an alternative
answer, as well as relieving pressure, it is not clear which one
Name a weakness of NSI NSI does not predict every conformity case- some people
called nAffiliators are more concerned with being liked than
others and so are more likely to conform. - There are individual
factors generalised theories about conformity do not explain
Define Identification A moderate type of conformity. We act in the same way as the
majority because we value it and want to be a part of it, but we
don't always agree with everything the majority does.
Define internalisation A deep type of conformity. We take on the majority view
because we accept it as correct. This leads to a permanent
change in a person even when the group is absent
, Define compliance a superficial and temporary type of conformity. We
automatically go a long with the majority, but privately
disagree with it. Our behaviour changes only as long as the
group are present.
How did group size affect conformity and The conformity of an individual increases as group size
how did Asch investigate this? increases, but stays the same when the number in a group
goes above 3, with 3 confederates the rate of conformity to
the wrong answer increased 31.8%. Asch investigated this by
varying the number of confederates from 1-15.
How did unanimity affect conformity and Conformity dropped to less than a quarter of the level when
how did Asch investigate this? the majority is not unanimous, breaking group consensus
allows for independent behaviour and vise versa. Asch
investigated this by introducing a confederate who disagreed.
How did task difficulty affect conformity Conformity increases as the task difficulty increases,
and how did Asch investigate this? participants looked for guidance when the answer was unclear.
Asch investigated this by making the lines closer together so it
was more difficult to match the target line.
