The Effect of Situational Factors on Conformity (OCR GCSE Psychology): Revision Note

Situational factors affecting conformity

• Conformity is influenced by situational (social) factors — external conditions and social influences that affect how much someone conforms

  • E.g. other people or the situation one finds themself in

• Belonging to a group provides acceptance and identity

• People conform because they:

  • want to be liked and included

  • want to avoid rejection or standing out

  • believe the group is right or knows more than they do

Key situational factors affecting conformity

• Group size

  • Conformity increases with group size, but only up to a point

  • In Asch's (1956) famous line study, he found that conformity rose quickly from one to three people, but didn’t increase much beyond four

• Anonymity

  • People are less likely to go against the group openly for fear of being judged or rejected (normative conformity)

  • In Asch’s variation, where participants gave answers privately, conformity fell, showing that fear of embarrassment or exclusion influences behaviour

• Task difficulty

  • When tasks are hard or ambiguous, people doubt their own judgement and look to others for guidance (informational conformity)

  • Asch found that conformity increased when the task was made more difficult, as participants assumed the group must be right

Normative conformity

• Normative conformity happens when people conform to be liked, accepted, or to fit in with the group — even if they privately disagree

  • They follow the group norm (what most people do) to avoid rejection or embarrassment

• For example:

  • A student might agree that they enjoyed a film because their friends did, even though they didn’t

  • They conform publicly but keep their true opinion private

• Normative conformity helps maintain social harmony, as following shared norms ensures that groups and societies function smoothly

Informational conformity

• Informational conformity happens when people conform because they believe others know better than they do

• It usually occurs when a situation is unclear or difficult, and the person lacks confidence in their own judgement

  • In this case, people internalise the group’s opinion — they actually change their belief, not just their behaviour

• For example:

  • If you’re unsure which answer is correct in a class discussion, you might agree with the majority because you assume they’re right

  • This type of conformity helps people make decisions when they’re uncertain, but it can also lead to errors if the majority is wrong