Research support for NSI - strength

(Point) There is research to support NSI as an explanation for conformity. Asch found that many Ps went along with a clearly wrong answer just because other people did.

(Example) When asked why, some of Ps said they felt self-conscious and they were afraid of disapproval/ridicule. Ps publicly changed their answers to ‘fit in’ with other Ps. When Asch repeated his study and allowed Ps to write down their answers instead of saying them out loud, conformity rates fell to 12.5% as they felt less self-conscious.

(Link) This a strength because it shows that concern for social approval and a desire to not be rejected by the group, is a key driver (reason) in conformity.

Individual Differences in NSI - weakness

(Point) NSI does not affect everyone’s behaviour in the same way and we cannot predict conformity in every case.

(Example) Some people are greatly concerned with being liked by others. Such people are called nAffiliators – they have a strong need for ‘affiliation’ i.e. they want to relate to other people and are more likely to conform.

(Link) This is a weakness because the desire to be liked cannot explain why everyone conforms. There are individual differences in conformity, i.e. not everyone is the same.

Real life applications - strength

(Point) A strength of NSI & ISI is that they have real life applications. They explain why people do conform in everyday life.

(Example) For example peer group pressure is an everyday occurrence for young people: fashion, music taste and bad habits could be attributed to NSI (the desire to be liked). Additionally, when we sometimes are unsure how to act e.g. when we find ourselves in a new situation or how to answer a question we often turn to the person who we feel has more knowledge than ourselves (ISI/ the desire to be right).

(Link) This is a strength as it helps explain how people use normative and informational social influence on a daily basis.

Individual Differences for ISI - weakness

(Point) A disadvantage of ISI is that it does not affect everyone’s behaviour in the same way.

(Example) Perrin and Spencer (1980) conducted a study involving science and engineering students, who would have been confident estimating line lengths and found very little conformity. They knew they were right so did not conform.

(Link) This is a weakness because it shows that individual differences play a very important role in the way people respond. It suggests that when one is confident the need to fit in could be reduced.