Conformity

OCR

GCSE

Conformity, a subset of Social Influence, involves a change in a person's behaviour or opinions as a result of real or imagined pressure from a person or group of people. Candidates must distinguish between Kelman’s three types of conformity (Compliance, Identification, Internalisation) and the Dual Process Dependency Model explanations (Normative Social Influence and Informational Social Influence). Mastery requires critical evaluation of pivotal research by Asch (1951) and Zimbardo (1973), specifically analysing methodological validity, ethical breaches, and the 'child of its time' critique regarding historical validity.

Objectives

Exam Tips

Pitfalls

Key Terms

Mark Points

What You Need to Demonstrate

Key skills and knowledge for this topic

Award marks for precise definitions of conformity: 'yielding to group pressure' rather than just 'copying'.
Credit accurate recall of Asch's key statistics: 36.8% conformity rate on critical trials and 75% conforming at least once.
Evaluation (AO3) must go beyond generic statements; credit responses that explicitly link 'artificial task' to 'low ecological validity'.
For AO2 application, candidates must explicitly reference details from the provided scenario (e.g., 'Sam is unsure because he lacks expertise...') rather than stating theory in isolation.

Example Examiner Feedback

Real feedback patterns examiners use when marking

"You have described the study well, but you need to explicitly state the percentage of participants who conformed to access higher marks."
"Your evaluation mentions 'ethics', but you must specify that Asch used deception regarding the true aim of the line task."
"You identified the social factor correctly; now apply it to the person in the scenario—why did their specific situation lead to conformity?"
"Avoid describing the procedure when the question asks for the conclusion; focus on the relationship between group pressure and behavior."

Marking Points

Key points examiners look for in your answers

Award marks for precise definitions of conformity: 'yielding to group pressure' rather than just 'copying'.
Credit accurate recall of Asch's key statistics: 36.8% conformity rate on critical trials and 75% conforming at least once.
Evaluation (AO3) must go beyond generic statements; credit responses that explicitly link 'artificial task' to 'low ecological validity'.
For AO2 application, candidates must explicitly reference details from the provided scenario (e.g., 'Sam is unsure because he lacks expertise...') rather than stating theory in isolation.

Examiner Tips

Expert advice for maximising your marks

💡In 13-mark 'Discuss' questions, structure your response as: Description of Theory/Study (AO1) followed by three distinct Evaluation points (AO3).
💡When evaluating Asch, use the GRAVE acronym (Generalisability, Reliability, Application, Validity, Ethics) to ensure depth.
💡For 'Explain how...' questions involving a scenario, use the 'Hook and Anchor' method: Hook the theory and Anchor it to a specific quote or detail in the text.
💡Memorize the distinction between Social factors (situational) and Dispositional factors (individual) as this is a common discriminator in multiple-choice and short-answer questions.

Common Mistakes

Pitfalls to avoid in your exam answers

Confusing 'Conformity' (peer pressure) with 'Obedience' (authority figures).
Stating that conformity increases infinitely with group size (it plateaus after a majority of 3).
Providing generic ethical criticisms of Asch without specifying 'deception' or 'lack of informed consent'.
Describing the procedure of Asch when the question asks for the *results* or *conclusion*.

Key Terminology

Essential terms to know

Likely Command Words

How questions on this topic are typically asked

Identify

Describe

Explain

Calculate

Evaluate

Discuss

Ready to test yourself?

Practice questions tailored to this topic