Human beings naturally learn from social interaction and are also able to observe and make decisions based on their social interactions. Social influence has a profound effect on human psychology, and human behavior. Cultural exposure can influence language, dress, taboos, gender roles, and dressing style. People develop values, attitudes, and behaviors that reflect their culture. Behaviors and attitudes are reinforced through social institutions such family, religion, schools or communities. Social influence can be defined as the ability to change behavior through another person. Social influence includes conformity. It has been studied extensively to learn how and why people comply. This subject has been described through a variety of social perspectives, which are supported by current and classical research. This paper will discuss and evaluate current research on conformity.

Before we get into the theories of conformity, let’s first understand what conformity means. McLeod (2016) defines conformity to be “a type or social influence that involves a change of belief or behavior in order to fit into a group.” Pavitt, C. and Curtis, E. stress that conformity is when an individual agrees to do something that is accepted by society or favored. Conformity can be motivated by the need to conform (normative) or the desire to be right (informational). There are three types: compliance, identification, and internalization. To conform is to follow other people’s expectations and desires in order to obtain a positive response (to be rewarded/not punished). Conformity is when someone agrees with an idea. Internalization refers to a genuine acceptance and understanding of social norms. If an individual is motivated by intrinsically positive results and it aligns with his/her beliefs, he/she will accept the course of an action or idea. When an individual is willing to accept social influence in order to create or sustain a relationship that defines him/herself, it’s called identification. People follow the wants and needs of those they value and are most interested in. While there are many theoretical approaches to conformity, cognitive dissonance as well as the social comparison approach are most commonly accepted. The unanimous consensus in scholarly opinion that people conform to self-evaluation is the inspiration for the social comparison theory. Festinger was a key contributor to the social comparability perspective. He believed that people conform in order to be correct. People often look at their beliefs and compare them to established standards. People look for other people to compare their beliefs with so they can make a self-evaluation. People are more likely to alter their beliefs, values, or behavior if they are unhappy with how they self-evaluate. Cognitive Dissonance Theory, which was developed on the belief that people aren’t always motivated by correctness. However, they also need consistency. Festinger said that social comparisons are ambiguous because there is no clear connection between people’s desire and ability to judge themselves. Festinger argues that people may not be happy with their current status quo and accept the negative or positive evaluation. Conflicting beliefs can also be a sign of cognitive dissonance. For instance, a person might state that “I like my parent” but “I disagree.” But that doesn’t mean that he/she is going to follow their lead. It is possible for a person to reject the social influence of their parents.

The concept of conformity was explained by a number of classic experiments. Sherif did an experiment in 1935 that demonstrated that people are more likely to follow group norms when they’re placed in unclear or ambiguous situations. Participants were asked to estimate the distance that the light travelled by projecting a small amount of light onto a darkened room. Individually, participants reported varying results: 20cm up to 80cm. Sherif then added two people who had similar estimates to one who had a drastically different one. When asked again how far the light traveled, Sherif put together two people with similar estimates and one with a significantly different estimate. Sherif concluded that people conform to group norms when they are uncertain. Asch conducted another classic experiment on conformity. He asked participants to compare the lengths of three vertical lines of different lengths to determine which one was the longest. All participants agreed that the subject line was the longest in both the first and second trials. Asch however, altered the experiment and got the control group to agree with the incorrect line. Participants were influenced by this change and felt they had to follow the majority’s lead. 75% gave the wrong answer, giving in to social pressures. Asch’s findings showed that people will conform to social pressures when there are more confusing stimuli.

Current studies have also demonstrated conformity. Mallison, D., and Hatemi. P. carried out a study on information and social conformity in relation to opinion change. This included a focus on political views (2018). Experimental and observational research have shown a relationship between political behavior and social influence. The results show that people are more inclined to seek out highly-informed individuals in their networks when making political decisions, such as voting. Social networks are a great place to influence other people on how they should engage in politics. Mallison, D. & Hatemi, P. based their knowledge on the fact that participants at Pennsylvania State University were placed in a deliberative atmosphere to examine the effects of compliance on opinion change. A control group was created and participants were asked to express their political opinions. Participants were asked to record their opinions before and during the group discussion. Researchers found that 62% of participants changed their minds during or after the discussion. These results are consistent to Asch-Sherif’s experiments, in which people tend to conform in uncertain situations.

Stallen (M.) and Sanfey (A.) reviewed studies that examined brain mechanisms during conformity. One study required participants to rate female faces. Participants were then asked to rate the faces again, and they were subject to group judgments. According to the findings, ratings moved in the same direction as group ratings. Neuroimaging results revealed that the individuals who saw the different ratings of the group had increased activity in their rostral cingulated zones, which are responsible for processing conflict. The brain area responsible for reward expectation, known as the nucleus, declined. These findings showed that the participants were not willing to accept any influence on their ratings. A second study on compliance showed that neuroimaging could predict behavioral changes. One study found that discrepancy signals are a signal that indicates the magnitude of a person’s expected future conformity. A person’s likelihood of conforming to a group can also be predicted by structural and functional differences in orbitofrontal cortical cortex.

Beran, T. carried out another study to explore the notion of conformity in medical fields. Third-year medical students were learning how to perform knee arthrocentesis in a controlled environment. The video demonstrated the procedure in detail and participants were required to recreate it. They were not given the correct knee simulators, but they had holes at the wrong location. Despite not being sure of the placement, all the students ended up inserting needles into the wrong holes. This study showed that people can conform to pressure, even though they are unsure. Second, the study examined how nursing and medical students conform to pressure. They were asked to pair up and read vital signs such as radial pulse and systolic/diastolic pressure from a simulator. The control group consisted of medical students, who are higher up than nurses in hierarchy, and were medical students. The control group read vital signs first and then followed by nurses. The results revealed that 80% of nurses recited the same information as medical students. Nursing students were pressured to correct them and nurses did the same by repeating incorrect answers. These results are consistent with Social Comparison Theory, which shows that people can change their beliefs or behaviors after comparing them to other people or groups.

These studies are consistent with both the conformity theories. Social Comparison Theory argues that people are willing to accept social pressure to be right. Classic experiments revealed that participants changed their answers when they were given the chance to be corrected by the majority. Studies in the current study also showed how participants were influenced and changed their answers by others. They believed the majority was always right. A study in which participants were subjected to opposing political views also showed the cognitive dissonance theory. 38% of participants retained their original view, which shows that they were motivated to be consist. These studies highlight the importance and pattern formation of social influences in peoples’ lives.